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Concerned Citizens of East Cobb

Protecting Our Community's Residents, Seniors, Schools and Environment

Isakson Living Lawsuit Update

11/10/2015

 
Mediation is now scheduled for Monday, November 16. We understand the mediation will take just 1 day.

If nothing is worked out in mediation the case goes before the judge to decide the legality of the county decision. If the judge sees nothing wrong, then the Board of Commissioners' denial holds and Isakson Living may choose to either walk away or take it to the appeals court.

​If it went back to the Board of Commissioners, there would be the standard 30-day public period to voice our opinions to the Commissioners on any mediated proposal put forth.

3 actions to help greenspace in Cobb County

11/9/2015

 
PictureImage Courtesy of LoveCobbParks.com
Three ongoing events will hopefully improve greenspace in Cobb County in the very near future:

​1. New efforts on funding the voter-approved $40 million Park Bond from 2008. 

Former Cobb Parks Coalition President Paul Paulson in "Commissioners, time to get back to work on parks bond" explains (November 4, 2015 editorial in the Marietta Daily Journal).  

​"Greenspace. Soul food for the spirit. We all need a taste. But in Cobb County, it’s endangered. Back in 2008 when it was learned that over 90 percent of our total acreage had already been knocked down by the blades of development, the people stood up and demanded action. Our Cobb County Board of Commissioners was compliant, agreeing to a ballot initiative asking voters for permission to issue $40 million in general obligation bonds in order to buy land for future parks in perpetuity before it was all gone.

Like the promise of food to a starving population, the idea took off. Regular folks joined the ranks, recruited others, engaged the press, manned phone banks with some even speaking to Sunday school classes early Sunday mornings. On Nov. 4, 2008, 65 percent of Cobb voters gave their blessing to issue the bonds. A mandate, no less. Pure democracy in action.

Yet, now in 2015, we still wait for the Commission to do its duty. We wait, as once again, the rejuvenated economy has awakened formerly idled bulldozers and Cobb’s green is rapidly bleeding red. And our elected officials stand proud to measure our economic health according to the growth in housing starts. But I wonder, are they equally proud of that same growth spreading like a cancer consuming the last of what makes a place home?
Our elected servants seem to have forgotten their place.

Bad news on the doorstep first came in the winter of 2010. Times had changed, the world’s economy had faltered and the headline read: “PARKS BOND DEAD.” Seems that to issue the bonds now would require a tax increase. A small one, about $13 a year for most, but a tax increase none-the-less. “I don’t wish to burden the already burdened.” said then-Cobb Commission Chairman Sam Olens.

This was received as a practical and popular reaction to the times. Many homeowners were in trouble and, Lord knows, ambitious politicians don’t need a tax hike listed on their resumes. Greenspace preservation fell off the radar as all land development came to a halt.

Since then, things have improved. There are fewer economic threats to homeowners and more gold in government coffers. Although it had eventually become necessary to raise property taxes 16 percent, the millage rate has since been reduced. Rezonings are back in the news and Cobb is spending like old times. Particularly onerous was its unilateral decision to issue some $400 million in general obligation bonds to buy a new ball field. All that while keeping its back firmly turned to the Parks Bond, and the majority who ordered its issuance.

I always believed that in my country, such couldn’t happen. Our Founding Fathers clearly stated that ours would be a government “of” and “by” the people; no kings or dictators for us. Sure, we don’t participate in every decision, as we elect a few we trust to hold the reins of our power, but sometimes these folks simply are not sure and they hand them back to us, via a ballot question. Upon approval, they are duty bound to follow our mandate. By refusing to do this, they undermine the very essence of what makes America special. Here, their insubordination has particularly dire and long-lasting ramifications to our community’s health and future as developers are gobbling up the last precious morsels of our landscape like a Pac-Man run amok.

Certainly, government has a record of spending superfluously. It’s the reason “tax increase” is considered a four-letter word. But, the Parks Bond breaks that mold. Before its rejection, the Parks Bond elicited nothing but good news, news that lifted the people’s spirit as well as the reputation of local government. It is well past time for Cobb officials to carry out our orders and demonstrate that our Constitutional freedoms are not subjugated to the political will of our servants.

Get to work, Commissioners, history assures that your action to carry through today will only bring you credit tomorrow. And, tomorrow in this case is forever.

A legacy awaits your choice.


Paul Paulson of west Cobb is former head of the Cobb Parks Coalition." Read entire article.
Most all of the properties on the Park Bond 2008 list to purchase have been developed.  A few properties on the Park Bond 2008 list are under threat of development, such as the 54-acre Tritt property.  A few other properties on the Park Bond 2008 list are available for purchase and hopefully the Board of Commissioners can act quickly to save them.   

Attending Commissioners' Town Hall meetings and Board of Commissioner hearings to ask the full $40 million for the Park Bond be funded, as overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2008 will make a difference.
2. Encourage Cobb Travel & Tourism on the new multi-use trail network plan, as a way to achieve the 2030 Comprehensive Plan parkland goals.

See the "Cobb County planning multi-use trail system" October 28, 2015 article in the Marietta Daily Journal and "Cobb Officials Imagine a Trail Through Entire County" October 29 report on WABE.

Compare the Cobb Trail Plan with the Woodstock plan in Cherokee County inspired by the state-wide Georgia Greenspace Program to save 20% of every Georgia county as trails and greenspace.    
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Image courtesy of LoveCobbParks.com
3. Push for more parkland acres by attending upcoming 2040 Comprehensive Plan meetings.  
​
Did you know more than 1,448 acres have already been slated for purchase as Parks, according to the 2030 Cobb Comprehensive Plan?  But this goal has not been achieved.

Now Cobb County is creating the 2040 Comprehensive Plan to deal with an even greater population influx than predicted. 

Cobb Community Development is requesting community input, so we can push for even more acres to get the level up to 10% or even 20% of the County, which is actually the stated goals of the current 2030 Comprehensive Plan for saving greenspace and creating parks.  
 
2040 Comprehensive Plan Public Meeting #3 
When: November 12, 2015
Time: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Where: South Cobb Community Center, 620 Lions Club Dr., Mableton, GA 30126

2040 Comprehensive Plan Public Meeting #4 
When: November 16, 2015
Time: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Where: Mountain View Community Center, 3400 Sandy Plains Rd., Marietta, GA 30066
 
If possible, attend upcoming meetings for the 2040 Comprehensive Plan and find out more information on the 2040 Comprehensive Plan planning process.
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Image courtesy of LoveCobbParks.com

Isakson Living Lawsuit Update

9/4/2015

 
PictureAugust 18 Court Document
Isakson Living supporters have recently begun a new campaign to influence the Board of Commissioners about the 54-acre Tritt property located next to East Cobb Park.  As we know, homeowners have the right to sell to anyone, but every community is protected from overdevelopment by zoning laws. 

The Board of Commissioners upheld the zoning laws for our community by 
denying the Isakson Living rezoning application for the Tritt property on March 17, 2015.  Then on April 18, 2015, Isakson Living started a lawsuit against the Board of Commissioners for their decision. 

T
he latest on the lawsuit as of August 18, 2015 is mediation has not begun, but a document filed states if the mediation process doesn't work out, both sides would have 6 months of discovery before a bench trial would begin in Superior Court. Here is the latest court document explaining that.  You can access all the court documents for this case here.

More Informative Posts: 

  • Latest Isakson Living plans illustrate the intensity of their CCRC project and how unsuitable it would be for East Cobb

  • Odessa Tritt Lassiter & Why the Tritt Property is important in East Cobb History
     
  • Blog & video on Walking the Tritt Property
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The 54-acre Tritt Property next to East Cobb Park was listed on Park Bond 2006 and Park Bond 2008 for purchase as a public park.

QT Plans on the Corner of Old Canton and Roswell Road

7/31/2015

 
PictureGoogle Maps image of the current QT store and the planned QT location.
The QT Gas Station on the corner of Roswell & Old Canton just bought the Residential house next to it on Old Canton Road to build a larger QT.  

  • The current QT store is less than 3,000 square feet and QT plans to build a new QT at 5,558 square feet, much larger than zoning code allows.
      

  • A drive-thru is planned for the new QT too.
     

  • No traffic study has been submitted for this project.  

  • Also, no landscape plan has been provided.  

PictureImage of the New QT from the QT rezoning application (Z-73 in 2015)
Some East Cobb neighbors and the ECCA recently met with QT representatives in July, and we have been told QT has so far denied many compromises to their plan, such as adding extra high fencing along the neighborhoods as well as protecting ponds & streams from run off.  

Here is the final analysis for the QT zoning request, and the zoning department recommends approval at this point.  Contact the Commissioners here before the August 4 meeting.

Here is the QT preliminary zoning application (See pages 11-17). 

The Planning Commission meets this Tuesday, August 4 at 9:00am, 100 Cherokee St NE, Room 200, Marietta, GA 30060.  The Board of Commissioners makes a final decision on August 18 at 9:00am.

Click here to write your own email to the Board of Commissioners & Planning Commissioners to encourage QT to work in the best interests of the community according to the zoning codes. 

The Planning Commission meets this Tuesday, August 4 at 9:00am, 100 Cherokee St NE, Room 200, Marietta, GA 30060.  Email the Commissioners directly here.

Plan 2030 and Plan 2040

6/8/2015

 

Preservation Plans:  
Cobb County's Comprehensive Plan 2030 &
Atlanta Regional Commission's Plan 2040 

PictureThe Tritt Property in June 2015
Cobb County's plan for the entire county called the 2030 Comprehensive Plan, passed in 2005, includes details on preserving natural resources by acquiring over 1,400 acres of parkland and saving 20% of land by 2030.  

According to Love Cobb Parks, currently, less than 7% of Cobb County has been preserved as greenspace, and the planned 1,448 acres to save has not been protected yet.  

Related to those greenspace goals, the 54-acre Tritt property was chosen twice as a property to save with the Cobb County Park Bonds in 2006 and 2008.  The historical 100+ year-old barn and 50+ year old house on the Tritt property, as well as the streams and aquifer flowing into the Sewell Mill Creek and the Chattahoochee River are important resources to preserve. 

In fact, the Tritt property on Land Lots 965 and 966 is specifically mentioned in the 2030 Comprehensive Plan to keep residential as the East Cobb area has been so developed.

Saving the Tritt property as parkland would allow the County to honor the 2030 Comprehensive Plan commitment, as well as honor the will of Odessa Tritt Lassiter. Everyone in the community benefits when a fair percentage of the environment is protected, especially as the population continues to grow. 

The Atlanta Regional Commission in Plan 2040 selected “sustainability” as the theme of Plan 2040 and said "The region must continue to plan for growth while better coordinating management of environmental, cultural and historic resources"  The Atlanta Regional Commission in Plan 2040, adopted in 2011, supports and augments local efforts to "conserve and protect critical environmental and historic resources, rural landscapes, critical habitats, greenspaces, water supply, water quality, air quality and other environmental features while meeting the overall regional needs to manage growth sustainably." 

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Atlanta Regional Commission's Plan 2040 logo emphasizes the importance of the environment
The video of the Atlanta Regional Commission's Plan 2040 Blueprint for Tomorrow (watch 3:45-4:15) says:  

"Plan 2040 promotes the continued greening of metro Atlanta, our emerald city. It includes strategies to protect our natural, cultural and historic resources for generations to come.  As the region grows, we have to think of the health of our residents and our sustainability. That means preserving and expanding greenspaces, using our water wisely, and making sure our area is clean.  It's really fundamental."
Our local and regional leaders know how critical it is to protect our community's residents, schools, and environment, and their plans include protecting more natural resources as the population grows.  Saving the Tritt property from commercial development has always been part of Cobb County's long-range plan.  Keeping the Tritt property green will maintain the character of East Cobb and balance development & population growth for the entire metro Atlanta region.  

Cobb County's Response to the Isakson Living lawsuit

6/7/2015

 

Cobb County's Response Denies Isakson Living Allegations

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Cobb County response to Isakson Living lawsuit
You can read the Cobb County response to the Isakson Living lawsuit complaint filed on May 15, 2015, responding to the original Isakson Living lawsuit filed on April 16, 2015.  The Cobb County response is easier understood in relation to the original lawsuit, so both are included above.

These documents were filed at the Superior Court, but it takes a while for documents to show up on the Superior Court website.   The overall case is listed here on the Superior Court website, and the Superior Court viewer requires an AlternaTIFF plugin.

You can read more about the Isakson Living lawsuit here in a previous blog post. including more details about why the Isakson Living's large-scale commercial CCRC the size of Cumberland Mall retail  with 4-story apartment buildings directly facing the entire length of East Cobb Parkwould be inappropriate in this location, residential-zoned East Cobb less than 1 mile from 3 school zones.  
A short 1½ minute excerpt from the Walking the Tritt video shows how the 4-story CCRC development would negatively impact the views from East Cobb Park.

Isakson Living Lawsuit

5/8/2015

 
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The Isakson Living Complaint
According to the Constitution of Georgia, governmental zoning decisions are presumed to be correct. However, Isakson Living is now challenging that decision by filing a lawsuit against Cobb County on April 16, 2015, 30 days after the Cobb County Board of Commissioners denied their rezoning request for the 54-acre Tritt property on March 17, 2015.  Here is the entire Isakson Living complaint. 

