Some of the best high school basketball players from Cobb and Atlanta will be gathering at Wheeler High School’s Wildcat Arena next Friday, March 15, in an event organized by ex-Wildcat great D.A. Layne.
He got in touch with us earlier this week to let us know about what he’s calling “In the Layne,” which features top male and female seniors who will get a final sendoff for their prep careers.
Some of them play for East Cobb schools: Jaire Eastmond and Malachi Rhodes of Wheeler, C.J. Henderson of Kell, Justin Day of Sprayberry and Micah Paulk of Pope are on the East boys roster coached by Larry Thompson of Wheeler. D.J. Patrick of Sprayberry is on the West roster.
Layne, who played for Wheeler from 1994-98, also starred at the University of Georgia and played pro basketball abroad for several years.
The ticket and other event information is above. Check out the full rosters below.
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A man who was working on an electrical project at an East Cobb home on Wednesday has died after a double shooting there, Cobb Police said Thursday afternoon.
Lisa Watkins Godsey and Jessica Godsey Smith, the aunt and cousin, respectively, of Jake Allen Horne, 21, of Kennesaw, left messages with East Cobb News earlier Thursday saying that he had died.
Police didn’t initially confirm that information. They said that Horne, who was shot in the head, and his boss, Gordon Montcalm, 37, of Buchanan, Ga., who was shot multiple times, were taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital after the shootings Wednesday afternoon at a residence in East Cobb.
They were listed in serious condition, police previously said.
Larry Epstein, 68, the homeowner of a residence at 1963 Wellington Lane, is being held without bond in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center, charged with two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of aggravated battery, police said.
In a statement issued around 3:30 p.m. Thursday Cobb Police said the department’s “Crimes Against Persons Unit will be working with the District Attorney’s Office to upgrade the offense appropriately.”
Horne and Montcalm were at Epstein’s home, located in the Kensington neighborhood off Johnson Ferry Road, and had completed work for the day, around 2:25 p.m., when there was an argument between them and the homeowner, according to police.
The argument escalated, and police said Horne and Montcalm were shot by the homeowner. Sgt. Wayne Delk of Cobb Police said they still don’t know what led to the dispute.
Cobb Police sent a heavy presence into the community, located between Sewell Mill Road and Oak Lane, including a SWAT team, mobile command unit and helicopters, after someone called 911 about an active shooter there.
A Wellington Lane resident told East Cobb News the street was blocked off and she and other neighbors were ordered to stay inside for a time.
Epstein was taken into custody around 3 p.m. Wednesday afternoon and was booked overnight, according to Cobb Sheriff’s records.
Godsey said Horne was declared brain-dead Wednesday and life support was turned off Thursday morning.
Lisa Godsey, who lives in California and formerly resided in Cherokee County, told East Cobb News that her nephew was an apprentice electrician who was working for Montcalm. He had turned 21 only in January, she said.
“This is a boy that would give you the shirt off of his back. He had a heart of gold,” Godsey said about Horne in a message to East Cobb News. “He thought of everyone else before himself.”
Horne lived for a while in California, Godsey said, and “was best friends with my sons,” and later returned home to Georgia to be near his sister Sadie, who is a few years younger.
“My cousin was one of the victims,” Jessica Godsey Smith said. “Hope the man rots in jail for what he did to him.” She also left Horne a message on her Facebook page Thursday morning:
“We made plans for tomorrow night. My heart hurts so unbelievably much right now. You had such a great heart. You always had a smile on your face, to know you was to love you. And you were truly like a brother to me.”
Friends and family members said the Horne siblings lost their mother and father in recent years, and now Sadie Horne is planning her brother’s funeral.
Lisa Godsey said a Go Fund Me page has been set up for Horne’s funeral expenses.
“This is a very unfair thing,” Godsey said. “We demand Justice for Jake. Please show the world what has been taken. I pray that he is high in the heavens with his new wings.”
Cobb Police said their investigation into the shootings is continuing and that anyone with information should call 770-499-3945.
