Major changes to East Cobb Church, Ebenezer Road rezoning plans

East Cobb Church rezoning site plan — *For a larger view of the latest North Point Ministries/East Cobb Church site plan, **click here**.*

Some last-minute changes to the North Point Ministries/East Cobb Church rezoning case and for a rezoning request on Ebenezer Road have been filed ahead of Tuesday’s hearing before the Cobb Board of Commissioners, and they’re substantial.

In the case of the former, North Point Ministries has filed a new site plan (above) for the 33-acre assembly at the southwest corner of Johnson Ferry and Shallowford roads that responds to concerns over density and traffic.

In particular, the number of residential units has been cut from 130 to 95 overall, more retail space has been added, and traffic access from the MarLanta subdivision via the existing Waterfront Drive to Johnson Ferry Road has been removed.

North Point had proposed 71 townhomes and 59 single-family detached homes in the RA-5 housing category—with more than 20 acres to be sold to Ashwood Atlanta, a residential developer.

But now the request is for 51 single-family detached homes and 44 townhomes under RA-5.

That would be on 19 units and the density of the homes would be reduced to 4.98 units an acre, according to a stipulation letter submitted Tuesday by Kevin Moore, North Point’s attorney.

The townhomes that were to have bordered Johnson Ferry Road have been removed, and nearly 25,000 square feet of retail under NRC (neighborhood retail commercial) and parking have been proposed for 3.78 acres of that stretch.

The church plans haven’t changed—around 130,000 square feet and a parking deck on 10 acres zoned LRO (low-rise office), and plans for a linear community park also remain intact.

District 2 commissioner Jerica Richardson asked to hold the case last month when she couldn’t get a majority support for a motion to approve.

A full final analysis by the Cobb zoning staff of the revised North Point application can be found by clicking here.

Z-31 Ebenezer Road site plan 9.15.21 — *For a larger view of the Pulte Homes/Ebenezer Road rezoning, **click here**.*

On Sept. 7, the Cobb Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of the Ebenezer Road case, which also has faced opposition from nearby residents for density and stormwater reasons.

But since then, Pulte Homes has filed an update to its proposal for 99 single-family homes on 50 acres on the west side of Ebenezer, between Maybreeze and Blackwell roads.

Pulte had initially applied for R-15 OSC, a residential category with an open space community provision, meaning that not all of the land can be developed.

On Wednesday, Pulte representative Rod Hosack—the former Cobb County Manager—filed a new site plan and stipulation letter requesting a simple R-15 category for 92 units, including some that will be developed in a stormwater management area.

A lake and green space that had been set aside on the property also has been removed from the revised site plan.

The final staff analysis can be found here.

As we noted on Friday, the format of the zoning hearing on Tuesday has been changed to accommodate public interest in these two and other cases and to meet county COVID-19 protocols for social distancing.

The North Point case will be heard in a morning session that starts at 9 a.m.; the Ebenezer Road case is slated for an afternoon session.

The full agenda can be found here; if you’re planning to be in attendance (second floor board room of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta) you will be required to wear a mask.

The zoning hearing also will be live-streamed on the county’s website, cable TV channel (Channel 24 on Comcast) and Youtube page. Visit cobbcounty.org/CobbTV for other streaming options.