Deborah Dance reappointed to Cobb Planning Commission

Former Cobb County Attorney Deborah Dance has been appointed to serve a four-year term on the Cobb Planning Commission by District 3 commissioner JoAnn Birrell.

Dance will serve through the end of 2026, the length of Birrell’s fourth term that began in January.

Dance was initially appointed in February 2021 following the death of Judy Williams.

Dance’s reappointment was announced at the end of Tuesday’s Cobb Board of Commissioners meeting.

But Birrell was not formally part of the meeting after she and fellow commissioner Keli Gambrill were asked to leave for abstaining from votes.

They’re protesting a commission electoral map they say is unconstitutional and is the subject of a lawsuit.

Birrell and Gambrill were both re-elected in November, but their Democratic commission colleagues approved different maps from those reapportioned by the legislature.

Planning commissioners serve in an advisory role, hearing zoning cases and making recommendations that are forwarded to county commissioners.

Planning board members typically lead the discussion of cases in their respective commission districts. Dance inherited the Sprayberry Crossing redevelopment case, and the planning board ultimately made no recommendation.

Cobb commissioners eventually approved the rezoning but without a Lidl grocery store that was to have been the anchor of the new project and with apartments limited only for those aged 55 and older.

Lidl is applying to build a store at the Canton-Piedmont intersection but its application has been delayed.

It’s unclear what the new commission district lines will look like in February, when zoning cases will next be heard.

The District 3 in the legislature’s map includes most of East Cobb; the county’s map retains in East Cobb a good portion of District 2.

Gambrill also reappointed Fred Beloin to the planning commission and to the Cobb Board of Zoning Appeals through 2026.

Related stories

• East Cobb rezoning cases held until February
• Lidl, Starbucks rezoning cases delayed to February
• The Avenue East Cobb redevelopment begins
• Cobb objects to Marietta annexation of Bells Ferry land
• Cobb strategic plan hearings set; online survey released
• Shallowford/Trickum car wash, gas station plans OK’d
• Developer sues Cobb officials, civic group for $100M