Month: June 2019

Isakson visits World War II veterans at 75th D-Day observance

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Submitted information and photos:

COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, France – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, this week led a bipartisan Senate delegation to Normandy, France, for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion by Allied forces during World War II. The 17-senator delegation joined President Donald J. Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron at an official ceremony at the American Cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer to mark the milestone.

“As chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, I could think of no better way to honor our World War II veterans than to be with them for this milestone occasion at the very spot where many of them, their friends and fellow comrades landed 75 years ago today,” said Isakson. “It is an especially important time to reflect on the sacrifices made by the greatest generation during World War II. The defeat of fascism in Europe and imperialism in the Pacific liberated millions of people across the globe from oppression. Those brave service members fought in the face of great adversity to defend the principles of democracy, and because of their valor and sacrifice, they set a high standard for future generations to follow.”

On June 6, 1944, with American and Allied paratroopers positioned behind enemy lines, Allied forces waded through waist-deep waters amid hailing enemy gunfire to storm the beaches of Normandy, France, in an invasion called Operation Overlord, or “D-Day” as it is commonly referred to today. It was a joint naval, air and land assault marking the start of Allied forces’ campaign to liberate Nazi-occupied Europe. More than 6,000 Americans died that day, but their sacrifice and heroism marked the beginning of the end of World War II.

During the event, Isakson met with American World War II veterans who made the trip for the special occasion. The delegation also met with General Tod Wolters, commander of U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Supreme Allied Commander Europe.

The D-Day 75th anniversary ceremony was attended by more than 150 veterans, U.S. elected officials, U.S. armed service members, dignitaries from our allied partners in the French government, and other participants.

Along with Isakson, U.S. Senators John Barrasso, R-Wyo., John Boozman, R-Ark., Ben Cardin, D-Md., Susan Collins, R-Maine, Deb Fischer, R-Neb., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Josh Hawley, R-Mo., John Hoeven, R-N.D., Angus King, I-Maine, James Lankford, R-Okla., Martha McSally, R-Ariz., Pat Roberts, R-Kan., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Rick Scott, R-Fla., Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., made the trip to Normandy to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

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Elderly woman robbed near supermarket; Cobb Police seeking suspect

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Cobb Police are looking for a man they say punched an elderly woman in the face before stealing her purse this week at a grocery store parking lot.

Police said the woman, 84, was robbed in the parking lot of a Publix store at 2451 Cumberland Parkway on Tuesday morning, then got away in a 2005 Toyota Camry in the photo above.

The car has extensive damage on the rear-side passenger door and has dealer drive-out tags, according to police, who did not have a physical description of the male suspect.

Police said anyone with information is asked to call the Cobb Police Crimes Against Persons Unit at 770-499-3945.

 

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Cobb ‘Cops on Donut Shops’ event to benefit Special Olympics

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Cobb Police will be at selected Dunkin’ Donuts locations on Friday to accept donations on behalf of Special Olympics. It’s called “Cops on Donut Shops on what the marketing world has dubbed National Donut Day. Northeast Cobb car crash, Cops on Donut Shops

The Precinct 4 community officer, Natalie Jegg, will be on hand at the Dunkin’ Donuts at 2765 Sandy Plains Road, from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Officer Rasean Stoney of Precinct 3 will be at the Dunkin’ Donuts at 2022 Powers Ferry Road during the same hours.

The proceeds will be turned over to the Georgia Special Olympics.

 

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East Cobb food scores: Cazadores; Eggs Up Grill; Rosa’s Pizza; Panera Bread and more

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Rosa's Pizza, East Cobb businesses alcohol compliance checks, East Cobb food scores

The following East Cobb restaurant scores from May 27-June 7 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing to view details of the inspection:

Arby’s
4367 Roswell Road
June 5, 2019 Score: 96, Grade: A

Cazadores Mexican Restaurant
3165 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite D-2
June 4, 2019 Score: 87, Grade: B

Chipotle Mexican Grill
1281 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 104
June 3, 2019 Score: 99, Grade: A

Coconutz Jamaican Restaurant
3349 Canton Road, Suite 201
May 29, 2019 Score: 98, Grade: A

