Bad Links?
Other glitches?
Notify Webmaster

Council upholds moratorium on multifamily zoning

By J. FRANK LYNCH
jflynch@theCitizenNews.com

A standing moratorium against rezonings for multifamily developments in Peachtree City was unanimously reaffirmed by members of the City Council last week after no one came forward to speak either for or against the ordinance.

That means that the ban on rezonings for apartments, duplexes and other multifamily dwellings in the city will remain in effect for another year, starting Jan. 1.

The ordinance first went on the books in 1999, when the council directed staff “to accept no application seeking to zone or rezone property to any designation that would allow the development of the property as multifamily.”

According to the ordinance, property owners requesting that type of rezoning must first request that the City Council lift the moratorium as it applies to their property, before submitting the rezoning request to staff.

Until last summer, the ban on multifamily rezoning requests mirrored closely a ban on annexation requests. But the annexation ordinance was streamlined last summer.

Now, developer John Wieland Homes is considering a plan involving the annexation of more than 400 acres on the city’s west side for a multi-use neighborhood that could include a mix of multifamily dwellings designed for senior citizens.

Mayor Steve Brown proposed last week that the multifamily moratorium be amended to include an exemption for senior housing, specifically assisted living facilities.

“Senior housing doesn’t impact our schools and it doesn’t increase traffic,” Brown said.

But Councilman Stuart Kourajian wanted to know why a special exemption was needed at all. Although developments like assisted living facilities are covered under the multifamily moratorium, there is undeveloped property already in the city now zoned for such purposes.

“You can buy a piece of property now and with the proper zoning in place build an assisted living center on it,” he pointed out.

Councilman Steve Rapson said he also opposed rezoning any more land for multifamily developments of any kind.

“I don’t support any rezoning for multifamily,” he said, in making the motion to reaffirm the ban, which passed 5-0.

In other business last week, the council voted to approve the low bid for installation of “traffic calming devices” in the Smokerise neighborhood in the north end of town.

Installation of the speed “humps” was originally approved in March, but when the lone bidder on the project came in with an estimate way over projected costs, the city scrapped the process and started over.

The delay also gave homeowners extra time to complete a survey of their neighbors to see if all were in agreement as to the need and placement of the humps.

The final cost of construction is about $25,160. The Smokerise Community Association is footing the biggest part of the bill, at $16,000, while the city will pay the rest.

Originally, it was anticipated that about $3,371 would have to come out of the city’s Public Improvement Project fund to finish the work, but City Manager Bernard McMullen reported that money was included in the current year fiscal budget for traffic calming devices and that will be enough to cover the extra cost.

Smokerise is a popular cut-through for commuters coming from Ga. Highway 54 through Sumner Road to Peachtree Parkway, near Kedron Village.

Also last week, the council approved a liquor license for Big Daddy’s Oyster Bar, a new business scheduled to open Jan. 1 in the space at Peachtree Crossings East formerly occupied by Sandy’s Country Cooking.