Some West Cobb residents are speaking out against a controversial development that will come before the Board of Commissioners Dec. 20 after being rejected earlier this year.
The original proposal by Columbia Properties included a 90,000 square-foot shopping center and 35 town homes for seniors on a 24-acre parcel at the intersection of Dallas Highway and Garrison Commons Drive. Local residents objected to commercial development on land zoned for low-density residential, and the board voted unanimously to deny the project.
Columbia filed suit, and the case went into mediation with district Commissioner Bob Weatherford representing the county. Earlier this month, the two parties agreed on an amended proposal, abandoning the residential component and reducing the shopping center to 80,000 square feet. The new plan also includes a 10-acre set-aside for a public park.
Weatherford said he felt the developer had appropriately addressed his concerns about the density of the original project. He also said construction would be moved closer to the road and away from the neighboring subdivisions on the other side of a rocky bluff.
He dismissed neighbors’ concerns that the development represented commercial sprawl, pointing out the nearby Leow’s shopping center across the street.
“There’s no way this could spread down Dallas Highway,” Weatherford said.
Some local residents expressed suspicion of their commissioner. They pointed to campaign donations from the law firm representing Columbia to Weatherford, and questioned the speed with which the conflict was apparently resolved. Weatherford has denied the donations affected his decision-making.
“The process that has been followed has all the semblance of backroom talks and deals between Columbia Properties and our West Cobb Commissioner Bob Weatherford,” Mark Beldon, a neighbor, wrote in an email. “We are even more convinced that Bob Weatherford has especially benefited from these campaign contributions but denies it has played any role in his decision making.”
Beldon speculated that the developer may be looking to get the amended proposal voted on before a new commission chairman takes over next year.
Jack Hassard, another neighbor and retired science education professor, prepared a 37-page report concluding any large development would have negative repercussions on the environment, stormwater drainage and traffic.
Hassard said he was not concerned about campaign contributions, suggesting that the disagreement with residents stemmed from differing attitudes toward land use.
“He (Weatherford) seemed to be on the side of development and he seemed not to take into consideration the opinions of people,” said Hassard, who attended several meetings with the commissioner to discuss the issue.
Gabriella Coroneos, a nearby homeowner and representative of P.L.A.N — People Looking After Neighborhoods — said area residents have from the beginning said they would accept a residential project but oppose any commercial development.
“Isn’t it strange the developer and the county want to push this through 5 days before Christmas by scheduling the hearing for Dec. 20th, perhaps hoping everyone will be too busy to pay attention?” she wrote in an email last week. “This behavior on the part of the Cobb County officials is totally unacceptable.”
Attorney Lawton Jordan, who represents the neighboring Garrison Ridge subdivision, said the county was not standing by its pledge to defend the board’s decision not to rezone the property.
“We took some solace in the fact that we thought they were committed to upholding this decision, and then it was surprising that they resolved it in just one session,” Jordan said. “The compromise plan we’ve seen here is really very similar to the original plan.”
Jordan said the neighbors in the area would continue to oppose the project and reach out to the county ahead of the December 20 vote.
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