Marietta Planning Commission splits over annexation, 600 homes for Bells Ferry property

Dec. 8—The Marietta Planning Commission split 3-3 over Beazer Homes' application to annex nearly 170 acres of land in unincorporated Cobb County into the city, though the request will still go before the Marietta City Council next week.

The board heard Beazer's request for rezoning and annexation into the city at its Tuesday night meeting. Commissioners Tee Anderson, Boozer McClure and Frasure Hunter voted to advance the proposal, while commissioners Brenda McCrae, Craig Smith and Stephen Diffley voted to deny it. Commission Chair Bob Kinney was absent from the meeting, and Diffley served as chair in his place.

The Planning Commission is an advisory board appointed by the City Council which issues recommendations on zoning matters.

Beazer is looking to build a 600-home development on 175 acres between Bells Ferry Road and Interstate 575, along Laura Lake Road.

Last month, the Cobb Board of Commissioners objected to the annexation on the grounds that the proposed rezoning for a mix of single-family detached homes and townhomes, slated at 3.4 units per acre, exceeds the county's acceptable threshold of 3 units per acre.

Kevin Moore, attorney for Beazer, told the Planning Commission it is not often that requests involving such large tracts of land come before them. He said other neighborhoods in the area maintained far higher densities than what Beazer is proposing.

"What is the average density of the surrounding residential properties?" Moore said during his presentation to the commission. "In this area, 5.7 acres."

Moore said during the hearing the development will total 592 homes, though the proposal submitted to the city says it will total 596 units, including 303 detached houses, 198 attached townhomes and 95 "age-restricted" houses.

Carol Brown, a resident in the area, told the commission she represented nearly 180 people who have signed a petition against the proposal. She said Marietta city staff's own assessment of the proposal demonstrates it is not a good fit for the area.

That assessment from Marietta's zoning division said the site plan does not satisfy the intent of the request rezoning. It also said stormwater on the property "is a major unresolved issue that could change the site plan considerably."

Brown echoed concerns previously expressed by Tullan Avard of the Bells Ferry Civic Association and George "Drew" Montgomery Jr., whose father, George Montgomery, purchased the land in the late 1940s and designated much of it a wildlife preserve.

"You have environmentally sensitive land, you have, possibly, historic areas on this site that may contain Civil War trenches and other kinds of artifacts from that period," Brown said. "It would be a shame to rush this through."

Other residents who spoke in opposition to the request expressed concerns about the proposed entrances for the community and the effects the development would have on the land.

Karen Huck, a representative of the Bells Ferry Civic Association, said the group is concerned that stormwater management from the development will be a burden on the county. Cobb owns 87 acres of land adjacent to the proposed development, including the 26 acres comprising a breached dam and the dried-up Laura Lake.

Hunter told the Journal he voted for the proposal because the city would have more control over the planning of the development if the annexation is approved.

Since the proposal was not voted down, it advances to the Marietta City Council, which meets next on Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 205 Lawrence St.