A proposal to rezone about 20 acres of land to build a mixed-use project in west Cobb County has caused heartburn for some nearby residents who worry how the plans would impact their communities.
Developer Wesley Staggs is asking the county to rezone land at the northeast corner of Macland and Old Lost Mountain roads near Powder Springs from single family residential to urban village commercial in order to build senior housing.
Staggs plans single-family, detached homes for residents age 55 and older, along with retail and restaurant space. The project calls for no more than 45 detached homes and 25 town homes, as well as 30,000 square feet of retail space, 11,000 square feet of office space and 4,000 square feet of restaurant space along Macland Road.
The proposal was recommended for denial by the Cobb County zoning staff because it did not fit into the county’s Comprehensive Plan for that area, and the planning commission also rejected the proposal at its Dec. 4 meeting. The Cobb County Commission is expected to hear the case at its March 19 zoning meeting, which starts at 9 a.m.
One resident, Terone Harris Jr., said he did not believe the proposal fits into the existing landscape of neighborhoods that surround the property.
“It doesn’t make sense,” said Harris, who has lived in his home for 13 years. “It doesn’t help our property values.”
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An online petition opposing the plans has received more than 300 signatures. The petition states the project would be built in an area surrounded by low-density residential uses.
Another resident, Dave Jones, said this project “has no place” in this area and if approved, it would “put more stress on the roads” that already have trouble handling the existing volume.
Joe Beard, one of the developers on the project, said his team has had to educate residents about the project because they’ve received “bad information.” Beard said there are no plans to build apartments, and the proposed uses would not drive up the amount of traffic on the road.
Beard said the project would cater to an “underserved” demographic in the community. He pointed out that the density concerns are unfounded because the area is already near commercial uses, such as a Kroger, CVS and Dunkin’ Donuts to the east along Macland Road.
“One way or another, they are going to develop the land,” he said of what to expect if the county rejects his proposal.
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Cobb District 1 Commissioner Keli Gambrill, who represents the area where the project would be located, said she’s only received letters from residents opposed to the plans. This opposition, she said, “is not surprising,” as the plans are out of character with what’s already in the area.
The property is surrounded by larger, older homes that are a mixture of lot sizes ranging from quarter-acre to one acre or larger, according to John Pederson, the county’s zoning division manager. The larger lots have homes that were built from the 1930’s to the 1960’s, while the smaller lots have homes that were built in the last 12 years, he said.
The county commissioner said she believed the project would be more suitable if it were constructed closer to a commercial area such as Town Center Mall or Cumberland Mall. She also said the project would add more traffic to the existing two-lane roads.
“Yes there are plans for Macland Road to be widened, but that’s some time in the future with no hard date set as to when we will see that project completed,” Gambrill added.
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