The county has 30 days to respond, so we can expect a response from them on or around May 17.  The case has been assigned Judge Robert Leonard, who will evaluate the legal aspects of the Isakson Living complaint to determine if they are valid.  

Isakson Living can request a summary judgment, which would mean the judge would only consider information presented at the hearing, or they can request additional information be considered.  Cobb County could also ask for a summary judgement. The first step is usually mediation to see if Cobb County and Isakson Living can reach some sort of compromise.  
If some sort of compromise were reached between Isakson Living and the Board of Commissioners, the Isakson Living rezoning application would have another 30-day public hearing period, and the East Cobb community would re-state the issues before the Board of Commissioners and again request a denial.
As East Cobbers know, this zoning debate has never been about senior living, as there are 10 wonderful senior living facilities in a 5-mile radius of the Tritt property, and many more in the East Cobb area.  The issue has always been about the size and scale of the Isakson Living CCRC plans, a development of regional impact with nine (9) 4-story apartment buildings + 2 additional multi-story buildings, on 54-acres of residential land actually less than 1 mile from 3 top tier schools in the Walton school district, and planned next to the only passive use park the East Cobb community helped purchase, popular East Cobb Park.  The square footage of the Isakson Living CCRC proposal is equal to 6.5 WellStars and more than all the retail of Cumberland Mall.
The Isakson Living CCRC plans have only been focused on the historical, hilly and environmentally sensitive Tritt property, which was listed on Park Bond 2006 and Park Bond 2008 as a property to save as parkland.   The Tritt property streams run into Sewell Mill Creek, which turns into Sope Creek and finally into the Chattahoochee River. Many contend the Isakson Living plans would be environmentally damaging to this property and the surrounding areas.
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Isakson Living planned buildings on wetlands, stream buffers and floodplain
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The Tritt Property in Residential East Cobb
A CCRC is a very intense type of senior community, basically a hybrid of an apartment complex and a nursing home, with additional on-site restaurants and retail.   In Cobb County, a developer cannot build an apartment complex or a nursing home (a.k.a., a supportive RSL) on Low Density Residential land, so why should a hybrid of the two be allowed in the CCRC code?  A nonsupportive RSL, or retirement community, is allowed on Low Density Residential land, but is restricted to 2-stories and 5 units per acre. A CCRC has no such protections for neighborhoods in the CCRC zoning code, which Kevin Isakson of Isakson Living helped draft in 2008.  The Isakson Living East Cobb plans included nine (9) 4-story buildings + 2 additional multi-story buildings, with over 10 units per acre, unprecedented commercial development in East Cobb or next to any public park.
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10 Senior Living Facilities within 5 mile radius of the Tritt Property
Picture
Walton School District in Cobb County
This area in East Cobb is not only a residential area, it's a school zone for 3 schools, and no one wants ambulances competing with school buses on the roads children ride to school. According to the CCRC code, any CCRC should be located within 5 miles from a hospital, yet the Tritt property is at least 8 miles away from a hospital. 

People live in East Cobb in large part due to the top-10 schools, and we expect children to be safe in this residential area from urban developments of regional impact. 
Over 2,700 Cobb citizens have signed the online petition against the Isakon Living CCRC proposal (Z-2), with hundreds more collected on paper.  More than 2,500 signed against the previous Isakson Living CCRC in 2013 (Z-43).  

All communities rely on zoning ordinances to protect residential neighborhoods from commercial developments as well as overdevelopment.
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Front View of the 54-acre Tritt Property next to East Cobb Park

Zoning Procedure Letters

3/13/2015

 
Counting the Number of Concerned Citizens
We had heard that many Concerned Citizens supporters were not counted in the overflow room at the March 3 Planning Commission hearing.  Below is an email from a Concerned Citizen to Commissioner Ott, and the response from Cobb County, saying that they will have extra staff on hand to accurately count the number of attendees at the March 17 Board of Commissioners meeting.  Let's all be aware of this counting error as we go into the meeting on March 17, so that we may all be counted.  This would mean the number of Concerned Citizens at the March 3 meeting was actually about 200, nearly double the number of Isakson Living supporters. 
From: [Concerned Citizen]
Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2015 12:14 PM
To: Ott, Bob
Subject: Re-zoning

Dear Mr. Ott

On 3/3/2015 I attended a re-zoning hearing regarding the Isakson development on Roswell Road in East Cobb.  I arrived at the posted time (9am), but was unable to enter the meeting room due to an overflow crowd.  Unbeknownst to those of us in the overflow crowd, the vote took place and the meeting was adjourned without allowing us to cast our votes.  Once we realized what had happened, we asked the officer on duty to please inform the people in the room that there were additional citizens who wished to cast their votes.  The officer was exceptionally rude and offensive, refusing to make anyone aware that there were additional citizens who wished to exercise their rights to vote.  An informal poll of some in the overflow crowd indicated that there were at least 18 uncounted votes opposing the re-zoning. Many people left without voting. 

I am writing to inform you of the events that occurred at the meeting because it is important for you to know that as property owners and taxpaying citizens of Cobb county, it is unacceptable that we were denied the right to voice our opinions by being denied the right to vote.  Furthermore, I question the validity of a decision that was made without considering the opinions of everyone present.  The outcome is not accurately representative of the community of voters.  I am aware that the re-zoning was approved, but I question whether the uncounted votes would have resulted in a different outcome.

Sincerely,
[Concerned Citizen]


--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Hosack, Robert" <Robert.Hosack@cobbcounty.org>
Date: Mar 6, 2015 2:52 PM
Subject: Your concern about Zoning Hearing
To: [Concerned Citizen]

Good afternoon [Concerned Citizen] Commissioner Ott was kind enough to share your concerns about the hearing with our agency. I am sorry that you had a bad experience. In order to address your concerns, please know that we will make sure to have additional staff (above and beyond the number present on Tuesday) present at the upcoming BOC hearing on 3-17-15 to assist with counting and noting the opposition for the official record. Thanks for participating in the process. Please accept our apologies.

Have a good day. Rob 

Rob Hosack, AICP
Cobb County Community Development

Zoning Signs Down Between May 2014 and Nov 2014 Hearings

A zoning procedure error occurred when Isakson Living took down the zoning signs on the Tritt property after the May 2014 hearing, and the signs did not go back up until 30 days prior to the November 2014 hearing.  This in violation of Cobb Code Sec. 134-121, (b), (1): 
"The applicant shall be required to post and maintain signs supplied by the zoning division on or near the right-of-way of the nearest public street, so as to be visible from the street, for at least 30 days immediately preceding the date for any public hearings on the application, which shall remain posted until a final decision by the applicable boards."
From: [Concerned Citizen]
To: [County Official]
Sent: Saturday, June 21, 2014 11:08 AM
 
... I also have concerns with the zoning signs being down.  I realize the zoning is in a Staff Hold and IL was told to take them down, however, as the paper states it is still slated for a September hearing date. I would think it  advisable to have the signs still posted and just the hearing date changed to reflect September (regardless of if IL is actually ready then or not), to insure transparency to the community at large.  The rules may not "require" it, but it would seem an appropriate action to keep dates posted concerning this property because it is still under the same zoning application and does have a posted hearing date.

 Sincerely,
[Concerned Citizen]

--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: [County Official]
Date: Sat, Jun 21, 2014 at 3:09 PM

John & Kevin,
Please see [Concerned Citizen's] comments below.... What are your thoughts concerning her request concerning the signs on the Tritt site?  I would support signs staying on the sight, and in fact most continued cases have signs left on site until the case is heard...why not this one as well? ...

thanks,
[County Official]


A Last Minute Zoning Sign 
Picture
Isakson Living zoning signs on Roswell Road with view of subdivision houses through the trees in winter
Zoning signs were also down before the May 2014 Planning Commission hearing.  From a previous Concerned Citizen blog post: "Before going into the first argument, we should note that today (April 5, 2014), the zoning signs went up in front of the Tritt property, to notify the public of the May 6 Planning Commission Hearing and the May 20 Board of Commissioners Meeting for this zoning case.  The signs went up on the very last day possible, even though the hearing dates have been known since January 3, 2014.  Certainly in keeping with the letter of the law, though maybe not the spirit."

From March 3 to March 17

3/4/2015

 
PictureThe 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.

Picture
Slide from March 3 meeting
Picture
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. 
PictureSlide 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.
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School bus in traffic by East Cobb Park near proposed CCRC
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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. 

Walking the Tritt Property next to East Cobb Park and 4 subdivisions

2/28/2015

 
Picture
View of the Tritt property barn from proposed Buildings K and Building I
Guest Post: While working with Concerned Citizens of East Cobb against the Isakson Living CCRC development plans, I had the opportunity to walk the 54-acre Tritt property, as part of a tour with Isakson Living's landscape architect to understand where the 11 mostly 4-story apartment buildings and 65 homes would be located in relation to existing subdivision homes, East Cobb Park, and streams including Sewell Mill Creek.  I actually got to walk on the Tritt property 2 times because the first time not all the buildings at been staked out completely.  Here's the CCRC building plan to show where I was standing when I took the pictures, so that you can understand the CCRC plans more fully, and see how the buildings would look like if this zoning passes. 

I will say that I was against the CCRC plans before the tour. But now I'm overwhelmed, because the property is so beautiful, even in the middle of winter, and the CCRC buildings are much closer to the borders of the property than I thought. 
 I realize that people need to live and work somewhere, and there's only so much space that can be saved.  However, the scale of these plans is so completely out of character here, and very urban when compared to anything else in East Cobb. As far as I know, there are no 4-story buildings anywhere in East Cobb, so I was surprised to see so many 4-story buildings on the plan!  

Thank Josh Groban, Don't Give Up
PictureTritt property view: Stream, Hardwoods, Elm Grove
Topography: The landscape is so beautiful, it's rolling hills with spaced hardwoods in every direction.  I noticed some micro-zones on the property, and one of my favorite was a grove of elms.  I also especially liked climbing to the top of the main hill, it's a perfect view of the area: to East Cobb Park, the hill to Glenside, across to Providence, and over to Hidden Hollow.  I was quite upset to learn that 28-30 feet of 'ground' would be taken away to make it flat enough to build on.  Why wouldn't the developers build on a property that is already flat?  Wouldn't that be better for the environment? Cheaper? Easier? I was told they would 'replant' on this property after the buildings were built... But then why wouldn't they just replant after building on already developed property?? If they are going to cut down all the trees anyway, why wouldn't they purchase a different property that is already developed?  These trees should be saved.  I can see why this property was highest on the Park Bond 2006 and Park Bond 2008 list:  It is meant to be saved.

Insight about the retirement concept: When I first learned about a retirement community on the Tritt property, I thought, how sweet, seniors can age in a beautiful forest near their grandchildren playing at East Cobb Park... but now I realize, all the trees will be cut down on the property, and there is no 'little' retirement community in the woods... there are huge multi-story buildings with homes so close to the next subdivision you could easily toss a football between them.  Then, East Cobb Park would be changed forever by towering buildings.  Even the donated land would run along the edge of 50-60 ft tall buildings that go on for the entire length of East Cobb Park.

Insight about schools: I had also been told that this 481-unit retirement community would be better than a subdivision because it wouldn't add children to the schools.... but now I understand if even 100 East Cobb seniors moved out of their existing homes into this CCRC retirement community, that would mean 100 homes available for new families to move into... and that could overcrowd the schools.   Ironically building an 80-home subdivision on the Tritt property could mean less students for the schools!  Of course, I would rather see this property saved, but that's another topic...  For now, this development plan should be stopped.  

PictureCCRC Plan covers 54-acres
Cumberland Mall comparison: I had heard that this Isakson Living CCRC would have more square footage than Cumberland Mall, and I can see that now. Honestly it felt even bigger. I walked over 2 hours during each visit to cover much of the property, and I didn't see everything.  I walked around the perimeter to see the potential views from the 11 multi-story CCRC buildings and some of the 65 CCRC homes. 



Directions to Tuesday, March 3 at 9:00 AM meeting at the Board of Commissioners, 100 Cherokee Street near the Marietta Square

Online Petition


Some extra pictures of nature on the Tritt property
Old wall near a stream
Fallen tree looks like driftwood
Wild cyclamen
Forest floor ferns
Tree lichen like seashells
Swampy wetlands view
Pretty quartz rock
Soft tree moss
Unique holly-like plant
Little magnolia

Odessa Tritt Lassiter & What Makes the Tritt Property Special for East Cobb

2/26/2015

 
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Front view of the 54-acre Tritt Property
Many of the families that shaped East Cobb are  involved in the Tritt property: the Delks, the Lassiters, and the Tritts.  East Cobb schools and roads have been named in honor of these families, and interestingly the families are interconnected by marriage.

