Protected Wetlands, Affordable Options for Retirees, and Parkland Possibilities

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.  

(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.  

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).  

East Piedmont Property Purchased for a New Residential Senior Living Development... This property was also on the 2008 Park Bond potential property list.

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

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.

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.

Tree in front of the Tritt Property on Roswell Road

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.