Wood Road stretches like a dusty ribbon through Milton, a bucolic community with more horses than human beings.
Brooke Hunter and her husband, Gordon, arrived there in 1983. Marilyn and Chris Weeber followed in 1985 and Daniel and Lauren Fernandez just two years ago, all drawn by the rural community's peace and quiet.
It never mattered one bit that the 1.5-mile stretch was gravel from start to finish. That was simply part of the community’s charm.
Weeber, a 72-year-old retired teacher, grew up on a gravel road in rural Pennsylvania and swore she’d never live on one again.
But gravel roads in the South are more genteel, she said. Not the same thing at all.
And so when a neighbor convinced a Fulton County worker to dump black asphalt on the western section of the road back, oh, 15 years ago, it gave her and her neighbors pause but they kept it moving.
The asphalt stretched just 900 feet from Birmingham Highway, and as long as the city abided by its own rule that restricted building to one house per 3 acres, Wood Road would be protected from overdevelopment and they could rest assured that there would be no changes to their close-knit neighborhood.
A few weeks ago, however, they learned the city had deemed the asphalt section of Wood Road a paved road, which meant that instead of one house per 3 acres, a developer could build one house per acre. If this subdivision of land on gravel roads were allowed to continue, they say, the Milton Trail and ultimately much of the vision for the city would be changed.
Houses would be closer together. And traffic through the neighborhood would surely increase.
Their fears only grew when the city approved two 1-acre lots on the north side of Wood Road and Birmingham Highway. They quickly responded and asked for a 30-day moratorium on all zoning pertaining to gravel roads until the city can amend its regulations.
Last week, the city obliged and the owner of the property withdrew his application to divide his land, said City Manager Steven Krokoff.
But residents are still hoping that further regulations will be enacted so that the asphalted section of Wood, or the asphalted section of any of their other gravel roads, will not trigger another zoning misinterpretation. They also want the city to clarify once and for all its definition of a paved road, a paved extension, and a gravel road.
“We maintain that Wood Road is a gravel road from Birmingham Highway to Phillips Circle,” Weeber said.
It’s the kind of fight that might leave most of us scratching our heads. I’d be more than a little surprised if most people even like gravel roads, but Weeber and her neighbors want all of Wood Road, including the paved section, to be recognized as a gravel road.
To ensure it keeps that designation, they started circulating a petition a few weeks ago to garner support and so far have collected more than 390 signatures in their favor. (Milton has a population of more than 34,000.) But this isn't just about a road, they said.
They’re also in a fight to preserve the peace and tranquility that have long been the hallmark of the city of Milton and part of its rural charm.
Fernandez, a 37-year-old construction manager who has a 3-year-old son, said giving approval to spot zoning to a section of road as the city did goes against the original vision for Milton.
He noted, for instance, the city’s logo prominently features a horse.
“If you keep this up, where will the horses go?” he asked. “They are going to have to change the logo soon.”
In addition, Fernandez said, the city understood the uniqueness of Wood Road and others like it when it acknowledged in a 2008 ordinance that gravel roads are the core of the Milton Trail Network and one of Milton’s most distinctive features and contributed to its rural legacy.
“The single goal of the Milton Trail Plan is to preserve the rural quality of life in the City of Milton by creating an easily accessible shared use trail system connecting the City’s schools, parks, neighborhoods, and other points of interest,” according to the city’s trail development standards plan.
Hunter and her neighbors maintain Wood Road and other gravel roads are the heart of the Milton Trail. Walkers, runners, horseback riders, bicyclists, she said, all enjoy the trail’s beauty all day long.
“The mere fact that a layer of asphalt was placed over 15 years ago by error on Wood Road does not constitute a change in the Milton Trail’s founders’ clear intent, the codes that protect it, and a city’s responsibility,” Fernandez said.
“I’m afraid in 10 years, this is going to be a different landscape and there will be no rural legacy to preserve for my son,” he said.
Krokoff said he understands their concern.
“I get where they’re coming from,” he said.
Late last month, Hunter, Weeber and a group of their neighbors met with the City Council and mayor to air their concerns. The city then called a hearing and went into executive session.
Last week, they were still waiting to hear what they decided.