Odessa Tritt Lassiter willed the Tritt property to Wylene Tritt's late husband, Norris Tritt, in 1948, and the property was in the family for at least 80 years before that.  Odessa Tritt Lassiter’s will and testament was unique in that she wrote that the trees of the Tritt property should always be preserved:  Odessa’s will stipulated “No timber is to be cut off of either place except for building and repairs on these farms.”  This was part of Odessa Tritt Lassiter’s legacy to her family. 
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Tree in front of the Tritt property
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Part of the Will of Odessa Tritt Lassiter: "No timber is to be cut off of either place except for building and repairs on these farms."
In 1950, Norris and Wylene Tritt moved onto the Tritt property, and the Tritt's honored Odessa's wish in how they built their current home. Wylene Tritt said 'the wood that framed the current house was sawed right from the trees on the property'. 

The original barn
from the time when Odessa Tritt Lassiter lived on the property still stands as a testament to a simpler time, when people rode in horse-drawn carriages and farmed the land. 
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From 2012 Around Walton article (Click to read entire story)
When Norris Tritt, the late husband of the current owner, Wylene Tritt, inherited the land in 1948 from his Aunt Odessa Tritt Lassiter, it was still 80 acres.  Norris Tritt sold some of his land to the Bowles family, who in turn sold their land to the Friends for East Cobb Park in 2001; this was the first 13 acres of East Cobb Park. East Cobb Park, according to Cobb County, "has become one of the most heavily used parks in our system."  
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East Cobb Park looking towards the Tritt property in February 2015
In 2005, Mrs. Tritt donated land easements to connect Fuller’s Park and East Cobb Park, and the main bridge at East Cobb Park is named in honor of Norris Tritt, Odessa Tritt Lassiter's nephew: "The Friends for the East Cobb Park are pleased to announce a collaboration with Mrs. Wylene Tritt, the owner of the property located on the east side of Sewell Mill Creek across from East Cobb Park.  The agreement reached with Mrs. Tritt is to establish a permanent easement across her property, allowing for the connection of East Cobb Park to Fullers Park." 
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Dedication at the East Cobb Park bridge
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Bridge named in honor of Norris Tritt, nephew of Odessa Tritt Lassiter
The history of the Tritt land goes back much further.  In 1832, Georgia held the Gold Lottery, to give away several thousand parcels of 40 acres each.  The Cherokees had recently been forced from the area (the Trail of Tears), and there was the belief that much of their former land had gold, including the present area of East Cobb.  There was so much demand for the gold land, that the state divided the area into 40 acre parcels (called Land Lots), rather than the usual 160 acre parcels. The Land Lot system is still used today to describe land in Cobb County.

Also, in 1832 Cobb County was formed from the former Cherokee land.  We don't know the earliest history of the current Tritt land, because the Union army burned the Cobb courthouse, along with most records, in 1864, during the Civil War.  However, we know from available tax lists that Jackson Delk (1814-1897) owned the land by at least 1864.
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The Tritt property on a map from 1869 (land lots 965 & 966 in red box)
Jackson Delk was the brother of Emily Delk (1823-1891), who was the wife of William Tritt (1820-1906), and these were the great-grandparents of Norris Tritt; in fact, William Tritt and Emily Delk are the ancestors of all the Tritt family in Cobb County.  Jackson Delk owned the land until his death in 1897, and then it was inherited by his son John Delk, who moved to Texas and sold the land to his brother Robert Delk in 1907.  Robert Delk in turn sold the land to his first cousin David Tritt in 1916.  David Tritt sold the land in 1917 to his niece, Odessa Tritt Lassiter, who owned the land until her death in 1948. 
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Inheritance of the Tritt property since before the Civil War
Odessa was the widow of Henry Lassiter, and had no children, so in her will she gave her property to her nephews, Norris and James Tritt.  Norris Tritt received his aunt's 80 acres on Roswell Road, while James Tritt, father of country music singer Travis Tritt, got 120 acres on Post Oak Tritt Road, where the Lost Forest subdivision is located today.  So, the land has been in the Delk and Tritt families, who were closely related, for a very long time.  
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Part of the history of the Tritt property involves the Park Bonds.  With the 2006 Park Bond, the Tritt property was “the only top-tier property recommended by the first citizens committee that was not purchased.” And this property was again at the top of the list for the Park Bond in 2008, which Cobb County has yet to issued.  We do feel that the 2008 Park Bond should be issued as it was a voter-approved referendum that passed in November 2008 with over 65% of the vote.  Even if that Bond is not used to purchase this property, the 2008 Park Bond money should be issued before re-allocating it into the Braves funding.

In April 2009 Mrs. Tritt spoke eloquently and clearly, "I would like the county to have my property so the park would be big enough for all the residents in the area to enjoy." This East Cobb area is blessed with excellent schools and convenient amenities, yet the ratio of parks per household is very low in Cobb County.  From the Trails of Cobb County map, it is easy to see that this area is clearly under-served in terms of parks and trails, and in fact all of Cobb County has a need for more parkland to improve the people-to-parks ratio.
Here are Endangered Species most likely on the Tritt property,
according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and
we request that a formal environmental survey be completed before any rezoning.
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Ammodramus henslowii (Henslow's Sparrow) spotted approx. 2.5 mi. S of site
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Platanthera integrilabia (Monkeyface Orchid) [EXTIRPATED (local extinction)] approx. 2.5 mi. W of site
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Pituophis melanoleucus melanoleucus (Northern Pine Snake) unknown location possibly on site
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Platanthera integrilabia (Monkeyface Orchid) [EXTIRPATED (local extinction)]
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Schisandra glabra (Bay Star-vine) approx. 1.5 mi. S of site
Wetlands are confirmed on both sides of the Tritt property along Sewell Mill Creek, and it is most probable that wetlands exist along the Tritt property.  The only reason wetlands are not confirmed would be that the property has not been surveyed.  Again, a complete environmental survey should be done before any rezoning.
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Wetlands confirmed on either side of the Tritt property along Sewell Mill Creek.


The Isakson Living CCRC plan for the property should be denied on its own merits: With nine 4-story tall apartment buildings, plus two other multi-story buildings, plus 65 cluster homes, it would be ridiculously intense for this area.  

We know that East Cobb has the right to protect the residential character of this community, and we do not want a large-scale commercial development on the Tritt property.

Zoning codes should not be changed just because a developer wants a property for a certain goal. Zoning codes are designed to protect our neighborhood homes, schools, and parks, and as a community we are asking the Board of Commissioners to uphold these principles.
Please join us in this effort at the March 3 Planning Commission meeting
at 9:00 AM
to raise your hand and vote 'No' to this development. 

You can sign the Petition here to halt this development project &
give the community a chance to save the Tritt property legacy
for everyone in our community.

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Join the effort to protect the Tritt property from overdevelopment

Isakson Living East Cobb Park Donation = Smoke and Mirrors?

2/24/2015

 
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View of the Tritt property from East Cobb Park playground in winter
In January 2014, Isakson Living offered to donate 9.5 acres of the Tritt property to expand East Cobb Park, contingent on the their rezoning being approved.  This was intended to placate some members of the community, by offering land which mostly could not be built upon anyhow (protected flood plain and stream buffers), but which would make fine park land - most of the current East Cobb Park is flood plain land.

Now there are strings attached to the park donation.  In Isakson Living's most recent stipulation letter, they are not required to make the park donation until the final "certificate of occupancy" is issued by the county.  A "certificate of occupancy" is the final inspection that a house or building is safe for occupancy.  There are at least 76 structures in their plan, including 65 houses, 9 large apartment buildings, and 2 other large buildings, all of which will each require a certificate of occupancy.  Thus, the park donation is contingent on 76 or more  "certificates of occupancy", and if even one of their planned buildings is not built, Isakson Living is under no obligation to make the park donation.

We have asked Isakson Living for a reasonable time-frame for making the park donation, such as either when a particular phase of construction was complete, or 48 months after zoning approval, whichever comes first.  They have thus far refused.  When asked how long construction will take, Isakson Living has consistently answered 3 to 4 years, so why not set a definite time for the park donation?

The market may not exist for Isakson Living's full plan, meaning the site may never be built out, which would mean they are never obliged to make the park donation.

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Peachtree Hills CCRC has been stalled for 7 years.
Anything can happen, like the situation at Isakson Living's Peachtree Hills site in Buckhead, where their planned retirement community development has been stalled for 7 years.  To this day, it remains just empty lots surrounded by chain-link fences.

For those who bought into Isakson Living's promise of a park donation, please be aware, it may never happen, even if they succeed in rezoning the Tritt property. 
Isakson Living is making no guarantees about when the park donation will occur, which is one more reason to fight this rezoning.  Join us at 9 AM, Tuesday, March 3rd, at the Cobb County Planning Commission zoning hearing in Marietta.  We need many people in opposition to defeat this rezoning!  Also, here is the Petition if you haven't yet signed. 
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Building 7 of the 11 large apartment buildings: Building G is 178,300 square feet and 4-Stories tall (to compare, WellStar across the street is 162,000 square feet). Read the next post below for all the images of the proposed development
Above is the image of Building 7 of the 11 large apartment  buildings: Building G is planned to be 178,300 square feet and 4-Stories tall (to compare, WellStar across the street is 162,000 square feet).  Read the next post below or click here for all the images of the proposed Isakson Living CCRC development.

Latest Isakson Living plans illustrate the intensity of their CCRC project and how unsuitable it would be for East Cobb

2/14/2015

 
On Friday, February 6, 2015, representatives of East Cobb Civic Association (ECCA) and Concerned Citizens met with representatives of Isakson Living, including their attorneys, architects and landscape designer to review the latest changes to their proposal for a retirement community on the 53.7 acre Tritt property, next to East Cobb Park.  This blog post relates much of the information Isakson Living provided at that meeting about their proposed Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) plan for the Tritt property located on Roswell Road.

The 2 images below put 
together would be the 
front view of the CCRC development from Roswell Road, according to the latest Isakson Living plan for the 54-acre Tritt property. In other words, there does not appear to be any overlap in these 2 pictures of the proposed view from Roswell Road.  
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Isakson Living image of view of CCRC development from Roswell Road
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This Isakson Living image above is the view from Roswell Road near Providence Road,
 and includes Buildings A, C, and H, and some of the 65 cottages.  

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This Isakson Living image above is the view from Roswell Road near East Cobb Park,
and includes Buildings I, J, and K.
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With both pictures side by side, the enormity of
the Isakson Living CCRC development proposal is clear. 
 
The image below is the map of all the buildings of the Isakson Living CCRC plan.  On the right, the blue water is Sewell Mill Creek next to East Cobb Park. The 11 buildings A-K are shown in detail in images provided by Isakson Living below. The squares at the back and left of the map are the 65 cottage homes.  The top view is Roswell Road, near Providence Road in the Walton school district.
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Isakson Living Image: Map of February 2015 Isakson Living plan


Isakson Living has made no significant changes or reduction in footprint or size from the very first plan, and the current Isakson Living CCRC plan consists of 481 apartment style units, including 65 cottage homes (ranging from 2,600 to 5,200 square feet), and 11 large apartment-style buildings, 8 of which are 4-stories.  The largest one of the proposed Isakson Living apartment-style buildings is larger than WellStar by itself.  


The preliminary total square footage according to Isakson Living of the Isakson Living CCRC project is 1,054,246 square feet of air conditioned space, , and this does not include the parking garages. The Isakson Living CCRC plan has more square footage than Cumberland Mall, which has 1,040,000 square feet of retail space. Town Center Mall is 1,269,000 sq ft, so it's actually similar to all the retail space of many malls.
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Numbers Provided by Isakson Living
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Numbers Obtained From Wikipedia
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At 1.054 million sq ft, the Isakson Living CCRC plan has more square footage than Cumberland Mall.
The images below are Isakson Living plans for:
 Buildings A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, and K that house 416 units,
the Health Care Center, the Fitness Center, and Other Amenities

as well as 4 designs for the 65 cottages.
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Isakson Living Image: Building A (click for larger image)
Building A is 57,420 square feet and 4-Stories tall (3-stories over parking)

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Isakson Living Image: Building B (click for larger image)
Building B is 48,396 square feet and 4-Stories tall (3-stories over parking)

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Isakson Living Image: Building C (click for larger image)
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Isakson Living Image: Another view of Building C (click for larger image)
Building C is 94,770 square feet and 4-Stories tall (3-stories over parking)

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Isakson Living Image: Building D (click for larger image)
Building D is 11,800 square feet and 2-Stories tall
(Fitness Center)


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Isakson Living Image: Building E (click for larger image)
Building E is 63,300 square feet and 4-Stories tall (3-stories over parking)

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Isakson Living Image: Building F (click for larger image)
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Isakson Living Image: Another view of Building F (click for larger image)
Building F is 87,510 square feet and 4-Stories tall (3-stories over Parking)

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Isakson Living Image: Building G (click for larger image)
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Isakson Living Image: Another view of Building G (click for larger image)
Building G is 178,300 square feet and 4-Stories tall (3-stories over Parking)
(to compare, WellStar across the street is 162,000 square feet)

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Isakson Living Image: Building H (click for larger image)
Building H is 79,650 square feet and 4-Stories tall (3-stories over Parking)

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Isakson Living Image: Building I (click for larger image)
Building I is 96,810 square feet and 4-Stories tall (3-stories over Parking)

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Isakson Living Image: Building J (click for larger image)
Building J is 38,355 square feet and 3-Stories tall (Assisted Living)

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Isakson Living Image: Building K (click for larger view)
Building K is 68,160 square feet and 2-Stories tall (Skilled Nursing)
The 2 images below are the color schemes for Building B and Building I.
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Isakson Living Image: Color scheme for Building B
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Isakson Living Image: Color scheme for Building I
Below are images of the 4 designs for the 65 cottages planned. The size of each home has been confirmed to be between 1,870 and 5,200 square feet.  To calculate the overall square footage of the project, the average 3,535 sq ft x 65 homes was used.
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Isakson Living Image: House 1 Concept
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Isakson Living Image: House 1 Concept from Rear with Basement
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Isakson Living Image: House 2 Concept
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Isakson Living Image: House 2 Concept from Rear with Basement
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Isakson Living Image: House 3 Concept
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Isakson Living Image: House 4 Concept
Intensity and density are the key descriptions when viewing this CCRC proposal.  It does not fit in East Cobb, nor has a plan been provided that would fit in any low density residential area, as former district 3 Commissioner Helen Goreham pointed out in the initial passage of the CCRC zoning code in 2008 (start at minute 58:00). 