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Thanks to Bhavini Rajan, an East Cobb resident, for information about her son’s ongoing fundraising project, along with Emma Mason, a junior at the Wheeler STEM magnet school. Here’s the appeal Anant Rajan, a Walton junior, is making to raise funds for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through March 23, and it’s similar to another one involving Walton students we posted about last month:
I’m very excited to share with you that I am part of the 2019 Student of the Year campaign and I will be working to raise money and awareness for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and their mission to find a cure for blood cancers.
It’s an honor to be a part of such an outstanding group of fellow students, but an even larger honor to be able to work for the patients, survivors and their families. I am fundraising in honor of Lauren Bass-Sanford, a shiningly brilliant girl who fought with blood cancer and came out the other side. We need to make this possible for more people, and we can only do that with your help! To learn more about why this cause is so important to me, watch THIS VIDEO.
My personal goal is to raise $40,000 between January 31st and March 23rd. It’s a lofty goal, but I am willing to work hard to reach it. I cannot do it alone, I need your help. There are a few ways you can support my fundraising efforts:
Share my message & fundraising link with your contacts via email or social media
Donate a silent auction item that can be used for the Grand Finale Gala auction
Help me secure a corporate sponsorship (Sponsorships start at $5,000 and sponsors receive Gala benefits)
Not only is this campaign a great way to support LLS and their life-saving work, but it’s a great leadership opportunity for me. Students receive scholarships based on our fundraising and awareness efforts. I am so excited to be able to make a difference in my community in this way.
Please note that we have organized a fundraiser event of Indian Classical Dance & Percussion on Sunday, 10th March 2019 at Hindu Temple of Atlanta – the details are in http://evite.me/eHMyNEH36V
Thank you for your generosity and support. Your donation truly makes a difference and with your help, we’re one step closer to a cure for blood cancers.
I can’t wait to share the exciting updates of the next six weeks with you. Stay tuned to see what my team and I are able to accomplish!
Sincerely, Anant Rajan and Emma Mason
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Thanks to Sheri Kell for the photos and information about a new home going up under the auspices of the Smyrna-based Northwest Metro Atlanta Habitat for Humanity and that’s also involving the Cobb High School Coalition.
The group includes high school students from seven high schools in the county, including Pope, Walton and Wheeler, and they’ll be working on a house in Mableton for U.S. Army veteran Danny R. Burgess, who served nine years before being medically discharged for an injury in the line of duty.
The project will continue every Saturday through the scheduled completion date of May 4.
The Northwest Metro Atlanta branch of Habitat has constructed or repaired more than 500 homes in Cobb, Douglas and Paulding counties since its inception 33 years ago. Says Jessica Gill, the branch’s executive director and CEO, about the Cobb High School Coalition’s contributions:
“We are so thankful for these committed high school students who volunteer their Saturdays to create a safe, stable home for a hero who has served for us. We appreciate their dedication to improving a veteran’s life and the betterment of our community.”
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“He should be lowering the millage rate,” East Cobb resident Patricia Benedict said after Commission Chairman Mike Boyce’s town hall meeting Monday night. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)
Patricia Benedict brought her property tax bill and a good bit of pent-up frustration to a Cobb budget town hall meeting Monday night at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center.
As she listened to Commission Chairman Mike Boyce lay out his fiscal year 2020 budget priorities that do not call for a millage increase, she grew even more animated by what she was hearing.
While supportive of additional funding for many of the services Boyce was touting—public safety in particular—she finally stood up, took a microphone and told him that her tax bill has gone up 41 percent in the last three years.
“It’s not sustainable,” said Benedict, who bought her home with her husband in the Barnes Mill Road area in 2014. “You should be having a millage decrease. I want services, but I can’t afford this. When property values go up, the millage should go down.”
Benedict said after the meeting that she estimates around 75 percent of her tax bill is for schools. She has written elected officials, including new Cobb school board member Charisse Davis, who represents part of East Cobb.
She said the school part of her tax bill has gone up by even more, 53 percent in the last three years, although the Cobb schools millage rate hasn’t gone up since 2007.
“I am concerned the school board is not controlling costs and is going to tax me out of my home,” Benedict wrote to Davis. “Please explain to me why the school board is not decreasing the millage rate in a period of rising home prices?
