A senior living facility is slated to begin construction in Cobb County, to the chagrin of some residents who worry about the possible negative effects on the school system and the size of the project.
The Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 Tuesday to approve the 120-unit assisted living facility off Barrett Parkway in West Cobb, despite county staff’s recommendation to deny.
The facility, which is expected to break ground in the next six months on a nine-acre plot located between the neighborhoods of Zachary Woods and Anderson Estates, is being built by Centric Development LLC.
Melissa O’Brien of the West Cobb Advocate community group accused the county of making “arbitrary” zoning decisions that could have serious long-term implications. She said she is not against seniors, but pointed out that the county has approved a number of senior living developments over the past year, in addition to granting homeowners over 62 years of age an exemption from education taxes.
“If you adversely affect your school system, that’s also going to affect your property values,” O’Brien said. “If you don’t balance that out, who’s going to go to a Braves game? Who is going to use all these things that they’re developing in that corridor if you oversaturate the West Cobb area, which has largely been a family-oriented area, [with seniors]?”
Parks Huff, the attorney representing the developer, said his client had been looking to build an assisted senior living facility in the West Cobb area for years. Huff said the Barrett Parkway facility would include a “memory care” component for people suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia.
“The demand is there,” Huff said. “There’s a real need.”
Commissioner Bob Weatherford, who represents West Cobb, said the county was in the process of reviewing its code pertaining to residential senior living projects.
Weatherford said he supported Centric’s proposal because it left a significant buffer between the facility and adjacent neighborhoods. He also defended the board’s departure from the county’s land use plan.
“The ones that are particularly against that are the ones that don’t want anyone else in the area,” Weatherford said. “I use [the land use plan] as a guide … I look at each [rezoning application] individually.”
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