Blog for Concerned Citizens of East Cobb Over Isakson Living

Which District Has the Least Amount of County Parks? District 2

11/5/2016

20-acre East Cobb Park in District 2

The 54-acre Tritt property, located next to 20-acre East Cobb Park, was the impetus for the entire Park Bond 2006 program. When the Tritt property in East Cobb wasn't purchased in 2006, it was again recommended for purchase by Cobb County's Citizen Advisory Committee in 2008.

The 112-acre Bullard Farm & Stockton Property in West Cobb, located near Oregon Park, was purchased for $18.5 million from the $40 million Park Bond 2006 Referendum funds. The Bullard/Stockton property was renamed Green Meadows Preserve, and it was the other major property along with the Tritt property that inspired the Park Bond process.

It's worth mentioning only 3 out of the 29 properties recommended for purchase with the 2008 Park Bond were in District 2. However, now 8 years later, the Tritt property is actually the only District 2 property left from the 2008 Park Bond list, because the other 2 -- the 2 1/2-acre Stillhouse property in Vinings & the 9-acre Robinson Road property near Old Canton -- were both developed. Also two more nearby potential park properties in District 3 -- 16-acre Pinkney near East Piedmont & 31-acre Holly Springs Road -- have already been developed.
Of the 13 properties on the New Park Bond 2008 list published November 2, 2016, zero properties for District 2 are listed as a Tier 1 property, and only 1 property is listed on Tier 2.

We are grateful to have 20-acre East Cobb Park! Even still, District 2 has the lowest number of county and city parks, despite the highest population density and least land available as greenspace or parks.

These county park and city park numbers are based on the 2017 redistricting, so the number of parks in District 2 has been even lower.

These parks numbers are found here on Chairman Lee's page.

District 1
city parks 535 acres +
county parks 3238 acres
= 3773 acres

District 2
city parks 82 acres +
county parks 313 acres
= 395 acres

District 3
city parks 390 acres +
county parks 509 acres
= 899 acres

District 4
city parks 183 acres +
county parks 1109 acres
= 1,292 acres

Note: Adding in the National Parks and FEMA floodplain means that Districts 2 and 4 are close in the amount of total greenspace, with District 3 the lowest.

Here are the Parks and Recreation Master Plan documents in 2002 from Lose & Associates (This is the same company the Board of Commissioners recently approved to complete a new Master Plan in 2017):
2001 Parks Master Plan (sections 1-3)
2001 Parks Master Plan (sections 4-6)
2001 Parks Master Plan (sections 7-9)

The Master Plan is over 150 pages, and on page 1 the report says "southern & eastern Cobb are the most deficient areas for city and county parkland." That's still true today.

The 2016 Property list for Park Bond 2008

Recommended property list for the 2008 Park Bond

The MDJ obtained the New 2016 property list for Park Bond 2008. In 2008, 29 properties were listed for purchase, yet in 2016 only 13 properties are selected on the New Park Bond 2008 list just published. For Distict 2, no properties are listed in Tier 1, as you can see on the map. There is one 14-acre property in Tier 2 for District 2, but it's not shown on the map.

Tritt property supporters should be heartened with the fact that any community can still push for their ideal park property to be purchased by the county, as the Board makes the final decision on parkland acquisition. Also, District 2 has no other Tier 1 properties. As we know, the Tritt Property was the impetus and motivation for the entire Park Bond program, and the Tritt property was recommended for purchase on both the Park Bond 2006 and Park Bond 2008 lists. The Friends of Tritt Park are working on fundraising to help create a Tritt park in District 2.

You can fill in the form or email your own letter to bob.ott@cobbcounty.org

MDJ Article: Supporters pushing for Tritt property’s purchase

11/2/2016

Marietta Daily Journal Article: Supporters pushing for Tritt property’s purchase
Jon Gargis

Nov 2, 2016

Proponents of the creation of a new park along Roswell Road in east Cobb are planning to create a nonprofit to aid them in their efforts.

The webpage for “The Friends of Tritt Park” says the organization’s goal is to preserve the Tritt property, a nearly 54-acre piece of land adjacent to East Cobb Park.

It had been at the center of a lawsuit against the county after Cobb commissioners denied Atlanta-based Isakson Living’s request to rezone the land for a senior living project in March 2015. The company and the property’s owner, Wylene Tritt, sued the county over the decision, which has gone through multiple rounds of mediation.

The suit was dropped in September, with an Isakson Living official saying the county’s requests to reduce the number of residences at the senior living development would prevent the company from providing its expected level of services and accommodations.

In addition to dropping the suit, Isakson Living also canceled its contract with Tritt to purchase the property, leading Tritt to send a letter to county officials asking that the county consider purchasing her property to use as a park. The letter was dated Sept. 21, the day before the suit was officially dropped.

The Friends of Tritt Park’s website calls Tritt’s property “the Green Jewel of East Cobb,” and paints a picture of what supporters envision for the land.

“The vision for the new Tritt Park at Ivy Wood includes many activities & attractions such as nature hiking trails, mountain biking trails, disc golf, camping, botanical gardens, weddings and special events, an East Cobb history center and an art studio for art shows,” the website says.

The organization said the purchase of the property would likely be accomplished with a medley of funding, with support from the county, corporate sponsors, nonprofits and individuals. In addition to pursuing creation of a nonprofit toward its efforts, the organization is asking supporters to pledge donations that would go toward buying the park.

The Tritt property was not among the 13 pieces of land listed for potential purchase by the county, according to a list of properties obtained by the MDJ.

For more information on The Friends of Tritt Park, visit trittpark.org.

Concerned Citizens of East Cobb

Which District Has the Least Amount of County Parks? District 2

The 2016 Property list for Park Bond 2008

Email to Commissioner Ott: Please Choose the Tritt Property for a County Park

MDJ Article: Supporters pushing for Tritt property’s purchase

The Concerned Citizens of East Cobb

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