(Davis wrote in response that she doesn’t favor reducing the millage rate, saying 92 percent of Cobb educational costs are personnel-related and that the district is having to fund more and more expenses that are typically covered by the state. “We still have not been able to replace the number of teachers we had before the 2008 recession. We also have the lowest administrative costs among the larger Atlanta-metro school districts,” Davis said.
Boyce explained to Benedict during the town hall that homes are taxed at 40 percent of their assessed value, with another 10 percent reduction for a permanent homestead exemption for the county’s general fund. The only school tax exemption in Cobb is for homeowners 62 and older.
“Your concern is a legitimate one,” he said to Benedict, who rattled off some things she’s doing without to save money. “Who here has less expenses than last year?”
2020 priorities
A few dozen people turned out for Monday’s town hall, which also covered upcoming transportation and transit initiatives (we’ll detail those in a future post).
Last July, Boyce got a 1.7 mills increase for $454 million in county general fund spending by a narrow 3-2 vote in what he called a “restoration” budget, after claiming Cobb government was facing a $30 million deficit.
The additional revenue is being used to hire police officers and extend public library hours, among other features.
For FY 2020, Boyce wants to hire more police officers, further extend Sunday library hours and give all county employees a three percent cost-of-living-raise, something they haven’t had in five years, keeping an 8.46 general fund millage rate.
Costs are also going up for pension and health care obligations for county employees, and he’s proposing to reduce revenues transferred from the Cobb water system by $2.8 million.
He hasn’t submitted a formal budget proposal yet, but is conducting town hall meetings around the county this month (see bottom of this post for the schedule).
Even with a record Cobb tax digest of 36.7 billion in 2018, and a bigger one projected for this year, Boyce said the cost of services continues to rise as the county grows.
He said around 10,000 new residents typically move into Cobb every year, and while they contribute additional tax revenues, “they do not offset the greater costs of services.”
Benedict responded: “Then keep those libraries closed on Sunday.”
“We fall behind at the more experienced level,” Boyce said in reference to the departure of police officers in Cobb.
Boyce replied that many citizens, especially in East Cobb, were vocal about not only keeping libraries open, but having them open longer. The Sewell Mill branch has longer Saturday hours, and the Mountain View Regional Library is open on Sunday afternoons.
“Last year people came out because they wanted to keep their amenities,” he said.
Public safety concerns
This year, Boyce and some citizens at the town hall meeting expressed grave concerns about public safety staffing.
Susan Hampton, a community civic leader who organizes the East Cobb Business Association’s annual public safety appreciation dinners, said “the crisis is already here.”
Before the meeting a flyer was handed out with her name and the Cobb Fraternal Order of Police chapter listed as contacts. It detailed retention issues with seasoned officers, less-than-ideal salaries and benefits, older patrol cars, police officers not having sufficient backup on calls and a shortage of sheriff’s deputies at the Cobb jail. According to the flyer:
“We have the same number of uniform officers on duty today as we did 20 years ago. We have 167,000 more citizens in Cobb today than we did in 1999. Calls are increasing 4% to 5% every year, yet we are expecting the same number of officers from 20 years ago to keep our county safe!”
Similar sentiments have been expressed at recent commission meetings by Cobb FOP. Last year, Cobb hired 48 police officers, but lost 72 others. Already this year, nine officers have departed or are in the process of leaving.
“We are on fire,” Hampton said. “But it’s not on your mind because you don’t know about it.”
“We’re not where we need to be with public safety,” Boyce said, adding that hiring of officers will be gradual, given a six-month training period at the start for each new hire.
He acknowledged that the loss of mid-rank, mid-career officers and other law enforcement personnel is serious.
“We know about it, but it’s going to take some time to fix it.”
The remainder of Boyce’s town hall schedule this month is as follows, with sessions at 3 and 7 p.m. each day:
Thursday, March 7 – Cobb Senior Services, Marietta
Monday, March 11 – Freeman Poole Senior Center, Smyrna
Wednesday, March 13 – South Cobb Community Center
Thursday, March 14 – North Cobb Senior Center
Tuesday, March 19 – West Cobb Senior Center
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Cobb Police are saying this morning that the two people shot suffered serious injuries and were taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital.
They are Gordon Montcalm, 37, of Buchanan, Ga., and Jake Horne, 21, of Kennesaw. Officer Neil Penirelli, a spokesman for Cobb Police, said Montcalm suffered multiple gunshot wounds and Horne was shot in the head.