A CCRC with 11 mostly 4-story apartment-style buildings and many commercial amenities, in addition to a 65 home subdivision, is an intensity far greater than a subdivision developer could build. Approximately 88 houses total could fit on the property as it is currently zoned (R-20), and if modeled on the High Gates subdivision (also R-20) on Robinson Road, which has similar acreage as the Tritt property and a floodplain, perhaps as few as 48 homes would fit.     

We want to emphasize again that we support CCRCs, just not a CCRC of this magnitude on this location near East Cobb Park in the Walton school zone.  The Isakson Living plan is far too intense and commercial for this residential area, especially given the topography and environmental features of the Tritt property. 

This Tritt property is zoned low density residential and it should remain so, in order to protect this area from overdevelopment of the East Cobb community, schools and recreational areas.  We hope that Isakson Living can find a suitable location where they could easily build 4-stories or higher, on already developed land rather than pristine forests, to make a cost-effective and practical CCRC development. 
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School Bus stuck in Traffic next to East Cobb Park and the Tritt Property on the right, with the WellStar Health Park up on the left. (February 2015)
We trust the Board of Commisssioners to follow the zoning guidelines to protect areas from being overdeveloped.  It must be pointed out the WellStar on Roswell Road did not go through zoning, and so the impact of that massive development should be taken into account when any future rezonings in this corridor come up for a vote before the Board of Commissioners. The Isakson Living CCRC should be considered in light of the huge impact that WellStar has made on this East Cobb community, and Z-6 the Storage Facility across the street from WellStar and next to the Tritt property should also be considered in light of WellStar's footprint in this corridor.
4 Views Provided by Isakson Living of the CCRC Compared to Actual Views
Below are images provided by Isakson Living of 4 views from the neighboring subdivisions. Isakson Living has asserted that enough trees will remain to mitigate the views of the CCRC development; however, that viewpoint does not appear accurate based on real images of the Tritt property trees. 

Some homeowners in neighboring subdivisions were invited to walk the Tritt property with maps of the proposed development with Isakson Living's landscape designer, in order to understand where the houses and buildings would be located and to see how the subdivision views would be impacted. 

We have included a several Isakson Living-provided images side-by-side with photos of the Tritt property to illustrate the nature of the trees and how the CCRC buildings and houses would not be hidden from view by those trees that would remain. Rather, the CCRC buildings would dominate the landscape for everyone travelling on Roswell Road, living in the homes of the 5 subdivisions surrounding the property, or visiting East Cobb Park.
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View 1 of 4 Isakson Living Image: Backyard view without trees for neighboring subdivisions. Isakson Living said the trees would remain, but this illustrates their CCRC design without visual obstacles
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Isakson Living Image: Backyard views with trees in winter (view 1)
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Actual view from a subdivision of trees in winter. If the interior trees are cut down, the view of CCRC Buildings and CCRC Houses would be clearly visible. Note how high the actual tree leaves would be.
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View 2 of 4 Isakson Living Image: Backyard view without trees for neighboring subdivisions. Isakson Living said the trees would remain, but this illustrates their CCRC design without visual obstacles
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Isakson Living Image: Backyard views with trees in winter (view 2)
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View from the Tritt property of the marker for 1 CCRC House facing uphill. Note the lack of leaves on the trees in winter, and the view is clear all the way to the ridgeline, even with trees.
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View 3 of 4 Isakson Living Image: Backyard view without trees for neighboring subdivisions. Isakson Living said the trees would remain, but this illustrates their CCRC design without visual obstacles
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Isakson Living Image: Backyard views with trees in winter (view 3)
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View from the Tritt property to a subdivision. Note the lack of leaves on the trees in winter, and the view is clear all the way to the ridgeline, even with trees.
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View 4 of 4 Isakson Living Image: Backyard view without trees for neighboring subdivisions. Isakson Living said the trees would remain, but this illustrates their CCRC design without visual obstacles
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Isakson Living Image: Backyard view with trees in winter (view 4)
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View of the Tritt property in winter with no leaves visible. Note how the hardwoods are spaced, and the view is clear all the way to the ridgeline, even with trees.
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Actual view in winter through the woods from the Tritt property. The trees would not hide 11 large 4-story buildings in addition to 65 houses.
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Actual view in winter through the woods from the Tritt property. The trees would not hide 11 large 4-story buildings in addition to 65 houses.
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Actual view in winter of the Tritt property from East Cobb Park. Note that all the interior trees would be cut down. Clearly the 11 multi-story buildings and 65 cottages would be quite visible.
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View 1 of 2: Isakson Living image showing the view from a neighboring subdivision to the Tritt property CCRC. See note below about how much higher the tree canopy actually is with hardwood trees. Also note how the views from the subdivision would both look down on the rooftops of the cottages and look up to the 4-story buildings.
In the Isakson Living image above, the trees seem different from the actual trees.  Note how high the tree canopy is in the real image below.
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Actual view showing how high the tree canopy on the Tritt property.
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View 2 of 2: Another Isakson Living image showing the view from a neighboring subdivision to the Tritt property CCRC. See note below about how much higher the tree canopy actually is with hardwood trees, and the tree leaves are not actually that dense. Also note how the views from the subdivision would both look down on the rooftops of the cottages and look up to the 4-story buildings.
In the Isakson Living image above, the trees seem different from the actual trees.  Note how high the tree canopy is in the real image below.  Many of the Tritt property trees appear 60-70 feet tall, and appear quite different in actuality than depicted in the images..
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Actual view in winter showing how high the tree canopy is and how the hills will impact the viewshed from neighboring subdivisions to the Tritt property.
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Actual view in winter through the woods from the Tritt property. The yellow marker is the stream buffer border. The trees would not hide 11 large 4-story buildings in addition to 65 houses.
Damage to home foundations from planned blasting is a real concern for all the subdivision houses surrounding the property, in part because many of the surrounding neighborhoods are situated on a ridge above creeks that feed into Sewell Mill Creek.  Isakson Living plans to 'grade' at least 25-30 feet of large sections of the property in order to make it flat.  
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Actual houses on the perimeter of the Tritt property. Note that the home foundations could be damaged during the planned blasting of the Tritt property.
Erosion and flooding are real concerns as well, and here are 2 videos of the flood of 2009.
This latest Isakson Living plan was put forward after the wetlands probability blog post.   Some very small areas of wetlands are now acknowledged on the latest Isakson Living plan but the main areas of probable wetlands are not included on this plan. 

Freshwater Forested / Shrub Wetlands are most likely located in the floodplain along Sewell Mill Creek, and not only can wetlands not be built on but often different construction techniques would need to be used so as not to damage them, according to federal and state wetlands guidelines. 

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Isakson Living Image with highlighting added: Current Isakson Living plan acknowledges wetlands (next to yellow arrows), while many maintain that wetlands exist throughout the Sewell Mill Creek banks, as they do on either side of the Tritt property along the banks of the Sewell Mill Creek (see image below).
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Actual wetlands on either side of the Tritt property along the Sewell Mill Creek, according to the National Wetlands Inventory. The Tritt property has not yet been surveyed since the Inventory began.
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Probable Freshwater Forested / Shrub Wetlands along Sewell Mill Creek at East Cobb Park
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Henslow's Sparrow is an endangered bird in this area
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Deer on the Tritt property near East Cobb Park in January 2015
The impact to East Cobb Park cannot be overstated either.  Isakson Living has stated the project would take roughly 4 years of intensive construction, but this is after being told it would take 10 years for the project to be complete.  Very little in the footprint of the project has changed since the first plan, so it is difficult to know how the timeline became shorter. 

East Cobb Park is the jewel of East Cobb.  Residents from all areas of metro Atlanta come to enjoy the trails, playgrounds, green spaces and  Sewell Mill Creek.  A development of this size takes years to complete and the environmental  impact of a multi-year construction project on the surrounding area can't be underestimated.
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View from East Cobb Park in winter: If all the trees in the center of the Tritt property tree line were cleared, the view from East Cobb Park would be overwhelmed with 11 large mostly 4-story apartment buildings. (image from February 2015)
Isakson Living has been good stewards of Park Springs in Stone Mountain, and the recent media coverage of the talent show performance at that CCRC speaks well of senior living communities. We want to restate that we support senior living communities. However, it is clear that the large-scale commercial Isakson Living East Cobb CCRC  would not be compatible with the topography of the Tritt property, or with the surrounding community.
We encourage everyone to:

sign the new petition 
&/or 
email the Board of Commissioners to Vote No to Z-2 Isakson Living plan for East Cobb 
&/or 
attend the March 3 and March 17 Board of Commissioners meetings
  

We want to thank the East Cobb community for continuing to urge the Board of Commissioners to deny this project. 

United we can make a difference!

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The front of the Tritt property

Support our Glenside neighbors by opposing zoning Z-6

2/2/2015

 
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3-story 75,000 square feet Storage Facility proposal near Tritt property
There is another zoning in East Cobb of interest, Z-6 2015, for a 3-story self-storage facility on 1.42 acres at 3700 Roswell Road, which is a little to the east of the Isakson Living proposal and directly across from the WellStar Health Park, which avoided zoning. The Glenside subdivision is between the Tritt property where Isakson Living (Z-2 2015) proposes to build a retirement community, and the site of this proposed self-storage facility.  The Z-6 site is also against the Alderwood subdivision, currently under construction on Robinson Road, and the Keller Williams Realty building.

The residents of Glenside subdivision, the developer of Alderwood, and the East Cobb Civic Association (ECCA), are all opposed to Z-6, because the self-storage facility is a huge, monolithic, 75,000 square ft building with 450 storage units, and because it does not provide for a good transition from the 3-story Keller Williams Realty building, to the homes of the Glenside and Alderwood subdivisions. To compare, WellStar is 162,000 square ft, and Isakson Living plans for 999,960 square ft.  

The Z-6 site is currently zoned for low-rise (2-story) offices, which would provide a better transition from heavier commercial uses to residences.  The residents of Glenside, as well as the future residents of Alderwood, do not want to look at a huge commercial building in their backyards.

FYI, the builder of this proposed self-storage facility has already built a similar facility in East Cobb, on north Johnson Ferry Road, near its intersection with Shallowford Road.  This large facility sits in the middle of a commercial area, between the bank in front of the Super Wal-Mart, and the Kroger shopping center.  The Z-6 proposal is very different, because it sits on the edge of a commercial area, up against homes.

The Z-6 zoning case will be heard at the Planning Commission zoning hearing 9 AM on Tuesday, February 3 at the Board of Commissioners meeting room at 100 Cherokee St, Marietta.  If you can, please join our Glenside neighbors in opposition to Z-6 at the Tuesday meeting.  If you cannot be there, please write the Cobb County Board of Commissioners and Planning Commissioners, to tell them you also oppose Z-6 (see form below).  

Isakson Living zoning will be still be heard at the Planning Commission zoning hearing at
9 AM on Tuesday, March 3rd.
Email the Commissioners about the Z-6 Rezoning plans:  You can easily add your own words in the 'Your Comments' section below.  When you click 'Send' the email will be automatically sent to the Zoning Planning Commission and the Board of Commissioners. 
Send
If you want to email your own letter directly, here are all the email addresses for the Cobb County Commissioners & Zoning Committee:
tlee@cobbcounty.org, 
bob.weatherford@cobbcounty.org, 
bob.ott@cobbcounty.org, 
joann.birrell@cobbcounty.org, 
lisa.cupid@cobbcounty.org, 
galt.porter@cobbcounty.org, 
skip.gunther@cobbcounty.org, 
mike.terry@cobbcounty.org, 
christi.trombetti@cobbcounty.org, 
judy.williams@cobbcounty.org

Share your views with Chairman Lee

1/27/2015

 
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Isakson Living Plan
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Chairman Tim Lee
Cobb County Commission Chairman Tim Lee will be the speaker at the next meeting of the East Cobb Civic Association (ECCA) on Wednesday, January 28, 2015, at 7:00 p.m. at the East Cobb Government Center (4400 Lower Roswell Road), and anyone is welcome to attend. 

