It’s back to the drawing board for Aberdeen Parkway water park plans; among the choices: Proceed with current zoning of the Dolce site
Great Wolf Lodge has requested that its rezoning hearing before the Peachtree City Council Thursday night be continued until a later date, unspecified as of Tuesday.
City Clerk Betsy Tyler on Tuesday said the planning department followed up with a phone call to Great Wolf on Monday but has not received anything pertaining to a requested date to go before the City Council.
The water park company’s original rezoning and variances request received a 5-0 drubbing from the city Planning Commission Feb. 9., as well as mostly negative reviews from a standing-room-only crowd at City Hall.
Asked about Great Wolf’s legal options in terms of how to proceed, City Manager Jim Pennington said, in his opinion, the company could continue on its current course with requesting a rezoning to LUC (limited use commercial) or the company could retain the current GC (general commercial) zoning and determine if the project could move forward under the GC requirements.
Great Wolf in requesting a zoning change to LUC wanted several variances that would raise the height of the building, encroach into the setback buffer on the property’s north side and have a patio constructed over a portion of an existing restaurant and retention pond.
The request proposed replacing a portion of the existing conference center with a 54,000 sq. ft. indoor water park that would be 75 feet in height with enclosed water slides that would extend outside the building.
The current building, home of the Dolce Atlanta-Peachtree Hotel and Resort, was constructed in 1981 and carries a height of 57 feet, even though GC carries a maximum building height of 35 feet
If the council agrees, a continuance also means the project will not face a denial next week, which would bring into play a mandatory six-month moratorium on refiling for any zoning change to the Dolce property on Aberdeen Parkway.
A request for a continuance is not uncommon, especially if the rezoning applicant is changing the original plan to respond to objections made at the earlier public hearing — which might be the case here.
If the continuance is approved by the council, that action allows the applicant to go back to the drawing board in hopes of producing a proposal more likely to draw a majority of votes on the council. The revamped proposal would not have to go back before the planning commission.
The city’s Planning Commission on Feb. 9 voted unanimously to recommend that the rezoning request be denied. The commission’s vote is advisory and not binding on the City Council.
================================
Some of the company’s possible options may be in response to an earlier meeting with area homeowners:
The following is a summary of issues raised at the Feb. 3 “neighborhood meeting” at the Dolce about the Great Wolf Lodges water park proposal. It was provided by Brian Rochester, executive vice-president for Rochester & Associates in Gainesville, Ga, the engineers for Great Wolf. The company also has an office in Fayetteville.
Great Wolf Lodge Resident Meeting, February 3, 2015,7 p.m.
Summary of concerns/issues & questions from area residents:
Traffic
• Current traffic study doesn’t account for area residents using the amenities that are open to public. The residents believe that area teenagers will use the amenities open to the public more than at other GWL properties.
• Request for GWL to relook at traffic impacts based on a higher percentage of locals using the restaurants and amenities.
Light Pollution
• Additional lighting in new parking.
• Lighting from new 3-story wing shining into neighborhood.
• Will there be a light at the top of the slide tower?
Noise
• How loud will the water pumps be? Will there be any noise suppression for pumps?
• Noise from the waterpark in general. Will there be sound proofing for building and/or slides?
• How many air handling units will be at the facility?
Existing stormwater issues at properties in Preston Circle and Coventry subdivisions
• Runoff from Dolce
• Would like improvements to existing stormwater issues as part of project
Operational issues
• What is percentage of use open to public?
• Age group of employees (seasonal and fulltime)?
• Do they operate slide until 10 p.m.?
• How many on slide at a time?
• Will GWL rent carts to resort guests?
• What is the use of outside patio area?
• What is target opening date?
• Will GWL consider enclosing the slides in a structure?
• Can GWL design a shorter slide tower?
• The site does not meet the minimum parking required per Code Section 909.3
Screening
• Minimize or remove setbacks/buffer encroachment
• Can colors on slide be changed to blend in more?
• Landscape screening along rear property line requested.
• How will you screen 90-foot structure?
Are there any existing GWL near a subdivision?
Have they looked at other sites?
Concern of introducing people (strangers) into residential area via walking on the cart path system.
Would they consider removing variance for stream buffer?