Both men were at the Wellington Lane home doing electrical contracting work, and the shootings took place as they were trying to leave the residence at the end of the work day, around 2:25 p.m. Wednesday, police said.
UPDATED, THURSDAY, 8:50 A.M.:
We’re still awaiting further information from Cobb Police about Wednesday’s double shooting in an East Cobb neighborhood, but Cobb Sheriff’s Office records show that a Wellington Lane resident was booked overnight.
He’s Larry Epstein, age 68, of 1963 Wellington Lane. He’s facing four felony counts, two for aggravated assault, and two for aggravated battery, and is being held without bond at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.
UPDATED, 4:30 P.M.:
A man has been taken into custody and the two people shot have been taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital. No names or conditions of any of the individuals have been released.
Cobb Police said the incident resulted from a dispute with home contractors and that another person was questioned as a witness.
Sgt. Wayne Delk of Cobb Police said that the Crimes Against Persons Unit is continuing the investigation as law enforcement personnel are leaving the scene.
ORIGINAL STORY, 3:25 P.M.:
Cobb Police are at the scene of a double shooting at a residence on Wellington Lane in East Cobb.
Sgt. Wayne Delk, a Cobb Police spokesman, told East Cobb News around 3:15 p.m. Wednesday that two people have been shot, but there’s no word yet on their condition.
He said that’s all the information he has for the moment, including a specific address.
A reader told East Cobb News there’s heavy police presence on that street, and that she saw SWAT personnel headed to the scene.
Wellington Lane is a residential street in the Kensington subdivision, south of Oak Lane and north of Sewell Mill Road.
A Kensington resident told East Cobb News that “they have us pretty blocked in but not giving any info. They are in SWAT gear with guns drawn.”
She said police have been on the scene since right before 3 p.m.
The police presence included a mobile command truck.
Cobb DOT is saying there are major traffic delays along Johnson Ferry northbound near Sewell Mill Road due to the police activity.
We’ll be updating this story.
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In one of the more closely watched issues in the state legislative session this year, the Georgia Senate on Tuesday narrowly voted down a bill that would allow public school funds to be diverted for private school vouchers.
The vote was 28-25 against a substitute version of SB 173 (read the summary or full bill), which was decided strongly along party lines.
All Democrats and several Republicans were opposed, including Lindsey Tippins of West Cobb, a former Cobb school board member. Among the Republicans voting for the bill was Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick of East Cobb (in photo).
The bill’s sponsors indicated they may try for another Senate vote later this week. Thursday is crossover day in the Georgia General Assembly, which means bills must pass at least one chamber to have a chance to become law this year.
Dubbed the Georgia Educational Scholarship Act, SB 173 and HB 301 are identical pieces of legislation. The bills would allow parents to use funds earmarked for public education to pay for qualified education expenses, including private school tuition, tutoring and transportation, as well as home-schooling curriculum.
Existing laws in Georgia allow indirect contributions for private school vouchers that are good for tax credits and for tuition for students with disabilities.
SB 173 has moved fast through the Senate, introduced only on Feb. 22 with the support of Gov. Brian Kemp. It was reported out of subcommittee without a vote, and passed out of the Ways and Means Committee Thursday. On Monday, the Senate Rules Committee placed the bill on Tuesday’s floor schedule.
Both bills are opposed by many public-school advocacy groups, including teachers organizations and the Georgia PTA. The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, which also is opposed, estimates that the voucher program could deprive the state of more than $540 million a year for public schools if fully implemented over the next 10 years.
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The Cobb Planning Commission voted Tuesday to recommend approval of a proposed indoor recreation center at the Sandy Plains Village Shopping Center that the developers’ attorney says will be a “cutting edge” facility.
The board voted 5-0 to retain the current neighborhood retail commercial (NRC) category for the retail center, with several stipulations to govern what would be called Ignite Adventure Park.
DDR Southeast Sandy Plains, LLC had sought a community retail (CRC) category for its entire property because the rec center doesn’t fit in NRC (here’s the case file).
But planning commissioner Andy Smith of East Cobb—who represents the area of the shopping center on Woodstock Road between Sandy Plains Road and Mabry Road—incorporated several special use conditions to keep the shopping center NRC.