Chairman Lee has endorsed the Isakson Living proposal for a huge Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) development on the Tritt property on Roswell Road next to East Cobb Park.  “I support it,” Lee told the Marietta Daily Journal in an article on January 1, 2015.  Lee's statements to the Marietta Daily Journal are odd given that other Cobb Commissioners have consistently stated that they are not allowed to give opinions about zoning applications before those cases are heard before the Board of Commissioners.

Chairman Lee goes on to basically paint the Isakson Living opposition as a bunch of tree huggers:  “Folks believe there’s a way to make it an extension of East Cobb Park. The folks that are against it because they want it to be park land are not being realistic. It just isn’t going to work. It’s not an option,” Lee said.

While we would all like more parks and green space in East Cobb, that is not the primary reason the Concerned Citizens are opposed to the Isakson Living proposal.  Nor should the need for senior housing be a primary reason to support Isakson Living's plan.  This is a zoning application, pure and simple, and the primary concern is how it would impact the neighborhood.  The Isakson Living proposal is a huge 4-story apartment complex, plus a dense subdivision, with roughly 500 total units.   If the Tritt property must be developed, we would much prefer a normal subdivision, that would be built at a scale and intensity that fits with the neighborhood.  A normal subdivision also has little chance of failure, unlike Isakson Living's development in Peachtree Hills, which has been stalled for nearly 10 years.  The Tritt property is zoned Low Density Residential, and it should remain that way.  We are most concerned that East Cobb remains a great place to live.

A Review of Efforts to Protect the Tritt Property Next to East Cobb Park: Top 5 Blog Posts & a Timeline

1/15/2015

 
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View the 1-Page Summary 
on why we support keeping the current zoning for the 54-acre Tritt property.
Picture54-Acre Tritt Property on Roswell Road
Happy New Year 2015!  We are just past the 2-year anniversary of this community's efforts to protect the Tritt property next to East Cobb Park, and we thought it would be a good idea to review a few blog posts on this effort as we gear up for the March 3, 2015 and March 14, 2015 Cobb County Board of Commissioners meetings, in which Isakson Living's rezoning request will be heard again. 

During these past 2 years, thousands of East Cobbers have supported this effort to protect the Tritt property from development by signing petitions, emailing the Board of Commissioners, attending meetings, and sharing information with others, but even still, many people are just now finding out about the intensity of the Isakson Living development proposal and a lot has happened. So here's a timeline (see below) as well as a recap of the top 5 blog posts that include key details about why it is so important to preserve the Tritt property:
1. East Cobb Park was once part of the Tritt property: Here's a great post on the interesting history of this area and part of the legacy of Odessa Tritt Lassiter, who was the aunt of Norris and Wylene Tritt.
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The Tritt property on a map from 1869 (land lots 965 & 966 in red box)
2. East Cobb proposal compared with other Isakson Living developments: This blog post is how the Isakson Living East Cobb proposal compares with Isakson Living's other 2 other properties: Isakson Living's Park Springs community in Stone Mountain, and the planned Isakson Living retirement community in Peachtree Hills Buckhead that has been an empty lot for years and has a $30+ million lawsuit by BB&T.

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Map of residential East Cobb surrounding the 54-acre Tritt property
3. Help East Cobb Park: A blog post on how the sale of the 53.7-acre Tritt property next to many subdivisions and East Cobb Park will impact this community greatly no matter what, whether it becomes a new Park, an 80-home subdivision, or a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC).  The Tritt property is one of the last undeveloped green space areas in East Cobb, and so its sale will have an effect on this area for generations: 
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The Tritt property next to East Cobb Park in the Sewell Mill Creek watershed
4. The real deal on the East Cobb Park donation offer and more specifics on the October Isakson Living East Cobb proposal: This blog post covers specifics on many topics: the East Cobb Park donation offer, 84 retirement houses vs. a subdivision, why the Isakson Living East Cobb proposal would raze more Green Space than previous plans, the height & square footage of the 11 multi-story buildings, and which commercial businesses are planned within the CCRC.
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Isakson Living October 2014 Proposal. 4 subdivisions are next to the Tritt property: Hidden Hollow, Robinson Walk, Wyntergreen, and Glenside
5. Protected Wetlands, Affordable Options for Retirees, and Parkland: This blog post explains why so many Cobb residents suggest the Tritt property be preserved as a park: the property is well-suited as parkland, as it is next to small existing parks (East Cobb Park and Fullers Park) in a residential area, and the property has wetlands, floodplains, and very steep hills.  The Tritt property was on the Park Bond 2006 and Park Bond 2008 list of potential properties.
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East Cobb Park next to the Tritt property
Isakson Living East Cobb proposal timeline
  • Late 2012: Surveyors seen on the Tritt property by neighbors

  • Early 2013: Neighbors begin inquiring with Cobb County and the East Cobb Civic Association about the rumored rezoning of the Tritt property.

  • May 2013: Isakson Living submits zoning application Z-43 2013; zoning hearings scheduled for August 2013.  Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) planned for 987 units.

  • June 4, 2013:  "Large senior living community planned for East Cobb" article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

  • June 9, 2013: "Isakson Living proposes $200M senior development" article in the Marietta Daily Journal article

  • July 2013: Concerned Citizens Facebook page started

  • July 31, 2013: Isakson Living presented at the East Cobb Civic Association (ECCA) meeting

  • August 6, 2013:  Zoning Planning Commission Hearing, and Isakson Living case continued by staff until October 1, 2013 hearing

  • August 2013: ECCA and the Indian Hills Civic Association both vote unanimously against the Isakson Living proposal.

  • September 2013: Isakson Living asks for a continuance until the November 2013 hearings.

  • October 7, 2013: Isakson Living withdraws their Z-43 zoning application

  • November 5, 2013: Isakson Living re-files their zoning application, Z-2 2014, with 845 units planned.  Hearing dates initially scheduled for February 2014. 

  • November 12, 2013: Cobb County Board of Commissioners places a moratorium on zoning applications for CCRCs until April 1, 2014.  It was unclear if this would affect Isakson Living, since they re-filed before the moratorium.

  • January 2014: Zoning staff continues the Isakson Living case to the May 2014 hearings

  • January 22, 2014: Isakson Living offers to donate 9.5 acres of land to East Cobb Park if their zoning application is approved

  • January 31, 2014: Representatives of ECCA and Concerned Citizens met with Isakson Living and their partners, Erickson Living, to discuss their 3rd plan of 748 units

  • March 2014: East Cobber magazine runs Isakson Living cover story 

  • March 28, 2014: Representatives of ECCA and Concerned Citizens met with Isakson Living attorney; no substantial changes.

  • April 12, 2014: A large group of Concerned Citizens meets at East Cobb Park

  • May 2014: East Cobber magazine runs Concerned Citizens article

  • May 6, 2014: Cobb County Planning Commission hears Isakson Living case (Z-2 2014).  149 people opposed, 97 in support.  Concerned Citizens presented a petition opposing Isakson Living with over 2,500 signatures.  After long presentations and discussion, zoning staff decided to continue the case to the September 2014 zoning hearings.

  • August 2014: Isakson Living continued until the November 2014 zoning hearings

  • October 3, 2014: Representatives of ECCA and Concerned Citizens met with Isakson Living about a 498-unit plan

  • October 27, 2014: Isakson Living community meeting at Mt. Bethel Church
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  • November 4, 2014: Cobb County planning commission hears Isakson Living case (Z-2 2014) for a second time, 149 people opposed, 61 in support.  Concerned Citizens presented a new petition opposing Isakson Living with over 1,400 signatures 
    (Change.org + Paper signatures). 
    After more long presentations and discussion, the planning commission decided to continue the case to the February 2015 zoning hearings.

  • December 18, 2014: Isakson Living was granted a continuance until the March 2015 zoning hearings, currently scheduled for March 3, 2015 and March 17, 2015.


Protected Wetlands, Affordable Options for Retirees, and Parkland Possibilities

1/6/2015

 

Protected Wetlands

We recently checked the National Wetlands Inventory and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to discover the Tritt property most likely has many acres of wetlands on the property.  According to the National Wetlands Inventory map, many acres appear to be wetlands along the northern (Roswell Road) and western (East Cobb Park) sides of the Tritt property.  Federally protected wetlands are located along the same  Sewell Mill Creek floodplain to the north across Roswell Road and to the south near Fullers Park. The only reason that the wetlands are not specifically listed for the Tritt property on the current National Wetlands Inventory map is because the Tritt property has not been surveyed since the Wetlands Inventory began, as the Tritt property has been family-owned for over 100 years.  
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(Click for larger image) Map based on National Wetlands Inventory. The reason the wetlands are not specifically listed on the Tritt property is because the Tritt property has not been surveyed since the Wetlands Inventory began. The Tritt property has been family-owned for over 100 years.
By law, any rezoning application must address whether wetlands are located on a property when a rezoning request is filed.  The Isakson Living rezoning application has consistently checked "possibly, not verified" rather than "yes" or "no" about whether wetlands are located on the Tritt property.   Furthermore, the applicant is required to obtain wetlands permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  
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Wetlands Section from Isakson Living Rezoning Application Z-2 (see page 8)
By waiting until after the rezoning is final before figuring the number of acres of wetlands on the property, Isakson Living is not giving the Board of Commissioners an accurate picture of this significant East Cobb property.  In short, a wetlands survey should be done before any rezoning hearing with the Board of Commissioners, currently scheduled for March 3 and March 17, 2015. 

Affordable Options for Retirees

In a recent MDJ article, Board of Commissioners Chair Tim Lee noted that the county is in need of retirement homes and “We need to provide somewhere for senior adults to age in the community in which they raised their kids." However, the overwhelming majority of senior facilities in all of Cobb County are densely located in East Cobb, and this type of CCRC facility serves an extremely small percentage of Cobb's overall senior population. If the true goal is more senior living options across Cobb as Mr. Lee indicates, this project does little to serve those who are most in need of affordable options.  The proposed development would use up precious resources while offering no affordable solutions for the majority of retirees living with families in Cobb County. In other words even if this development were approved, an overwhelming majority of seniors in Cobb County would not benefit from it.  

Related to this, Isakson Living has never presented a needs analysis for this type of retirement community in East Cobb.  Many retirees who can afford this type of community often opt for in-home nursing care.  In addition, many have observed how oversaturated the retirement community market has become in East Cobb, with more than 10 retirement communities, many of which are not at capacity, within a 5-mile radius of the proposed development site of the Tritt property next to East Cobb Park.  A new retirement community is also currently being built on East Piedmont near Sandy Plains, and it is worth noting that this property is similar to the Tritt property in that it was also on the potential list of property to be purchased with Park Bond 2008 (see images below).  
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East Piedmont Property Purchased for a New Residential Senior Living Development... This property was also on the 2008 Park Bond potential property list.
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Current East Piedmont construction... This property was also on the 2008 Park Bond potential property list.
Note that the 17-Acre Parcel (pictured above) was on the 2008 Park Bond list of potential properties but was recently purchased for $2 million by a developer for a new senior care facility in East Cobb. 

Parkland Possibilities

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East Cobb Park next to the Tritt property
Some Commissioners and Planning Commissioners have also noted that many Cobb residents suggest the Tritt property should be preserved as a park, and the reason is that the property is actually well-suited as parkland:  It's next to small existing parks (East Cobb Park and Fullers Park), and the property has wetlands, floodplains, and very steep hills.  The Tritt property was on the Park Bond 2006 and Park Bond 2008 list of potential properties. 
Park Bond 2008 has still not been issued, and many properties from the Park Bond potential list of properties to be purchased by the County are either under threat of development (such as the 54-acre Tritt property) or have already been developed by developers (such as the 17-acre East Piedmont property).

Ironically, Isakson Living's Stone Mountain property has more buildable acreage than the Tritt property and yet it has fewer units on the property, which is surrounded by Stone Mountain and light industrial zoning.  These facts beg the question:  why is Isakson Living asking for more units on the Tritt property on less land, especially in light of the surrounding homeowners and park goers?



Only about 31 acres of the entire 54-acre Tritt property could actually be developed by any developer, which is why this property makes more sense as a park, rather than a  large-scale retirement community.  We welcomed the news that Isakson Living would donate 9 acres to East Cobb Park; however this is far fewer than the 23 acres of land, including possible wetlands, that could not be developed and should be preserved.

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Only 31 Acres of the Tritt Property Could be Developed. At least 23 Acres Should be Preserved with a Park or Conservation Easement.

Why Isakson Living Rezoning Request Should Be Denied

The cost of the land and Isakson Living's business model should not be the driving forces behind the Board of Commissioners' approval of this zoning.  The Board of Commissioners should deny Isakson Living's rezoning request based on the inappropriateness of the proposed buildings on this particular property (and considering Cobb's own future land use map) as well as the impact on the surrounding properties and natural floodplain of the Sewell Mill Creek watershed.
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Tree in front of the Tritt Property on Roswell Road
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Deer still roam on the Tritt Property
To summarize, the Tritt property is not ideal as a large-scale retirement community for several reasons:

1.   The abundance of  Cobb retirement communities all located in this specific area of Cobb County means there is no need for an additional development of this intense scope and size in a mostly residential area that is already being served by other facilities.

