A proposed new development met its match in one of Roswell’s oldest families.
An Alabama developer’s push to plant a 275,000-square-foot residential building for seniors in rural Roswell has been halted — for now — by neighbors that include Rucker family descendants who have lived next door for generations. The Ruckers were one of the earliest families to settle in the area in the 1800s.
Grovont Partners’ request to rezone 13 acres of land for a proposed project on Arnold Mill Road did not lead to a seconded motion for a vote during a November meeting of Roswell City Council. Residents consider it a victory that stopped plans to build a private luxury facility with spa and salon services, lounges and multiple dining options for nearly 300 senior residents.
Arnold Mill Road neighbor Alan Rucker, a nostalgic 68-year-old descendant of the Rucker clan, said new development is coming eventually but projects should compliment the countryside.
“I do know something is going up there one of these days but nothing like that,” Rucker said. “I’m sure it would’ve been a beautiful building but it doesn’t fit the area. This is a rural area.”
Grovont wants to rezone 12740 and 12770 Arnold Mill Road near Roswell’s boundary with Milton. The firm’s planned independent and assisted living facility would border Rucker’s property which has been in his family for generations. (Nearby Rucker Road is named for the family.)
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
Rucker moved into his home more than 40 years ago. It was built by his grandfather in 1939, he said, and a sprawling facility next door would be a jolting view from his property. Rucker’s property is part of 26 acres of land connecting three Rucker family members’ homes on Arnold Mill Road starting from the edge of where Grovont wants to build.
Dave Rodgers, a principal partner with Grovont, did not return multiple phone calls to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution inquiring whether the builder planned to continue to pursue the senior living project at the Arnold Mill Road site.
The developer can return to City Council to request rezoning, Roswell spokeswoman Julie Brechbill said Monday. The developer does not have to wait the one-year period that would be required if council had voted to deny the application, she added.
Roswell’s 2040 comprehensive plan calls for single family residential on a portion of the properties Grovont wants to rezone as well as a few other uses smaller in the scale than a senior living center, Councilman Mike Palermo said.
“When I’m looking at a zoning change request, I’m looking at the safety, health and welfare of residents and does it comply with zoning and the comp plan,” Palermo said.
‘We cherish this area and our land’
Since last summer, Rucker and neighbors on nearby Cagle Road have voiced concerns at several city meetings on Grovont’s rezoning request. Objections ranged from increased traffic on curvy and already-busy Arnold Mill Road to tree and wildlife disruption, and a sewer line that Grovont planned to run underground and across the properties.
During a Nov, 29 City Council meeting, resident Roshin Cherian described the potential rezoning section of Arnold Mill Road as dangerous and not a viable location for a large commercial business which would have limited access in and out of the property.
“I do not see how this type of project is going to fit the needs of the community without a major impact on our quality of life in that area,” he said.
Rucker’s niece by marriage, Jennifer Chapman, presented City Council a petition of 300 signatures from neighbors opposed to the project during the November meeting.
“We cherish this area and our land,” she told the AJC. “We care about our neighbors. We are not people who are waiting for an offer from a developer to make money. We love where we are and want to stay. It’s almost like this is the last piece of land (of its kind) that exists in this area.”
Her husband, Brian Chapman, said the community formed a common bond in opposition to the project and would be agreeable to an appropriate development on the property beside his uncle’s land.
“The genie’s out of the bottle,” he said. “Something will be built there. For me, (with Grovont) it just seemed to feel like a square peg in a round hole. They were just trying to squeeze this thing through.”
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