The rec center would have go-karts, bumper cars, wall and rock climbing, indoor trampolines, mini-golf and other features, mostly for kids. Garvis Sams, an attorney for DDR Southeast Sandy Plains, said there also would be a restaurant and cafe.
Among the stipulations added by Smith include mandating that the go-karts and bumper cars be operated on either battery power or electricity (no gasoline-driven engines) and that construction be limited from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday (no nights, weekends or holidays).
The Cobb Zoning Staff had recommended denial of the application in part due to concerns over noise and fumes. Sams said the go-karts and bumper cars were always intended to be battery-powered, and that any noise inside the rec center will be at decibels below the county ordinance.
“They’re as silent as the cars you see” on the roads, he said.
Sams also said in his presentation that the developer will not expand square footage or extend building height for the rec center. The 67,000-square-foot space was originally a Kroger and later housed a Walmart grocery, which closed in 2017.
No one spoke in opposition to the rezoning request.
Sams also represented an applicant in another East Cobb case that got a 5-0 recommendation for approval.
The property owner is Tracey Coker, whose family has owned land on Shaw Road for more than 50 years. The rezoning would go from R-20 to R-15 for eight farm-style single-family homes on nearly seven acres.
A site plan submitted last week would preserve natural habitats including an orchard, flower garden, a community garden and a bird habitat.
“We’re protecting the watershed,” Sams said. Among the stipulations are to have the natural amenities to be maintained in a mandatory homeowners association.
The access road will front the homes, which will all be facing Shaw Road between Woodrush Drive and Oak Creek Drive. The land also is across Shaw Road from the home of District 3 Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell.
“I like the plan,” said planning board chairwoman Judy Williams, who represents District 3. “It’s well-thought out and it will be an asset to the neighborhood.”
Two other East Cobb cases were withdrawn Tuesday.
The owner of a shopping center on Canton Road near Kingston Drive withdrew an application with prejudice for an event center that drew neighborhood opposition (case file here).
Also withdrawn without prejudice was an application to rezone land for six homes on Paper Mill Road near Gateside Place. Last month the planning commission voted to hold it, also after nearby residents spoke against it.
The planning commission recommendations go to the Cobb Board of Commissioners, which is scheduled to take final action March 19.
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A new Cobb Education SPLOST collection period has begun, and school district officials will be available this week to discuss those projects and more at a town hall meeting.
The Cobb Ed-SPLOST V will be the focus of the Wednesday meeting from 6-8 at Campbell High School (5265 Ward St., Smyrna), with deputy superintendent John Adams and Cobb Schools SPLOST chief Nick Parker on hand to brief the public and answer questions.
The new SPLOST period that began in January will last through 2023 and is expected to generate $797 million in revenues.
Rebuilding Eastvalley Elementary School at the site of the former East Cobb Middle School;
Theater renovation at Lassiter High School;
Renovation of the career and technical building at Sprayberry High School;
New tennis courts and a softball field at Walton High School;
Renovation of the STEM Magnet building at Wheeler High School.
Dickerson and Dodgen middle schools also are slated for major classroom additions in SPLOST V.
SPLOST funds also are used for technology upgrades at every school, including for security measures, and for general maintenance of facilities and equipment.
In January the Cobb Board of Education approved taking out $90 million in short-term loans against the SPLOST collections to get a head start on the new round of projects, and to save money by locking in interest rates.
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If it’s early March, you may have plants already blooming (my dogwood tree, above), and this often means one other thing: It’s still winter. There’s a freeze warning out tonight through Tuesday morning for Cobb County and much of north Georgia, as temperatures are expected to dip into the 20s.
The National Weather Service has issued the freeze warning from 8 p.m. Monday through 11 a.m. Tuesday for 35 counties in metro Atlanta and northwest Georgia, including Cobb.
Temperatures stayed in the 30s today, and they’re expected to reach as low as the mid-20s overnight.
Tuesday will be much like Monday, with sunny skies but highs in the low to mid 40s, and lows Tuesday night into the low 20s.
Thursday will be sunny and warmer, into the mid 50s, but below freezing again on Wednesday night, in the high 20s.
