Disputed Lost Mountain project is back

Sep. 8—A controversial west Cobb rezoning proposal which sparked a firestorm in the run-up to the Lost Mountain cityhood referendum is back on Cobb County's zoning docket.

Pulte Homes has reintroduced its request to develop a 49-acre parcel near the intersection of Midway Road and Dallas Highway, near Lost Mountain Park. And as with its last try at rezoning the old farm, Pulte is facing stiff opposition from some residents of the adjacent Broadlands subdivision.

The homebuilding giant first introduced its request for 85 lots on the property late last year. Over subsequent revisions, that was later downgraded to 72 lots, and is now at 61, per Taylor English Decisions' Rob Hosack, who's representing Pulte and is the former Cobb County manager.

The development would preserve about 20 acres — roughly 40% of the property — as open space. The homes themselves would be a minimum of 2,500 square feet at a density of 1.33 units per acre.

Earlier this year, residents initially raised concerns about a possible increase in stormwater runoff and flooding at the Broadlands, which sits downstream of the property in question. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has identified the area as a high-risk area for flooding, according to documents prepared by Cobb County staff.

In March, however, the proposal became a political flashpoint. Taylor English Decisions' CEO is former state Rep. Earl Ehrhart, whose wife, current state Rep. Ginny Ehrhart, R-west Cobb, was the sponsor of the Lost Mountain cityhood bill and one of its leading advocates.

While the Lost Mountain cityhood push was staked on the premise of protecting west Cobb from overdevelopment, critics made hay of the alleged ties between Pulte and the cityhood group.

Sue Morning, a Broadlands resident, said at a March anti-Lost Mountain meeting, "I thought the whole city of Lost Mountain, I thought that was Ginny, and her plan was, you know, ... 'We're going to save the trees, and less rooftops.' But her husband works for this company that is trying to shove in all these Cracker Jack tiny houses."

Ginny Ehrhart said her husband had no involvement in the development, calling the allegations a "nothing burger."

Pulte ultimately withdrew its plans from consideration prior to the referendum. Tuesday, Hosack was back before the Cobb Planning Commission to seek approval for the latest proposal.

Hosack defended the plan against a series of criticisms raised by opponents of the development, arguing the stormwater issue was in fact based on the property being undeveloped without adequate infrastructure.

He then raised a fifth concern on a slide headlined, "Fair and Equitable Treatment of Property in Question." Pulte's plan, he said, is proposing larger homes, larger lots, and a lower density than the Broadlands subdivision, and shouldn't be denied on that basis.

Among the Broadlands residents who still oppose the proposal, flooding remained a focus at this week's zoning hearing.

"This is going to be, as we've understood from Mr. Hosack, at least a two-year construction effort in which clear-cutting is going to occur," said Ryan Fuquea, a Broadlands resident. "The placement of the homes in the plan appears to provide ... insufficient buffer to help avoid the potential hazards and damage that'll be caused by the runoff."

The Cobb County School District, meanwhile, said the development could add to overcrowding at Hillgrove High School.

The Planning Commission ultimately voted 5-0 to hold the project for a month.

Next steps

One of the sticking points in Pulte's last effort at approval has since been eliminated, according to Commissioner Keli Gambrill. The property currently has no county sewer service, with an easement from Broadlands homeowners required to connect to the grid. While those homeowners initially refused to grant the easement, Gambrill said Pulte has since obtained an agreement.

For her part, however, Gambrill said she's "disappointed" in Pulte's latest effort.

"If you drive down that area, the houses across the street sit on multi-acre parcels. While Broadlands has lots that range from about 12,000-plus square feet to over 44,000 square feet, you don't see them from the road. They don't really detract from the other homes around the area that have remained multi-acre," she said.

Meanwhile another resident has an alternative idea for the property if Pulte's plans falter. Thomas Huff, CEO of Atlanta Executive Jet Center (one of the operators at Cobb County International Airport), has proposed organizing an effort to buy the property and turn it over to the county as an expansion to the adjacent Lost Mountain Park.

Huff said if the Pulte deal falls through, "the first thing I would do is call our banker and purchase the property. And then I would rally everyone else to join the group to pay the loan off."

Though Huff declined to say what his offer would be, "I think it's safe to say whatever Pulte's offered, we could probably rally those funds rather easily."

He added that he's spoken with about 20 residents who were supportive of the idea, and a Realtor has agreed to assist with the effort "pro bono."

"It's the last chance. It's land connected to the park, so that's a rare opportunity," Huff said. "It's not necessarily that we don't want someone to build a house, but ... it's healthy for our environment and healthy for our people, our citizens, to save some of this green space."