Veterans clinic to open in West Cobb
A new clinic for veterans is coming to West Cobb.
The outpatient facility, located at the corner of Dallas Highway and Midway Road, will provide primary and mental health care for vets, according to a spokesperson for Veterans Affairs.
The building is being designed and constructed by Engineering Design Technologies, which has a Marietta office.
Although the clinic is located on land zoned for low-density residential, the firm relied on a county law that exempts the federal government from zoning provisions.
Alexis Hovind, the attorney for Engineering Design Technologies, said the firm went with the exemption rather than seeking to rezone the parcel in response to residents’ concerns that building the clinic would set a precedent for more commercial development in the area. With the exemption, the zoning remains residential.
“I’ve seen a lot of comments … saying that we’re trying to come up with some kind of crooked, back-room deal, and really we were trying to meet the needs of the community rather than hurt them,” Hovind said.
She said she expected the clinic to be operational by the end of 2017.
Daniel Hydrick, a Cobb resident and veteran of the Vietnam War, welcomed the new clinic.
“I’m shocked at how people would see veterans in light of ‘not in my backyard,’” Hydrick said of the pushback the clinic faced from some residents. “This was needed because of the distance a lot of these folks have to travel” to reach a VA facility.
About the Author
Meris Lutz is a contributing writer covering climate, the environment and the economy. She is particularly interested in stories that explore the intersections between climate change and labor, markets, health, biodiversity, government transparency and public access to natural resources.