Eggs Up Grill
4401 Shallowford Road, Suite 126
June 5, 2019 Score: 81, Grade: B

Firehouse Subs
2745 Sandy Plains Road, Suite 102
June 3, 2019 Score: 93, Grade: A

Panera Bread Bakery Cafe 
4475 Roswell Road, Suite 1530
June 3, 2019 Score: 90, Grade: A

Pelican’s Snoballs
3600 Canton Road
June 4, 2019 Score: 97, Grade: A

Rosa’s Pizza
3605 Sandy Plains Road, Suite 110
May 28, 2019 Score: 89, Grade: B

Subway 
3162 Johnson Ferry Road
May 31, 2019 Score: 96, Grade: A

Taco Bell
2943 Canton Road
June 4, 2019 Score: 97, Grade: A

Wings & Burger Haven 
2745 Sandy Plains Road, Suite 128
May 30, 2019 Score: 91, Grade: A

Zaxby’s 
2756 Sandy Plains Road
May 30, 2019 Score: 91, Grade: A

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East Cobb neighborhood ramps up annexation fight with Marietta

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East Cobb neighborhood, Sewell Manor
Cobb commissioner Bob Ott and Sewell Manor resident Theresa Gernatt. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)

Residents of an East Cobb neighborhood want their county representatives to send a strong message to the City of Marietta about a proposed annexation they’ve been fighting for months.

Cobb commissioner Bob Ott, who represents the Sewell Manor subdivision on Lower Roswell Road at the Loop, said he will offer such a proposal for his colleagues to consider next Tuesday.

It would replace an unratified objection the county made to a high-density residential development that’s being proposed on 7.48 acres right next to Sewell Manor in unincorporated Cobb.

But at a town hall meeting he called on Monday night, Ott reminded those residents that the city holds the power right now to annex six former lots in Sewell Manor and add them to three parcels on Lower Roswell that are already in the city.

“There is no obstacle to annex the land, based on the law,” Ott said to a room of around 100 people at the Sewell Mill Library. The crowd included residents in nearby neighborhoods in an older portion of East Cobb.

He made reference to a state law that allows counties to object to municipal annexations when related rezoning cases reach a certain density threshold.

Traton Homes is proposing to build 37 townhomes and 15 single-family homes on land owned by Ray Boyd, a commercial real estate broker.

That amounts to 6.9 units an acre, above the limit of of four units an acre for previously undeveloped land, and five units on land proposed for redevelopment. (The original site plan called for 64 townhomes, a density of nearly 12 units an acre.)

However, the county objection letter—signed by Ott, commissioner Keli Gambrill and chairman Mike Boyce—was never voted on by the commission. Ott said county staff neglected to include that item on a meeting agenda after Boyd filed a request to annex in January.

Last month, the Marietta City Council was prepared to vote on the annexation and rezoning, but for the second time delayed that action. A mediation session between Cobb and Marietta was scheduled for Wednesday, but Ott called it off because the city was asking for a different process.

“The city ought to show the county a little courtesy,” said James Rosich, who lives in the nearby Hamby Estates neighborhood. “Our county and community have been taken advantage of.”

An urban planner by training, Rosich outlined for the audience Sewell Manor’s objections to the Traton proposal, which includes 15 variances, and what Rosich termed “a hostile approach to annexation.”

For several years, the former commercial properties on Lower Roswell Road have sat vacant, an eyesore entrance to Sewell Manor that’s more than annoyed residents there.

“It looks like a third world country,” said Gernatt, who grew up in Sewell Manor. “The city of Marietta has allowed that to happen over the last decade.”

Boyd previously tried to get Marietta to annex the vacant Sewell Manor lots four years ago, but was denied.

Gernatt said she’s met with laywers who’ve told her the Sewell Manor neighbors should “sue the bejeezus out of everyone. But that’s not what we’re about.”

The main entrance to Sewell Manor on Indian Trail, and a view south along Lower Roswell Road. The empty lot once housed gas station and automotive repair businesses.

Ott said while he agrees with community concerns over traffic and density, the immediate focus should be on the annexation matter.

“You can’t sue until some action is taken,” Ott said.

