Friday, November 23, 2001
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Friday, November 23, 2001 |
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Edwards helps broker neighborhood dispute Fulton County District 7 Commissioner William "Bill" Edwards successfully urged last-ditch negotiations that freed a church-community deadlock, leading to a 5-0 Fulton Commission vote allowing World Changers Ministries to build a parking lot in South Fulton. Church lawyers and opposing residents had held numerous meetings over the months to discuss objections to a World Changers Ministries rezoning request to build a 2,362-space parking lot on property across from the church on Burdett Road. When the two sides remained at an impasse at the November 7, Board of Commissioners meeting, Edwards asked them to meet alone once more in an adjoining room. About an hour later, World Changers Ministries announced the church would: ·Construct the Pleasant Hill Road extension and install a new traffic signal. ·Provide access connecting Woods Memorial Church parking to Pleasant Hill Road. ·Contribute 75 percent of the construction cost or $150,000, whichever is less, to provide access connecting Camelot Condominiums parking to Pleasant Hill Road. ·Provide a driveway in the northern parking lot to remove 550 to 600 vehicles off Old National Highway. ·Develop a retention pond to hold 125 percent of storm water runoff. ·Maintain existing buffers and plant additional trees where needed. "The community and the church have come to a reasonable agreement," said Commissioner Edwards. "God bless them all." Upon hearing the agreement, Commissioner Edwards and the Board voted to approve the zoning petition with several conditions to be met by World Changers Ministries. The purpose is to minimize the project's impact on traffic, drainage, aesthetic and environmental concerns of area residents. Some of the zoning conditions are: ·Providing traffic-calming devices on Burdett Road and Lantern Lane. ·Limiting vehicular access to Burdett Road to emergency vehicles and shuttle buses. ·Providing a natural buffer next to the property lines. ·Providing a changeable message traffic control device on Old National Highway.
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