2.  Retirement communities are needed in many other parts of Cobb County; however, this expensive model is not an affordable plan for vast majority of Cobb County seniors

3. Buildings of 4-stories would be much too urban for East Cobb neighborhoods of single family homes or next to East Cobb Park.

The Tritt property is ideally suited to be a park. 

1. The Tritt property most likely has more than 10 acres of state and federally protected wetlands.

2. A full 23 acres of the 54-acre property are actually wetlands, floodplain, stream buffers, and steep hills, and at the very least those acres should be fully protected. 

3. The topography is too steep for a retirement community without significant grading, and the Sewell Mill Creek watershed aquifers are too fragile for flattening the property.  

The real deal on the East Cobb Park donation offer and more specifics on the October Isakson Living East Cobb proposal

10/27/2014

7 Comments

 
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The Norris Tritt Bridge at East Cobb Park

This post covers new specifics on:
The East Cobb Park donation offer, 84 retirement houses vs. a subdivision, why the Isakson Living East Cobb proposal would raze more Green Space than previous plans, the height & square footage of the 11 multi-story buildings, and which commercial businesses are planned within the CCRC

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East Cobb Park
Issue #1: 
The East Cobb Park donation
In January 2014, Isakson Living offered 9.5 acres of the Tritt property floodplain to East Cobb Park as part of a rezoning package deal.  This was a welcome development in negotiations, and in truth, this land cannot be built on by any developer because it is in the floodplain, so it seemed like a natural gift.  We were surprised to read in their October 24th stipulation letter to the Cobb County zoning office that Isakson Living specified the land donation "shall occur after completion of the entire project."  (Here is the entire stipulation letter.) 

How long would the entire project take until completion?  In the previous 3 Isakson Living plans, they stated the entire project would take 10 years, but with this latest plan, that time was shortened to 3-4 years, although no details were provided on how it could be built that quickly.  The build out is still based on sales and the future of the economy.  

However, it could take much longer than 10 years by looking at the track record of 1 of the other 2 Isakson Living CCRC properties. Isakson Living Peachtree Hills has remained an empty lot for over 9 years. and Isakson Living is still being sued for 30.5+ million. The East Cobb property may be viewed as a way to clear up the Peachtree Hills debt, but then what would happen to the viability of the East Cobb property?
The Tritt property is too valuable to the East Cobb community to be part of a risky business venture: we don't want a large-scale commercial endeavor or an empty lot on the last remaining green space property in East Cobb!  As most people around here remember, the Tritt property right next to East Cobb Park was in the top tier of properties identified by the Cobb County Park Citizens Board to be purchased, and was on the short list of the $40 million 2008 Park Bond.  
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Deer seen on the Tritt property October 2014
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Funding Park Bond 2008 Effort


The 2008 Park Bond has yet to be issued, and many concerned citizens are also asking that the 2008 Park Bond be issued now for the purchase of park properties, as intended in the 2008 voter-approved referendum. 
So how long until Isakson Living would actually donate the 9.5 acre floodplain to East Cobb Park?  Anywhere from 3 to 10 years or more, depending on how they define completion of the entire project.  That could mean a generation of East Cobbers waiting for the floodplain donation.   

We wonder why the 9.5 acre floodplain, as well as all the acres of stream buffers on this property that cannot be built on by any developer, would not be immediately conserved as green space.  In fact, a full 15 acres of the 54 acre Tritt property is floodplain or stream buffer and must be preserved by any developer, so why wouldn't the full 15 acres be protected in a permanent conservation easement or even donated from Day 1?  

Another real concern is that Cobb County never said they would accept the land donation, and if they do not accept the donation, none of the 9.5 acres would go to East Cobb Park. 
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Playground at East Cobb Park
Issue #2: 
84 retirement houses versus a subdivision
Let's look at the 84 retirement houses proposed by Isakson Living. These are the 6 house images Isakson Living provided (8 photos total as 2 photos are different angles of the same house).

First of all, the houses are very nice, but at 2-stories and 3-stories, and ranging between 2,150 and 3,800 square feet, they are an odd choice for retirement houses in a CCRC.  Note that all the houses in the Isakson Living Park Springs CCRC in Stone Mountain are 1-story, so we wonder why these 2-story houses were selected for a retirement community.  Who would retire to a house with walk-up stairs just to get to the front door? Any CCRC should be built with accessibility for all.

At least 3 of the images are photos of Vickery homes from an existing subdivision in Cumming, Georgia, which is not a retirement community. For all intents and purposes, the Isakson Living plan appears to be a densely packed cluster home subdivision in addition to a CCRC with large apartment complexes.  
Photos from Isakson Living proposed East Cobb retirement houses
So how many houses could be built if the Tritt property were a subdivision?  
Realistically 88 houses could be built on the property given the current zoning, 
without any multi-story buildings or on-site commercial businesses.  
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The 54-Acre Tritt property
If the entire Tritt property were developed as it is currently zoned R-20, 115 houses is the maximum number of houses that could be built, since the property is Low Density Residential, but we would oppose that many houses, because it means a zoning more dense than R-15, which would only allow a maximum of 97 houses.  The topography of the property, including steep areas, and several acres of floodplain and stream buffers which cannot be cleared, may mean that fewer than 97 houses could be built, and 88 is a realistic estimate.  
How can Isakson Living suggest building a CCRC (Continuing Care Retirement Community) with 84 full subdivision-sized houses (rather than accessible retirement-sized houses), in addition to 11 multi-story buildings with many commercial amenities, when a subdivision developer could only build approximately 88 houses total?  
We are not against senior communities, but a CCRC is a very intense type of senior community, basically a hybrid of an apartment complex and a nursing home, with a little on-site retail thrown in.  In Cobb County, you cannot build an apartment complex or a nursing home (a.k.a., a supportive RSL) on Low Density Residential land, so why should a hybrid of the two be allowed?  A non-supportive RSL, or retirement community, is allowed on Low Density Residential land, but it is restricted to 2 stories and 5 units per acre.  A CCRC has no such protections built into the code.
Watch: The CCRC Zoning Code was opposed from the beginning here
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Google map showing East Cobb neighborhoods in the Walton school district, and the proposed site of an Isakson Living East Cobb CCRC.  (The new WellStar Health Park evaded zoning by invoking Hospital Authority eminent domain to de facto change low density residential to medical office.)
Isakson Living is still proposing a CCRC with a greater density than their Park Springs Stone Mountain location, which has basically nothing around it, and 0 houses within 2,000 feet.  The East Cobb CCRC location would have 27 houses bordering it, and more than 750 homes within 2,000 feet.  

We continue to question why Isakson Living would plan to build a large-scale CCRC in this community, in the midst of hundred of homes in the Walton school district of suburban East Cobb, which is overwhelming categorized Low Density Residential.  

Issue #3: 
Why the Isakson Living East Cobb proposal would raze more Green Space than previous plans
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Isakson Living October 2014 Plan



Watch: The CCRC Zoning Code was opposed from the beginning here
Another shocker in the October 24 stipulation letter is the request for a variance to the CCRC code, especially disappointing because Isakson Living helped write the CCRC code in 2008. Even in 2008, community members felt that the code was poorly designed and tended to favor the developer over the community, and you can actually view the video and details about the CCRC code here.  We asked for the County to review and amend the code due to these very issues that Isakson Living is pressing for exceptions to now. Isakson Living should not be allowed variances to get around the few provisions of the code which protect the community!  The variance request or code exception would result in acres more green space being lost. 
According to the CCRC code, all houses more than 1½ stories must be clear of a 100-foot protected buffer.  However, the Isakson Living plan has 16 of the 84 total houses within 100 feet of the perimeter, and some are as close as only 30 feet from the perimeter!  Building so close to the property line is the reason why the amount of preserved green space is actually less than all the previous Isakson Living East Cobb plans (see a comparison of all 4 plans here).  The other Isakson Living plans kept the 100-foot buffer.  
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Proposed East Cobb retirement house
 The Cobb CCRC zoning code, paragraph (4) b. 7. states:

"When any building is within 100 feet of the perimeter of the project and is contiguous to less dense residentially zoned property, that building will consist of single-family, duplex, triplex or quadraplex units not exceeding one and one-half stories in height."
While we welcomed the reduction in the overall number of units in this October plan,  any positive gain was nullified by IL reducing the overall undisturbed green space in the process. In addition, the number of houses went from 30 (1-story) houses to a very dense cluster of 84 (2-story) houses.  Zoning regulations are put into place to protect homeowners from commercialization and overdevelopment, not to ignore those rules for the benefit of developers.  

The next exception to CCRC code that Isakson Living is requesting involves the height of the 11 multi-story buildings.
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Isakson Living Park Springs in Stone Mountain
Issue #4: 
The planned height of most of the 11 multi-story buildings still goes against the CCRC code
A CCRC on low density residential land is limited to 2 stories, unless the Board of Commissioners approves up to 4 stories, "taking into consideration the view-sheds, setbacks and height of buildings".  The topography of the Tritt property does not support 4-story buildings, because the land rises up from the floodplain to steep hills.

If these 4-story buildings, which would also require retaining walls, were allowed to be built, the view from East Cobb Park would be destroyed, particularly from the higher ground areas.  There is a large downhill slope along Roswell Road from Old Canton Road to Sewell Mill Creek, and people driving along Roswell, or down Providence Road, will see the upper floors and roof of what appears to be a giant apartment buildings.  Residents, visitors, and potential home buyers will see this.  This will have devastating effect on the way this area is perceived: no longer suburban, but urban.

Regarding the height of the buildings, it should also be noted that while Isakson Living Park Springs was under construction in 2004 after getting initial zoning for 3-stories over parking, they rezoned to add another story, so 4-stories over parking, also known as 5-story buildings.   The Isakson Living East Cobb proposal is currently for 3-stories over parking, or 4 stories, and a very real possibility is that they would go back and rezone for additional stories, so that at least 7 buildings in the East Cobb CCRC could be 5-stories tall. Remember that all the other previous Isakson Living East Cobb proposals included 5-story buildings. Also, the Tritt property is on a hill, so it would actually look much larger than a Park Springs 5-story building appears.
Isakson Living Park Springs
Isakson Living Park Springs
Isakson Living Park Springs
Isakson Living Park Springs
In terms of square footage, Isakson Living provided these "approximate numbers" for their 11 multi-story buildings.  We can only assume that the actual buildings may be somewhat larger, however it is a starting point for understanding the scale of this project.

Building A - 17,500 sq ft
Building B - 75,000 
sq ft
Building C - 100,000 
sq ft
Building D - 65,000 
sq ft
Building E - 125,000 
sq ft
Building F - 90,000 
sq ft
Building G - 60,000 
sq ft
Building H - 55,000 
sq ft
Building I - 50,000 
sq ft
Building J - 45,000 
sq ft
Building K - 65,000 
sq ft
84 Houses - 252,000 sq ft
Total = 999,500 sq ft
(so roughly a 1 million square foot project)
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Isakson Living East Cobb Plan from October 2014
When adding in the 84 houses at an average of 3,000 square feet (252,000), the total square footage comes to just under 1,000,000 (999,500) square feet, very similar to total square footage of the previous plan, 1,124,034 (1.124 million) square feet of air conditioned space.  Compare this to a subdivision of 88 houses at 4,500 square feet, which would equal 396,000 square feet total. This is why this property is zoned low density residential rather than commercial.
Issue #5: 
The commercial businesses planned within the CCRC
How many commercial entities would Isakson Living include in an East Cobb CCRC?  We have not been given a definitive answer to repeated requests about what commercial businesses would be operating in the CCRC. The only businesses that Isakson Living has specified so far are 2 restaurants, 1 cafe, and a fitness center. 

The October 24th stipulation letter gives a few more examples, but no confirmed specifics:  "The proposed community may include, consistent with the CCRC Zoning Ordinance, on-site amenities, such as dining, activities, entertainment, fitness, wellness, and other senior based ancillary-sized uses for limited retail, such as small general store, beauty or barber shop, library, art studio, and woodworking shop." 
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One reason we ask is that the CCRC code has a wide latitude on the types of commercial amenities allowed on-site, and it would be helpful to know how many businesses are planned for this development.  It is also important to have an idea of how many delivery and service vehicles would be adding to the overall traffic impact.                   
The CCRC code states these on-site amenities are permitted: 
"Administrative offices for any accessory use. 

Ambulance and medical transport services. 

Athletic and health clubs. 

Bakery. 

Banks and financial institutions. 

Beauty and barber shops. 

Beverage shop. 

Bookstore. 

Butcher shop. 

Camera shop. 

Chapels and other places of worship. 

Clinics. 

Clothing shop. 

Community and cultural meetings. 

Dance studio. 

Delicatessen. 

Dry goods shop. 

Eating and drinking places.

 
Film developing and printing. 

Florists. 

Garden plots. 

Gifts and stationary shop. 

Golf cart parking, sales and service. 

Grocery items. 

Hospice care. 

Jewelry shop. 