He said in his 10 years as a commissioner, no other Cobb city has voted to annex land if the entire five-member county commission objected.

That kind of support, he added, “sends a huge message to the city.

“Why would they care about you? You don’t live in the city. Why have they not annexed? Think about that.”

Ott declined to detail what he’s presenting at the commission meeting Tuesday, with news media present at the town hall. Afterward, he told East Cobb News that “I do have some ideas,” but he still would not elaborate.

“They’re not going to be ready for what I’m proposing.”

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Original East Cobb Home Depot employee retires after 22 years

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Chuck Heegn, East Cobb Home Depot

Thanks to Candice Farley, the specialty manager at the East Home Depot store at Providence Square, for the information and photos about Chuck Heegn.

He’s an associate who was part of the store’s opening 22 years ago (it’s officially called the Merchant’s Walk store these days), and on Thursday he retired with a fond farewell from his co-workers.

Here’s more she shared about him, and the sendoff:

“Chuck Heegn is a proud U.S. Veteran, cancer survivor and recently celebrated his 22nd anniversary with the Merchant’s Walk Home Depot. He said he enjoyed seeing the children of the community come in for the kids workshop and over the years, have them bring in their children to attend the monthly workshop. Our store will miss him dearly and we wish him the best!”

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East Cobb Kroger tax breaks upheld by Georgia Supreme Court

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Powers Ferry-Terrell Mill development, MarketPlace Terrell Mill, East Cobb Kroger
The Kroger superstore is slated to be built on the site of the former Brumby Elementary School (back right) as part of the MarketPlace Terrell Mill development.

A request by Kroger to receive tax breaks for a planned superstore at the MarketPlace Terrell Mill project in East Cobb was given the go-ahead by the Georgia Supreme Court.

The high court ruled in a unanimous 7-0 vote that a retired Cobb Superior Court judge erred in denying issuance of $35 million in revenue bonds by the Development Authority of Cobb County.

The ruling, which was released Monday (you can read it here), took issue with Judge Adele Grubbs’ interpretation of a state code provision that denies validation of such bonds if a project is not deemed “essential” to “the development of trade, commerce, industry, and employment opportunities.”

Justice Keith Blackwell, writing for the Supreme Court, said that provision does not require an “essential” determination for bonds to be issued.

“To say that “the development of trade, commerce, industry, and employment opportunities is an ‘essential’ purpose of development authorities is not to say that anything financed by a development authority must be ‘essential’ to such development,” Blackwell wrote.

Brandon Ashkouti, Eden Rock Real Estate Partners
Brandon Ashkouti

The 95,000-square-foot Kroger store is the anchor of the $120 million MarketPlace Terrell Mill project, which is just now getting underway. Regarded as a linchpin of revitalizing a high-density corridor, the development will include 298 apartment units, restaurants and other retail shops.

At a meeting last month of the Powers Ferry Corridor Alliance—a civic group—Brandon Ashkouti of Eden Rock Real Estate Partners, the project’s developer, said he anticipated “a favorable outcome” by the court. Kroger initially indicated it may not proceed with the store if it lost in court.

The Kroger store is slated be the final part of MarketPlace Terrell Mill to be completed, ideally 18-24 months from now, according to Ashkouti.

Kroger would be exempt from taxes its first year of operation, then would gradually pay an assessed tax value phased in over a 10-year period, rising by 10 percent each year.

The 23.9-acre property at Powers Ferry Road and Terrell Mill Road was eligible for abatements by being included on a redevelopment list by Cobb commissioners. Only Kroger applied for the bonds.

Last spring, another member of the developer team estimated the project would yield annual property tax revenues of $500,000 for the Cobb County School District alone. The property included some offices and retail space as well Brumby Elementary School, now relocated on Terrell Mill.

Two development authority members, including Karen Hallacy of East Cobb, voted against issuing the bonds, worried about setting a precedent for retailers getting tax breaks.

Last fall, Kroger and the Cobb Development Authority appealed Grubbs’ ruling to the Supreme Court, which did not hear additional arguments.

Larry Savage
Larry Savage

The legal challenge was filed by Larry Savage, an East Cobb resident and twice a candidate for Cobb Commission Chairman.

