Wesley Bateman isn't sure what the next move will be for his friends and neighbors in Smyrna's Lois Pointe neighborhood.
Developer Michael Landry won the right Monday night to build houses about 8 or so feet taller than the city codes allow. The stated reason from the developer was that the new houses would be more marketable if they could be taller.
Landry also told the City Council that the change could help boost the property values for everyone in the neighborhood.
"We feel that this is a positive change and that it will positively affect the property values for all," he said.
In a 6-1 vote Monday night, the council approved a zoning variance for the developer up to 8 feet taller than the allowed 35-foot heights for the Lois Pointe neighborhood.
The issue of building heights have come into play recently in Cobb County. In Marietta, the City Council voted to lower the building height limit for the area around Marietta Square from 85-feet to 54-feet. In reaction, Councilman Philip Goldstein has filed an injunction in Cobb Superior Court to allow him to build a 5-story building on Marietta Square.
That issue is yet to be resolved.
"What they'll do is steal our view, block the horizon," he said. "It'll change everything and we won't ever get it back."
Bateman, a professional surveyor, also pointed out that the change to a 43-foot height limit is measured in a way that could technically allow the developer to build a house that's about 55 feet tall.
Mary Rose Barnes of the Oakdale Neighborhood Association also called it a bad idea.
"These houses will literally block the sun from us," she said.
But their neighbor Robert Jacko of Lois Street commended the developer's plans to build on lots that were abandoned by another developer years ago.
"My wife and I are in full support of this," he said.
Jacko also pointed out that Landry will clean up the eyesore of several weed-strewn lots that have nothing but concrete slabs on them.
"This is a huge opportunity, and it will help us all," he said.
Mayor Max Bacon said he hopes the development will help boost the economy not only for the neighborhood, but for the whole community.
"We've seen a lot of development hit the tank and not come back," Bacon said. "We hope this will enhance the area for everyone."
Bateman said that he and his neighbors are in talks about a possible next step, but they haven't finalized anything yet.
About the Author