Laundry and dry cleaning pickup. 

Medical and dental laboratories (provided that no chemicals are manufactured on-site). 

Pet care/short-term boarding (no outside runs). 

Pharmacies. 

Professional offices. 

Recreation grounds. 

Rehabilitative services. 

Self-service laundry. 

Storage for residents' personal items." 
The Tritt property is zoned R-20 low density residential, and it is not zoned for a CCRC or any other commercial business for a reason. Zoning regulations are put into place to protect communities from commercialization and overdevelopment. Landowners can sell to whomever they choose, but zoning codes should still be upheld for what can be built after the sale of a property. Zoning codes should not be disregarded for developers. Zoning codes are designed to protect our neighborhood homes, schools, and parks.
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Please support this endeavor to protect East Cobb
from such a large-scale development:
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  1. Sign the New Petition against zoning Z-2.
  2. Contact the Commissioners to express your opinion on this rezoning case.
  3. Attend the November 4 and November 18 hearings.  
    Since November 4 is Election Day and Cobb County schools are closed, plan to vote early, and bring the kids to the meetings to learn about democracy in action!

This week, there are 3 additional meetings everyone is invited to attend and ask questions about the Isakson Living proposed development. 

  1. Isakson Living community-wide presentation on October 27th at Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church at 7:00p
  2. Commissioner Bob Ott's October 29th ECCA meeting presentation at the East Cobb Library at 7:00p
  3. Commissioner Bob Ott's October 30th Town Hall Meeting at Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church at 7:00p
7 Comments

Does this Large-Scale Complex Belong in East Cobb? 

10/22/2014

6 Comments

 

Does this Large-Scale Complex Belong in East Cobb:
Comparing the East Cobb CCRC proposal and Park Springs CCRC 

Below is an actual 5-story building (4-stories over parking) at Isakson Living Park Springs in Stone Mountain.  The Isakson Living East Cobb proposal from October 2014 includes 4-story buildings (3-stories over parking) for 7 of the 11 multi-story buildings (see plan below).  In addition, 84 houses 2- and 3-stories tall are part of the plan. (see images below)

This 5-story Park Springs building is still very much a possibility in East Cobb:  While Isakson Living Park Springs was under construction in 2004 after getting initial zoning for 3-stories over parking, they rezoned to add another story, and these became 5-story buildings. 

The Isakson Living East Cobb proposal is currently for 3-stories over parking, or 4 stories, and a very real possibility is that Isakson Living would go back and rezone to ask for additional stories, so that East Cobb would become exactly as this image shows:  a 5-story building.  All the previous Isakson Living East Cobb proposals included 5-story buildings.  Also note that the Tritt property is on a hill, so it would actually look much larger than the Park Springs image appears.

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Isakson Living Park Springs 5-story building (4-stories over parking)
Isakson Living recently released some of their plans for a proposed retirement community (CCRC) on the Tritt property, next to East Cobb Park.  This plan is designed to be more like Isakson Living's existing retirement community called Park Springs, located in Stone Mountain, Georgia.  However, the Isakson Living East Cobb proposal is actually much larger than Isakson Living Park Springs, and when the East Cobb location is compared to the surrounding area in Stone Mountain, the East Cobb proposal is dramatically larger even still.   Even the proposed CCRC houses in East Cobb are 2 times larger than the CCRC houses in Park Springs.  

As these photos show, Park Springs is attractive, but it looks like a massive apartment complex. Something like this is simply out of place in East Cobb, particularly when adjacent to existing neighborhoods and homes. 

Images below from Isakson Living Park Springs in Stone Mountain
Park Springs in Stone Mountain
Park Springs next to Stone Mountain
Park Springs in Stone Mountain
Park Springs in Stone Mountain
Park Springs in Stone Mountain
Park Springs in Stone Mountain
Images above from Isakson Living Park Springs

Proposed East Cobb Retirement Houses Would Be
2 Times Larger 
than Park Springs Retirement Houses

East Cobb CCRC House (proposed)
East Cobb CCRC House (proposed)
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These 2 Houses above are from the Isakson Living East Cobb CCRC proposal for 84 houses 2- and 3-stories tall. 

The 3 Houses below are actual 1-story houses from Isakson Living Park Springs.
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Park Springs CCRC House
Park Springs CCRC House
Park Springs CCRC House
 
Below is a comparison between East Cobb and Park Springs neighborhoods.
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(CLICK for larger image)
Note that Isakson Living Park Springs in Stone Mountain is located next to a golf course, wooded acreage and convenient shopping. Few traffic problem exist due to the location.  (Same Google Map scale as East Cobb.)
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(CLICK for larger image)
Note the East Cobb location would be more dense than Park Springs, yet this property is surrounded by thousands of homes, many schools, and a new 162,000 square foot WellStar Health Park, which bypassed proper zoning channels.  The large-scale Isakson Living CCRC would greatly impact traffic.  (Same Google Map scale as Park Springs.)
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Residential East Cobb Area
                        Park Springs and Isakson Living facts and timeline:

  • Park Springs is located in Stone Mountain, Georgia, on the east side of the mountain, in DeKalb County, but right on the Gwinnett County line. Park Springs Address: 500 Springhouse Circle, Stone Mountain, GA 30087.  
  • 1997 - Isakson Barnhart (old name for Isakson Living) proposes a mixed-use development, including a 394-unit apartment complex on Bermuda Rd in DeKalb County.  The local community strongly opposes, on the grounds of school overcrowding and property values.  A compromise is reached whereby the development is age restricted, and becomes the Park Springs CCRC retirement community.
  • 1999 - Isakson Barnhart proposes a dense, apartment complex-like CCRC in Athens, GA, and is defeated.
  • 2004 - While Park Spring CCRC is under construction, Isakson Barnhart goes through DeKalb County zoning a second time to raise the height of buildings from 3- to 4-stories
  • 2005 - A year after Park Springs opens,  Isakson Barnhart initiates 3 years of legal action against the DeKalb County tax assessor to substantially lower their property taxes
  • 2008 - Isakson Barnhart is part of a committee which drafts Cobb County's CCRC zoning code
  • 2008 - Isakson Barnhart's proposed Peachtree Hills CCRC in Buckhead stalls, leaving empty lots to this day
  • 2009 - Isakson Barnhart splits into two firms, Isakson Living and Barnhart Guess.  
  • 2010 - The Stone Mountain Super Target, built by Isakson Barnhart directly in front of the Park Spring CCRC, goes out of business.
  • 2011 - BB&T sue Isakson Living for 30.5 million for Peachtree Hills CCRC default.  The case is still pending in court.
  • 2013 - Isakson Living proposes a 987-unit CCRC on the 54-acre Tritt property, next to East Cobb Park.
  • 2014 - Isakson Living proposes a 498-unit CCRC that includes 11 multi-story buildings and 84 houses 2- and 3-stories tall. Below is the plan image received from Isakson Living.
This is the October 2014 Isakson Living Plan:
11 multi-story buildings and 84 large cluster homes next to East Cobb Park
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Isakson Living East Cobb proposal October 2014
Please email the Commissioners, sign the New petition against the October 2014 Isakson Living plan, and join us on Tuesday, Nov 4th, to oppose this development in East Cobb.
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6 Comments

May 6 Planning Commission Meeting

5/6/2014

 
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Concerned Citizens with bright T-shirts attend the Planning Commission meeting to voice their concerns
A total of 149 Concerned Citizens with bright T-shirts packed the Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday, May 6 to voice their concerns.  Thousands of emails and petition signatures to deny the Isakson Living proposal were acknowledged by the Planning Commission, and the 2,500 strong petition was formally presented.  

After 20 minutes of discussion from each side, in addition to a presentation by the traffic engineer who performed the traffic study, and several follow up questions to the applicant's lawyer, the Planning Commission voted to table the application for 90 days. The reasons for the decision to table was to address several further changes to the plan, including directives to:

- reduce the total number units to 500 or less, similar to Park Springs.

- cap the height at 2 stories, as stated in the CCRC code, or up to 3 stories.

- refine the traffic study to compare it to a development of 100 homes in an R-20 subdivision.  (200 homes was clarified as impossible for this property.)

- clarify the use and design of the cottages, especially from the Roswell Road view, where landscaping was cited as preferable.

- improve the size and scope of the landscaping buffer around the entire development.


The Planning Commission also specifically requested that the proposal be made available to the Planning Commission and the public at least two weeks prior to the next meeting, by the 15th of the preceding month.  The next meeting is now scheduled for Thursday, September 4, 2014, which is not on a Tuesday due to the Labor Day holiday. The May 20, 2014 meeting was cancelled.

Below is the PowerPoint slide presentation for the Planning Commission meeting:
Below is the text of the PowerPoint presentation.
Click here to view the WSBTV coverage of the meeting, and click here to read the Marietta Daily Journal article about it.
We will post more information as soon as it becomes available.

An Unrealistic Traffic Study

5/2/2014

 
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Isakson Living conducted a traffic study for their initial proposal for a 987-unit retirement community on the Tritt property, next to East Cobb Park.  That study (click here) includes traffic projections.  These projections were recently updated to reflect the 748 units in the latest proposal.  These projections also compare traffic to a 100 and 200 house subdivision on the same land (although we have outlined why 200 houses is highly unrealistic).
Traffic projections are supposed to conservative, meaning that if there are multiple legitimate techniques for calculating traffic, we take the one which shows the highest numbers.  We would not, for example, project traffic for an office complex proposal that assumes it is at partial occupancy.  We want to know the maximum amount of traffic possible.  Isakson Living's latest traffic projections were highly conservative in calculating the traffic for potential subdivisions, yet not conservative in  calculating the traffic for their Isakson Living East Cobb proposal.

To estimate traffic, the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Trip Generation Manual, 9th edition was used.  This manual has a number of land use categories - single family homes, senior adult housing, etc. - with traffic multipliers and/or formulas for each.
A subdivision would comprise the single family homes category, and this has two techniques to calculate traffic - simple multipliers and more complex formulas.  In this case, the formulas show more traffic, so Isakson Living used the formulas to estimate the traffic produced by a 100 and 200 house subdivision.  This is a conservative way to calculate traffic, even though 200 houses is not a viable scenario.
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However, to calculate the traffic for their proposed Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), Isakson Living chose land use categories which allow for unoccupied units, rather than the conservative approach of assuming the development will be fully occupied, and using the appropriate categories for fully occupied units.  This is like an office building developer conducting a traffic study which assumes that the offices will never be fully occupied.  And, that is just the beginning and the least of the problems with Isakson Living's traffic study.

The ITE manual has land use categories for CCRC, which is what Isakson Living's proposal is, yet they did not use the CCRC category.  We question why the CCRC category was not used.  ITE explicitly created this category for CCRCs, and conducted multiple traffic studies to come up with traffic multipliers.  If Isakson Living had used the CCRC category, it would have shown significantly more traffic, especially during the peak AM and PM rush hours.

Rather, Isakson Living broke down their proposal into its 3 constituent parts - Independent Living, Assisted Living and Nursing - and assigned an ITE category to each to estimate traffic.  87% of the units are Independent Living, and we question the choice of the ITE category for these units, something called a "Congregate Care Facility", which has very low traffic numbers, because vehicle ownership by the residents in that category is very low.  Isakson Living's initial traffic study quotes the ITE manual, which states "vehicle ownership levels were very low at congregate care facilities".  Would vehicle ownership be very low at Isakson Living East Cobb?  Lets look at the facts.
  • We will assume for the sake of argument that very low vehicle ownership level means that fewer than 10% of residents own vehicles.  Is that true of Isakson Living's Park Springs community in Stone Mountain?  Probably 70% or 80% or more of the occupied independent living units own at least one vehicle, and Isakson Living has confirmed that residents can have more than one car.

  • ITE recognizes that the affluence of the residents in senior facilities is one of the factors which increases traffic, and any senior who can afford to live at Isakson Living East Cobb can easily afford a car.

  • The CCRC code in Cobb County requires one parking space per independent living unit, and half a parking space per assisted living or nursing unit.  Isakson Living was part of the 2008 committee which wrote the Cobb County CCRC code, and they would not build extra parking spaces if they were not needed.
  • Isakson Living is required to build 700 parking spaces for the East Cobb proposal, but they are in fact building 882 spaces.  They recognize that their residents will own cars and drive, and that the facility will have many employees and visitors.  The traffic at a CCRC comes from residents, employees, visitors, services and deliveries.  Isakson Living's latest study shows 1,528 vehicle trips a days; driving to the facility counts as 1 trip, and driving away counts as another trip.  If each of the 882 parking spaces has just a single car leave and return per day, that is 1,764 trips a day, significantly more than the study indicates.  Why is Isakson Living building 882 parking spaces if daily traffic will be less than 2 trips per space?

  • Owning and driving a car is part of being an independent senior.  A CCRC has many amenities, but seniors will want to drive.

  • At Park Springs, residents can own golf carts, and can at least drive the golf carts to the adjacent Stone Mountain Golf Course.  Golf carts will not be allowed at the East Cobb facility, and their is no shopping within walking distance, so the seniors will drive.  A few may take shuttles offered by the facility, but many will choose to drive their own cars.
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So, the Isakson Living traffic study is based on the premise that vehicle ownership is low among the residents, when in fact, it will likely be quite high.  This invalidates the traffic projections.