He cited a state code provision that “gave unrestricted power to the Development Authority to decide what projects would or would not be granted tax abatements and this violates the provisions of the state constitution that require ‘uniformity’ of taxation. There cannot be uniformity when there are no rules.”

Savage said his objection wasn’t “whether the Kroger store was an economic boost but only the question of the constitutional requirement for “uniformity.”

“The Development Authority of Cobb County, and all development authorities in the state, are now free to use their unrestricted discretion in awarding tax abatement deals to any and all projects that suit their pleasure. ‘Uniformity in Taxation’ is toast.”

Savage said he’s not pursuing his case any further because there’s nowhere else to go. He told East Cobb News:

“The Georgia General Assembly could enact legislation that would clarify rules for development authorities. The Cobb County Commission could do the same for the Cobb County Development Authority. I do not expect either would act on anything that does nothing more than protect taxpayers.”

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East Cobb restaurant update: Loyal Tavern closes at Parkaire

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East Cobb Loyal Tavern closes

We got a tip over the weekend that Loyal Tavern—originally known as Loyal Q and Brew—has closed its doors at the Parkaire Landing Shopping Center.

There’s no word on when the restaurant shut its doors, and there’s no mention on its social media accounts or the restaurant group’s website.

There is this sign on the front door:

The renamed restaurant opened only in March, replacing a smokehouse restaurant with tavern fare and a sports bar theme.

The Loyal Q owners were behind the successful Taco Mac chain when they opened Loyal Q in East Cobb in August 2017.

Last year they opened the first Loyal Tavern in downtown Roswell, and what is now the only remaining Loyal Q in Alpharetta.

The East Cobb location was in a competitive area for both concepts. Close by on Lower Roswell Road are Sam’s BBQ-1 and Bradley’s Bar and Grill.

Also nearby in the Johnson Ferry corridor is the Suburban Tap.

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Lower Roswell rezoning-annexation update: Cobb-Marietta mediation hits a snag

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Lower Roswell rezoning-annexation

An update to the story we published Thursday about mediation talks between Cobb County and the City of Marietta about a disputed annexation-rezoning case on Lower Roswell Road and the Loop:

That mediation, scheduled for next Wednesday,  has been called off. Also, Cobb commissioner Bob Ott, who was to have represented the county and was scheduled to meet Monday with a small group of nearby residents opposed to the proposal, has opened the meeting to the public in a town hall format.

That word comes from Robin Moody (in photo), a leader of a group of Sewell Manor neighbors who are working to reduce the density and demand other changes from Traton Homes.

The prominent Cobb residential developer wants to build 37 townhomes and 15 single-family homes on 7.48 acres, which the neighbors say is too dense and would add to traffic headaches they already experience.

Some have called it a “Stack-A-Shack” proposal for how close the residences will be built on the property that abuts Sewell Manor.

(Read the revised case file here for Z-2019-04.)

In a message sent Friday to her neighbors and citizens in nearby communities, Moody said the City of Marietta wanted to change mediation from being overseen by retired Cobb Superior Court Judge James Bodiford to going before another, unspecified judge.

Ott declined, since that change would require approval of the other county commissioners, and he is planning to bring the matter up with his colleagues on June 11.

A Georgia local government law called HB 489 (passed in 1997) allows counties to formally object to annexation and rezoning cases in certain high-density conditions, and sets up terms for arbitration or mediation to settle disputes.

Moody noted the time provided for public comment at commissioners’ meetings and added:

“We are grateful that Cobb County will now hear the viewpoints (at least how Ott explains it) that the community has been voicing since January of this year.”

The Sewell Manor residents live in 1950s-built single-family homes with a density of less than two units an acre. Traton’s proposal is 6.95 units an acre, higher than a threshold of four units an acre as specified in HB 489.

Although the Marietta Planning Commission has recommended denial, the Marietta City Council has never voted on the Traton proposal. It has been pulled twice over the last two months.

Ott’s town hall meeting will be 7 p.m. Monday at the Sewell Mill Library (2051 Lower Roswell Road). Moody said citizens from more than a dozen nearby subdivisions have signed petitions opposed to proposed development.

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