Oddo: number of new rezoning requests ‘normal’
The Fayette County Board of Commissioners will reconsider next week whether to start the process of putting a rezoning moratorium in place.
The board discussed the matter for nearly an hour at its July 28 regular meeting before it was tabled. It had been offered as an added agenda item by Commissioner Steve Brown at the start of the meeting and was accepted by a 3-2 vote, with Chairman Charles Oddo and Commissioner David Barlow in opposition. Oddo said then that it was not the typical procedure for bringing up agenda items, and he would reiterate that point later.
Brown pointed out that a moratorium could not be approved that night, as there are several legislative requirements involving meeting notice and advertising. He said the matter would have to go through the Planning Commission before coming back to the board, and he just wanted to start the process.
“The county and its municipalities have seen an unprecedented number of annexation and rezoning requests of late,” said Brown. “Fayette’s housing market is red hot. It’s a seller’s market right now.”
Noting that the board has frequently rejected many rezoning requests in recent months, he encouraged his colleagues to become proactive rather than reactive. He suggested that, if the moratorium were passed, a series of public meetings take place including residents from every residential zoning classification to discuss the land use plan that is in plan and see if that is what most of the county’s citizens still want for the future.
“I want something that is transparent and includes all members of the community,” he said.
The resolution Brown presented for future consideration included a moratorium on all residential rezonings including mixed-use residential.
After Commissioner Randy Ognio seconded Brown’s motion to start the process, Commissioner Charles Rousseau noted that he wanted more time to digest everything. Brown pointed out that the motion was only to move forward with the advertising requirements so the actual issue could be presented at a later date, which would be at least a few weeks away.
Oddo was not comfortable even with that. He repeatedly pointed out that the issue should have been placed on the meeting agenda in the traditional manner and not put on the dais only a short time before the meeting started. He said the matter was moving too quickly and he even took issue with Brown’s contention about the current level of development, saying he felt it was normal after several years of dormancy due to unfavorable economic conditions.
“We haven’t had a massive amount of rezoning requests,” said Oddo. “For eight years we’ve been dead. What’s coming now is normal.”
The chairman added that he felt some of this process would be redundant given what is going on right now with the review of the county’s comprehensive plan.
County attorney Dennis Davenport advised that any moratorium approved by the board be clearly defined and the timeframe be the appropriate length so there is less chance of it being challenged. Brown said his proposed resolution took all of that into account.
Brown said that out of 10 counties in metro Atlanta, “six are a perfect example of what you should not do from a land planning, zoning and transportation point of view.”
“We have a lot of problems around us,” he added, noting Clayton and Spalding counties in particular. “Once we let our guard down, we will go right down with them.”
Since the deadline for placing an item on the Aug. 11 agenda had already passed, the board was advised to table this item until that meeting so it can be discussed again at that time. Brown was in agreement with that suggestion, and it was done.
