Mayor Johnson: F’ville ‘inundated’ with high-density rezoning requests
The Fayette County Board of Commissioners issued an official objection to an annexation request involving a proposed Fayetteville development that even that city’s mayor doesn’t want.
The action occurred at the June 23 regular meeting after numerous residents in the affected area voiced strong objections of their own. A motion by Commissioner Steve Brown to object to the annexation — and request that the city refuse to accept the property — was approved unanimously.
The effect on a larger part of the project already situated inside the city could not be determined at this point, since the city has yet to decide officially on the annexation request. The county objection is not legally binding on the city.
The proposal has come under fire from residents.
The property is located west of Jimmy Mayfield Boulevard, south of the Ga. Highway 92 Extension and a short distance to the east of Ga. Highway 85 South and the Ingles shopping center.
The proposal by Rolader and Sheffield Fayette Ventures is requesting the annexation and rezoning of 29.63 acres currently zoned R-40 (two-acre lots) residential and only the rezoning of 32.53 acres zoned C-3 (commercial) and 36.4 acres zoned C-3, OS (open space) and R-THC (residential townhouse/condominium) since those parcels are already located in the city.
A total of 78 attached homes would be situated immediately to the east and south of the shopping center while 207 homes are proposed on the east, central and south portions of the property.
Proposed density is 2.9 units per acre with 15-20-foot front setbacks, zero side setbacks with 10 feet separation and 20-foot rear setbacks.
Attached homes are proposed with a minium of 1,100 sq. ft while detached homes are proposed for a 1,200 sq. ft. minimum size.
The proposal comes with more than 20 acres of open space, a 3-acre lake, and 4.7 acres of stormwater management areas.
After a meeting between some city and county officials, the city submitted a reconfigured layout for the property June 17 with a reduced number of lots.
By law the city is required to notify the county of the annexation request and the county has 30 days to give official written notice of an objection.
A representative of the developer said the plan, with 20 acres left as green space, would actually be a zoning improvement over current conditions that allow townhouses and high-density commercial uses. But a number of residents were opposed to the traffic and other concerns that this development would still bring.
Fayetteville Mayor Ed Johnson was one of the audience members who spoke up, saying that the city is being “inundated with requests for high-density multifamily dwellings.”
“The city is not ready to handle a request like this,” said Johnson. “I respectfully request that you object to this.”
That is exactly what the commissioners did.
In other business, the consent agenda was approved. It included:
• Appointment of Peachtree City Battalion Chief Chad Matheny and re-appointment of Peachtree City Assistant Chief Kevin Baggett to the Office of Emergency Medical Services Regional 4 Council for a two-year term expiring June 30, 2018.
• Approval of a $539,196.47 maintenance agreement between Fayette County and Motorola for the 800 MHz ASTRO Simulcast System.
• A $312,500 sub-grant agreement with the Atlanta Regional Commission for an update to the Fayette County Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP), with 80 percent of the costs covered by the ARC and a 20 percent local match.
• Approval of a request from Peachtree City to execute an intergovernmental agreement with Peachtree City to share costs up to $14,987.50 for maintenance work on the pedestrian bridge along Redwine Road near the entrance of the Preserves Subdivision.
• A staff recommendation to add Flowers Field subdivision to Fayette County’s Street Light Program.
The commissioners considered several board appointments, including three seats on the Hospital Authority. For each one the board submits three nominees, from which the Authority makes the final selection. The nominees are Donald Sission, Taya Scott and Dr. Loida Bonney for the first vacancy; Dr. Mark Morehart, Therol Brown and James Oliver, Jr. for the second vacancy; and Timothy Etson, Sr., Lavonia Stepherson and Chairman Charles Oddo for the third vacancy. Oddo recused himself from the vote on his group.
The following appointments were made to the Fayette County Public Arts Committee: Charlie Cave, Robert Johnson, Samuel Patton, Heather Cap, Donna Rosser, Jeffrey Mellin, Roshier Sbaja, Tina Brown, Donna Thompson, Vicki Turner and Richard Brown.
Steve Brown abstained from the vote for those nominees, and he also read a prepared statement expressing his opposition to the process, specifically the stipulation that no elected official could serve on this committee, which he started and helped lead up to this point. He pointed out how he championed the nominations of each of his fellow commissioners for appointments to various boards.
“This was not political,” said Oddo in response to Brown’s assessment, “and I respectfully disagree.”