We disagree with the decision to not use the CCRC traffic category, and to split the CCRC into parts, but we especially disagree with the decision to use the "Congregate Care Facility" category, where the resident own few cars, to represent the independent living units.  A far more appropriate ITE category would be Senior Apartments, which is what these independent living units are.  The Senior Apartments category shows far more traffic for this proposal.

Isakson Living's 1999 proposal for a 456 unit CCRC in Athens, GA (which was defeated) was projected to generate 1,481 daily trips, according to the Athens media.  That is 3.25 daily trips per unit, as compared to just 2.04 daily trips for the Isakson Living East Cobb proposal.  Have seniors' driving habits changed that much in 15 years?  If anything, seniors are living longer, healthier lives, and driving for more of their lives.  The Athens traffic number appear to be much more realistic.

Tritt Property - How many houses could be built

5/2/2014

 
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Isakson Living has continued to assert that a huge number of houses could be built on the Tritt property.  Isakson Living uses this huge number of houses, in conjunction with an unrealistic traffic study, to make their proposal for a high-density retirement community look favorable.  Lets look at the facts. 

The land is Low Density Residential (LDR) on Cobb County's Future Land Use map, and that is not going to change.  Changes to the Future Land Use map happen far less frequently than changes in zoning.  Low Density Residential means a density of no more than 2.5 units (houses) per acre.

The land is currently zoned R-20, meaning each lot has a minimum of 20,000 square feet.

The Tritt property is 53.7 acres, of which 7.5 acres is floodplain, leaving 46.2 acres not in the floodplain.  Floodplain and wetlands cannot be built on, and are not allowed in overall density calculations for a development. 

At the current zoning of R-20, a maximum of 80 houses could be built, since R-20 has a maximum average density of 1.75 houses per acre.  The R-15 zoning, which allows minimum lots sizes of 15,000 square feet, has a maximum average density of 2.1 houses per acre, meaning that a maximum of 97 houses could be built at R-15. 

If houses were built at 2.5 houses per acre, which is the maximum density for Low Density Residential, that would yield 115 houses.  However, that would require some of the property to be zoned RA-5, and the rest R-15.  RA-5 represents a range of densities, from 2.5 to 5.0 units per acre, and is limited by code to 20 acres maximum.  We would vigorously oppose any RA-5 zoning, even partial, on the Tritt property.  All proposals for development on the Tritt property will be judged on their own merits, but RA-5 is a non-starter.

So, 115 houses is the maximum number of houses that could be built, since the property is Low Density Residential, but we would oppose this many houses, because it means a zoning more dense than R-15, which would allow a maximum of 97 houses.  The topography of the property, including steep areas, and several acres of floodplain and stream buffers which cannot be cleared, may mean that actually fewer than 97 houses could be built.

Isakson Living asserts that 200 houses could be built on the property, which represents a density of 4.33 houses per acre (200 divided by 46.2 acres).  This is a significantly higher density than any of the adjacent subdivisions, and would not be allowed on Low Density Residential land, which again has a maximum density of 2.5 houses per acre.

The Tritt property does adjoin two subdivisions for part of its east side which are on Medium Density Residential (MDR) land.  These two subdivisions have densities of 3.59 and 3.86 houses per acre, which is allowable in Medium Density Residential (up to 5.0 houses per acre).  These two subdivisions are both zoned RA-4, a zoning which is no longer used for new developments, and which allowed up to 4 houses per acre.  Comparing the Tritt property to these MDR subdivisions is comparing apples to oranges, since the Tritt property is LDR. 

The two LDR subdivisions that adjoin the Tritt property, Robinson Walk and Hidden Hollow, have densities of 2.10 and 1.77 houses per acre respectively.  The Independence Square subdivision, which is not directly adjacent the Tritt property, but is just to the north, across Roswell Road and behind a row of low-rise office buildings, has a density of 1.55 houses per acre.

The Tritt property can be compared to the adjacent and nearby LDR subdivisions, since the Tritt property itself is LDR.  The latest Isakson Living East Cobb proposal has 748 units, which means a density of 16.19 units per acre.  This is over 7 times as dense as the densest adjacent LDR subdivision, and over 4 times as dense as the densest adjacent subdivision (which is on MDR land).

Isakson Living's assertion that 200 houses could be built on the Tritt property is incorrect, because that represents a density of 4.33, which is in the Medium Density Residential range, and would require changing the property from LDR to MDR, and the chances of that happening are very low.  Under the current LDR land use, the property could have 115 houses maximum, and that would be contested because it represents a density greater than the R-15 zoning allows, and greater than all the LDR neighbors.  97 is the maximum number of houses that could be built if the zoning were changed to R-15, and we believe that is the maximum realistic number of houses on the property. 


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Help East Cobb Park

5/2/2014

 
The sale of the 53.7-acre Tritt property next to East Cobb Park will impact this community greatly no matter what, whether it becomes a new Park, an 80-home subdivision, or a 748-unit Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC).  The Tritt property is one of the last undeveloped green space areas in East Cobb, and so its sale will have an effect on this area for years to come.
If the Isakson Living East Cobb proposal is approved in the zoning process, the development would overshadow East Cobb Park, both literally and figuratively.  With buildings as high as 5-stories, the large-scale CCRC development would tower over East Cobb Park, nearby Fuller's Park, as well as all the adjacent homes in the area. 

In addition, Isakson Living has stated that their plan is to build this 1.12 million  square foot complex over 10 years. That means for an entire generation of children, construction noise would drown out the relaxing nature of East Cobb: The morning walks and pre-school playground playdates, the afternoon picnics, ultimate Frisbee games, creek wading and bike-riding adventures, each event would be accompanied by the sounds of chainsaws, bulldozers, and hammers. Just the traffic of the Isakson Living CCRC as well as WellStar would be literally more than 4,000 cars a day, and East Cobb Park would be gridlocked by traffic.
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East Cobb Park in Marietta, Georgia
"Green Jewels"
A park is the green jewel of any community, and county planners have an obligation to protect these green spaces for the enjoyment of all citizens. As an example, 100-acre Jim Miller Park has enough space for concerts and other events and doesn't have large buildings bordering it.  The 80-acre Roswell Area Park is a great community park, and no tall buildings of any sort border the park.  Even the 189-acre Piedmont Park located in Midtown Atlanta also has no large buildings next to it; all high-rise buildings are across the street.  Even in the 843-acre Central Park in New York City, all the high-rise buildings are located across the street, not directly next to it.  Development in and around most every park is limited by zoning so that the Parks remain a relaxing place for all community members to enjoy. 

The East Cobb community sacrificed and worked so hard to create the now 20-acre East Cobb Park, which first opened in 2003, and the stated goal of the County at that time was to acquire more land to expand East Cobb Park.  East Cobb Park is a special place to walk, jog or push a stroller; a neighborhood place to walk the dog, to meet friends, relax, and play; a cozy place to have a picnic, celebrate birthdays, and other fun events.  So the loss of the Tritt property green space for such a high-rise CCRC development would be devastating, but so would losing the current relaxing atmosphere of East Cobb Park if towering buildings were allowed to be built next to it. Communities need reasonable development, and that includes parks and green space for everyone to enjoy.
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15.74 Acres is Flood Plain and Stream Buffers, + 3 Acres is too Steep to build on, leaving only 35 Acres. The 18+ acres could potentially be donated to East Cobb Park or put in a conservation easement by any developer. Orange is floodplain, purple is stream buffers outside the floodplain, yellow is the additional 25-ft buffer that can be cleared but not built on. (The black box numbers on the image come from the GIS program used to calculate the areas.)
100 Year Flood Plain
Of the 53.7 acres of the Tritt Property, 15.7 acres is protected flood plain and stream buffers, and no developer can build on that part of the property.  In addition, about 3 acres of the property is too hilly to build on, so that leaves only 35 acres which could be built upon by any developer.   In other words, for any potential developer, at least 15.7 acres and more than 1/3 of the property, 18.7 acres, could be protected by donating it to East Cobb Park or putting it in a conservation easement. Above is an image of the 15.7 acres that is protected from development by any developer.

Therefore, many concerned citizens have asked Isakson Living to find another location  for their proposed CCRC, on land that has already been developed, rather than destroying the last remaining green space in East Cobb.  In other words, building on an already developed parcel of land that is under-utilized or not used any more at all and re-purposing it helps the community a lot more than developing the Tritt property, this last bit of green space right next to East Cobb Park, our community's "green jewel".
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The Norris Wilson Tritt Bridge at East Cobb Park (photo by crashmattb flikr)
What we can do:

1. Sign the Online Petition.  The petition will be presented to the Commissioners at the May 6 and May 20 Board of Commissioners meetings.

2.
Email the Commissioners to Protect the East Cobb Community from Overdevelopment.
 
3. Attend the Tuesday, May 6 at 9:00 AM and Tuesday, May 20 at 9:00 AM zoning meeting in the Cobb County Government 100 Cherokee Street /2nd Floor/ BOC Meeting Room in Marietta Please plan to attend these meetings if possible because united we can make a difference!
This grassroots effort to protect the Tritt property from overdevelopment also wants to protect East Cobb Park from urban encroachment.  Please join this effort to save East Cobb Park from the urban sprawl of the Isakson Living plan.

The Tritt Property is surrounded by residential areas

4/30/2014

 
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The Future Land Use Map of the Tritt Property and surrounding areas
In the map above, the following colors are used:

  • White - Low Density Residential (LDR) - up to 2.5 houses per acre
  • Yellow - Medium Density Residential (MDR) - up to 5 houses per acre
  • Green - Parks & Greenspace
  • Blue - Schools & Religious
  • Pink - Neighborhood Activity Center (NAC) - low-intensity commercial
  • Red - Community Activity Center (CAC) - medium-intensity commercial

Note that WellStar bypassed zoning, and the land is still considered Low Density Residential.

The Tritt property is Low Density Residential, and has Medium Density Residential, Low Density Residential and Park on three sides.  Across Roswell Road are some low-rise offices, and behind those is more Low Density Residential.   

East Cobb is predominantly Low Density Residential, let's keep it that way!

About the May 6 and May 20 Zoning Hearings for Isakson Living East Cobb

4/25/2014

 
PictureMap of downtown Marietta, meeting location circled.
The Isakson Living zoning case, #Z-2 2014, is coming before the county for rezoning in May.  Isakson Living plans to build a high density retirement community on the 53.7 acre Tritt property next to East Cobb Park, but first they must go through the Cobb County zoning process to change the zoning from its current status of R-20, which allows approximately 2 houses per acre, to Continuing Care Retirement Community, or CCRC, which allows unlimited density.

The zoning process in Cobb County starts with the Planning Commission, which reviews zoning requests during a Planning Commission Hearing (Tuesday, May 6 at 9 AM) and makes a recommendation to approve or deny each request.  This is only a recommendation, since all zoning cases then go before the Board of Commissioners at their meeting two weeks later (Tuesday, May 20 at 9 AM), and the Board of Commissioners will make the final decision.  Both meetings are important for the future of East Cobb, so try to attend at least one!

Both meetings will be at 9 AM at the same location, 100 Cherokee Street, in Marietta, very close to Marietta Square.  There are two parking decks nearby.  Parking is $5, cash only, so carpool if possible.  See the map above.  From Parking Deck 1, you can take the 2nd floor pedestrian bridge directly to the Government Building, and you will be at the Board of Commissioners meeting room.  From Parking Deck 2, just cross Waddell Street into the Government Building and take the elevator to the 2nd floor.

Please arrive early, as there will likely be many people at these meetings.   If you have a Concerned Citizen or another yellow T-shirt, please wear it, and we will have more T-shirts available before the meeting for $10 cash (you can pre-order one here).

The Isakson Living zoning case will almost certainly be heard first.  The case will start with a headcount of those for and against the proposal, which is why we need you there!  After the headcount, which should be complete by 9:45, you are free to leave, and we certainly understand that people have other obligations.  If you can, please stay to hear the case.  There will be several zoning cases heard at both meetings, and you can also leave after the Isakson Living zoning case is complete.

At the Planning Commission meeting, Isakson Living will have a total of 10 minutes to present their case, and then the opposition will have a total of 10 minutes to argue against this proposal.  Then, the 5 members of the Planning Commission will ask questions of Isakson Living and the opposition.  The Planning Commission will then make a recommendation to approve or deny the zoning application.  They can also decide to delay a decision for various reasons, but we will be pushing hard for a denial recommendation, because we believe Isakson Living has had plenty of time to make a reasonable proposal to East Cobb, and more time is unlikely to change anything.

Please be on your best behavior!  No applause, booing or comments are allowed from the audience.  Show your support for keeping East Cobb low density by coming to at least one of these meetings!


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    The Concerned Citizens of East Cobb

    The Concerned Citizens of East Cobb represents thousands of East Cobbers who want the 54-acre Tritt property next to East Cobb Park to be fully conserved as a park.

    ​Read more blog posts from this website here,
    and read previous blogs posts from the first CCEastCobb website here.

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