A plumbing crisis had flooded her home, Lydia Moll testified, and she was frantically trying to clean when a Cherokee County marshal showed up to investigate a complaint.
“It was a nightmare mess,” Moll said of that March 11, 2016 day.
The marshal noted the mess, as well as dozens of animals – dogs in cages and cats in pens. Moll got a cease-and-desist letter from the county zoning administrator, saying kennels aren’t allowed in R-80 zoning districts. The Zoning Board of Appeals agreed.
Moll appealed to the Board of Commissioners. Her defense: Her unlicensed kennel predates the zoning.
According to testimony, Moll moved to South Cherokee Lane near Woodstock and started raising dogs and cats to breed, show and sell in 1968. Unknown to her, her attorneys say, Cherokee adopted a zoning ordinance in 1969.
For nearly 50 years, Moll bred award-winning animals – most recently, Yorkshire terriers and Maltese – and no officials noticed.
“You have a business here for 50 years, run by very reputable lady, better than the animal shelter in Holly Springs … and we’re trying to zone her out?” resident Robert Wassel asked county commissioners at a recent public hearing.
Moll, 71, wants her kennel grandfathered in as a nonconforming use. But she’s unable to prove it dates to 1968. Nobody – not the county, state, American Kennel Club or Cat Fanciers Association – has records of her business going back that far.
“I’m sure Ms. Moll is an excellent keeper of animals,” Commissioner Ray Gunnin said. “(But) this is not in compliance with zoning … (and) the evidence is not there how long the business has been here.”
The County Board may decide the issue on Aug. 15.
Should Moll get a break, or should the law prevail? Tell us what you think. Send comments to communitynews@ajc.com. Responses may be used online and/or in print and maybe edited for length and/or clarity.
AT ISSUE: HOW CAN WE KEEP TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS FROM GROWING OUT-OF-DATE BEFORE THEY ARE COMPLETED?
The Georgia Department of Transportation has plans dating back nearly 20 years to convert State Route 20/Main Street and C.S. Floyd Street in Loganville into one-way streets. As the project has stalled, Loganville leaders are now questioning if the proposed plan might negatively impact the city’s efforts to redevelop downtown. We asked readers for ideas to help cities, GDOT and federal agencies prevent transportation plans from languishing or becoming obsolete.
Here’s what some readers had to say:
I am not sure there is a way to hold GDOT to any kind of quick and efficient schedule. As bigger issues surface, i.e. I-85 bridge fire, the smaller projects get pushed back until ultimately the vision changes, and then another study is needed. — Gail Colabello
The county and state departments of transportation have been very cooperative in working with Snellville to improve traffic flow. Communication and education are the keys. By their very nature, highway improvement projects are expensive and require extensive planning, and as traffic patterns and priorities change, delays invariably result. Initiating and maintaining a dialog with county and state transportation departments is therefore critical to a city's success in determining and implementing improvements to traffic flow. That conversation shouldn't be limited to elected officials and city personnel. Input from private citizens is also valuable. And for the record, complaining about traffic on social media is one of the least effective means of addressing traffic problems. — Dave Emanuel, Snellville City Council, Post 1
C.S. Floyd Street is a minor street compared to Main. Any one-way plan would require major changes to the Floyd/78 intersection. Left turns into Floyd from 78 or from Floyd to 78 are difficult due to the curve of 78 at that location, lack of viability and traffic congestion on 78. I believe Loganville's problem will be similar to Lawrenceville's at some point after the two streets are made one-way. They should work with property owners on Main Street to obtain right-of-way to make it four or five lanes wide. — Fred H.
Are there public forums to discuss such major changes to a town's redevelopment? And if there are, why does it take so long for action when certain funds have been available? Also, who chooses which companies perform those traffic studies and how politically connected are those companies to the city or county? Maybe there isn't anything dark in these types of processes, but when I recently visited Loganville, it seemed to me they are ripe for some sort of change. — Jo Cooper
This is a tough nut for cities to crack, especially when so many fingers are in the pie. One thing cities can do is to hire a good engineer and traffic planner as part of their staff. Transportation plans have to not only fix current issues, but also try to address future issues. A complex problem at best. But as in the case of Lawrenceville, top-down advice is more often than not counter-productive. Local leaders know the issues far better than county and state leaders. — Bob Ballagh
Local officials, GDOT officials and legislative budget officers could help move projects along faster. — Eric V.
Karen Huppertz for the AJC
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