Close to 200 Johns Creek residents turned out recently in opposition to a zoning request to allow a 268-unit apartment complex in the city's Technology Park area.
They left disappointed.
J.C. Flex won unanimous approval to build the complex on a 24-acre site between Lakefield Drive and Technology Circle. That was after residents from two nearby subdivisions flooded City Council members with emails opposing the request.
The decision did not sit well with Duane Armstrong, a resident of Brookhaven subdivision directly across from the proposed development.
"Now that the city has done this, they established an unwise precedent," he said. "If they've done it here, they can do it anywhere and future homebuyers might want to consider that."
Mike Chancey, another Brookhaven resident, said he objected to the complex because the streets will not support the population, the apartments will bring down neighboring property values and place an extra burden on schools.
Trushar Patel, a resident of the nearby Gates subdivision, said he wants the city to keep the area mostly commercial.
“We want to stick to the master plan because a lot of us bought our homes there thinking we would be primarily in a commercial area with high-end businesses,” Patel said.
But Rees Waite, vice president of TPA Realty Services, said the project will enhance the value of the area; and he has worked to allay concerns of nearby residents.
"Johns Creek Tech Park has the highest concentration of businesses in the City of Johns Creek," he said. "The [apartments] will serve the businesses, providing an option for people to live close to work."
The project also drew support from local business leaders who spoke in favor of the project during the City Council's deliberations.
Mayor Mike Bodker said the city is bound by legal standards to rule on zoning cases based on specific criteria.
"Regardless of how I may personally feel ... Georgia law dictates there is criteria I must use," he said. "In a general sense, I did not feel that there was a basis for denial based on the evidence that was presented."
The criteria used in the zoning decision includes: whether the rezoning is suitable to or detrimental to nearby property; whether it could burden existing streets, utilities or schools; whether it would conform to the land-use plan; and whether the applying property has a reasonable economic use as currently zoned.
Johns Creek's 2030 Comprehensive Plan places Technology Park in one of 12 "Character Areas" in the city. It is zoned for mixed residential and commercial.
"There are character areas that are more flexible than others," Bodker said. "It so happens that Technology Park is in one of the most flexible character areas in the city."
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