The Cobb County Planning Commission Here's what happened on Tuesday, March 3 & what comes next to prepare for Tuesday, March 17.
The head count at the Tuesday, March 3 Planning Commission meeting was 171 opposed to rezoning Z-2 (our team yellow) and 107 for Isakson Living (wearing red). Thank you East Cobb, through two years of this zoning battle, our Concerned Citizens numbers have remained so strong, and we are very encouraged about that! You can order a Yellow shirt for the March 17 meeting here!
At the March 3 Planning Commission meeting, several Concerned Citizens presented on the height of the apartments buildings, worsened views, how surrounding properties would be affected by such an intense development, protection of wetlands and streams, and the timing of the potential park donation.
In the end, the Planning Commission voted to recommend approval for the Isakson Living CCRC, but with several important changes, such as lowering building height to 2-stories as recommended by zoning staff, lowering the overall number of units to 450, and removing 7 of 65 CCRC homes planned within protected stream buffers. A number of stipulations were also either added or strengthened to further protect the community.
The Planning Commission can only make recommendations, and the final decision on the rezoning will be made in 2 weeks on March 17th, same time, same place, at the Cobb County Board of Commissioners (BOC) zoning hearing. We don't know if Isakson Living will present their current plan, the Planning Commission's recommended plan or some other version at the Board of Commissioners meeting on March 17.
The head count at the Tuesday, March 3 Planning Commission meeting was 171 opposed to rezoning Z-2 (our team yellow) and 107 for Isakson Living (wearing red). Thank you East Cobb, through two years of this zoning battle, our Concerned Citizens numbers have remained so strong, and we are very encouraged about that! You can order a Yellow shirt for the March 17 meeting here!
At the March 3 Planning Commission meeting, several Concerned Citizens presented on the height of the apartments buildings, worsened views, how surrounding properties would be affected by such an intense development, protection of wetlands and streams, and the timing of the potential park donation.
In the end, the Planning Commission voted to recommend approval for the Isakson Living CCRC, but with several important changes, such as lowering building height to 2-stories as recommended by zoning staff, lowering the overall number of units to 450, and removing 7 of 65 CCRC homes planned within protected stream buffers. A number of stipulations were also either added or strengthened to further protect the community.
The Planning Commission can only make recommendations, and the final decision on the rezoning will be made in 2 weeks on March 17th, same time, same place, at the Cobb County Board of Commissioners (BOC) zoning hearing. We don't know if Isakson Living will present their current plan, the Planning Commission's recommended plan or some other version at the Board of Commissioners meeting on March 17.
 Slide from March 3 meeting |  Slide from March 3 meeting |
On March 3, the Planning Commission recommended these streams be more protected, and recommended that the houses Isakson Living planned to build in the stream buffer not be built. We would have liked even more concessions for our residential community, but we can be proud that the conditions put on the approval recommendation were the result of the local community fighting hard for their rights as homeowners, tax payers, and voters. We must keep up the momentum to make the County Commissioners hold to these concessions at the very least.
Property owners have the right to sell, but developers do not have the right to develop anything they want. Commercial should not be put in Residential zones, especially a development the size of Cumberland Mall! (Air-conditioned floor space of Isakson Living's proposal is greater than the combined floor space of all retail at Cumberland Mall). Zoning laws exist to protect communities from inappropriate development or overdevelopment. The Board of Commissioners makes the final decision on March 17, which is why it is important that we continue to show up and press for the right thing to be done.
Slide from March 3 meeting The topic of wetlands was not adequately addressed at the March 3 Planning Commission, and we still request that an independent environmental survey be allowed on the Tritt property, before any rezoning takes place. Federal and state guidelines on the protection of wetlands must be adhered to on any property development, especially this 54-acre property, which was on the top of the Park Bond 2006 and Park Bond 2008 lists. Read a powerful Letter to the Editor, Deny Isakson zoning; carry out public’s order on parks bond vote, in the Marietta Daily Journal published on March 3.
When viewing the Walking the Tritt property video, many East Cobbers are just now understanding how near the planned 4-story CCRC apartment buildings would be to East Cobb Park, and what the future views would be if we don't continue to press for this rezoning case to be denied on March 17. Start at minute 4:30 to see what the view would look like from proposed Building F and Building G. Here is a map to understand where the proposed buildings would be in relation to East Cobb Park.
 School bus in traffic by East Cobb Park near proposed CCRC  School bus in traffic by proposed CCRC near East Cobb Park | In the Marietta Daily Journal article this morning, the lawyer for Isakson Living is quoted as saying that this plan is not designed to overwhelm schools. However, it must be pointed out that the project is so large, it could overload the Walton school district: if even 100 retirees from East Cobb moved into this 481 or 450-unit retirement community, that would mean 100 more houses on the market in East Cobb for new families to move into, and that could overwhelm the schools more than if the property were an 80-home subdivision, which is what the property is zoned for. Traffic would still be more intense with a CCRC than an 80-home subdivision, just because of the high number of units planned, and this would affect how children get to school. The commercial WellStar building across the street did not go through the zoning process, and traffic can be affected by that too. The square footage of the proposed CCRC is equal to 6.5 WellStars. |
We cannot allow the BOC to water down any of our hard-won concessions. We must make the county hold firm! The zoning game works like this: a developer asks for 100 houses, and lots of people attend the Planning Hearing to oppose the developer's plans. The Planning Commission recommends approval, but with only 80 houses. Then the developer presses ahead, and fewer people in opposition show up at the Board of Commissioners hearing two weeks later. The developers count on this! With no community pressure at the hearing, the developer asks for more than the Planning Commission recommended, and the BOC approves 90 houses.
The right of communities to protect zoning categories is being challenged with this zoning case. As we gear up for the final BOC hearing on March 17th, plan to attend and be counted. We did not get everything we want on March 3, but we will continue to press for less intensity and impact on the community.
If the developer cannot or will not compromise, we will continue to push for denial. But we need your help at the BOC hearing on March 17th, to attend and be counted. With our huge strength in numbers, we can motivate the Commissioners to do the right thing for the citizens of East Cobb!
We can keep sharing the Petition with our friends and neighbors and keep writing the Board of Commissioners before March 17.
The right of communities to protect zoning categories is being challenged with this zoning case. As we gear up for the final BOC hearing on March 17th, plan to attend and be counted. We did not get everything we want on March 3, but we will continue to press for less intensity and impact on the community.
If the developer cannot or will not compromise, we will continue to push for denial. But we need your help at the BOC hearing on March 17th, to attend and be counted. With our huge strength in numbers, we can motivate the Commissioners to do the right thing for the citizens of East Cobb!
We can keep sharing the Petition with our friends and neighbors and keep writing the Board of Commissioners before March 17.
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