Rain revisits Cobb with warmer temperatures over the weekend and highs in the 60s, extending into the start of next week.
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Black History Month in February brought some star quality to East Cobb in the presence of actor Louis Gossett Jr.
His visit to East Cobb Middle School near the end of the month included some inspiring words for students, as he told them that “every month is American History Month.”
Gossett is the first African-American to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1982 movie “An Officer and A Gentleman,” and his message to sixth grade students was to embrace their role in shaping the future.
“If we are going to be together for the rest of our lives, we need to hold hands and show the rest of the world, by example, how this togetherness works,” Gossett told them, asking them to rise and join hands.
Here’s more about his visit from CCSD, which also submitted the photo:
“I know it is Black History Month, but every month is American History Month, and it is important you know how much you need one another and what you represent,” Gossett told the students.
He advised the students to learn about their neighbors because everyone comes together to make America. He also pointed to the students’ grandparents as a source of valuable information about past generations. Explaining the importance of reaching across generations, Gossett revealed that he had a photo with his great grandmother, who had been a slave. She was 115 years old in the photo.
“Take the time to listen to your teachers. Take the time to listen to your parents,” he continued.
“Now is the time for you to start thinking about what you are going to be. This is when you go from childhood to grown up.”
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Come celebrate Mardi Gras with a festive fundraiser at the East Cobb Senior Center noon, Tuesday, March 5. A Cobb Senior Services membership is not required to participate. Cost is $12 for Cobb residents and $15 for nonresidents.
The event will feature dancing, feathers, beads and masks. Join the party for Cajun food, a jazz band as well as dancing, dancing and dancing. Sponsored by Aegis Therapies, The Holbrook of Acworth, Dignity Memorial and Clear Captions LLC.
The center is located at 3332 Sandy Plains Road, Marietta. Call 770-509-4900 for more information.
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Thanks to Dana Wright, manager of the 11- and 12-year-old East Side Chargers, for letting us know about how his kids are are getting ready for a big summer tournament in Cooperstown, N.Y. in a special way.
Instead of holding a fundraising drive for their trip, Wright says, the boys have decided to use the occasion to raise money and awareness for childhood cancer during the season.
That’s the Atlanta non-profit that is devoted to childhood cancer research and awareness with some connections to youth athletes in East Cobb who’ve passed away: Grace Bunke, a Walton swimmer, and Matt Hobby, a Pope football player.
The East Side Chargers began their fundraising drive on Feb. 1, but is continuing until July 1, when they’re getting ready to head to Cooperstown. Wright says they’ve raised about $2,500 thus far, and here’s how the pledging works, and all donations are tax-deductible:
The program is very simple. . . . People can pledge a flat amount OR to help motivate for the boys on the field by pledging $ for EVERY TEAM HIT during the season.
We will play 30+ games and estimate 4-5 hits per game—bringing the total to 120-150 hits. We ring a cowbell at every game for every hit. . . This really motivates the kids and has generated new pledges.
We are also looking for other teams to join and set up their own program. . . . Rally will do all the work and make it turn key for any other coach or team families to participate.
More viral we can make this – the more money is raised to fight childhood cancer.
It has really motivated these young men on the field to work harder, given them a sense of pride knowing that they are helping other kids and giving them a better understanding of the disease.
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For the next few days I will be in Florida for my mother’s funeral and to be with my family. While I am gone, East Cobb News will be updated for urgent, breaking or very timely news.
I hope to resume normal publishing by the first of next week. Please feel free to send your non-breaking news, calendar items and other inquiries, but I may not be able to respond until I return.
The Sunday e-mail newsletter will go out as scheduled, although it will be abbrieviated this week.
I will write about my mother when I return. She was a warm, generous woman who raised her children in East Cobb, got involved in church and volunteer activities here and always loved visiting after retiring to Florida. She would especially miss the dogwood trees that I’ve seen blooming in recent days, and they provide warm memories of her now that are very comforting.
Thanks your for your patience and understanding.
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Land that was once a former recycling business would be included in a townhome community at Lower Roswell Road and the South Marietta Parkway. (ECN photos by Wendy Parker)
If you’ve noticed the green signs near the northeastern intersection of Lower Roswell Road and the South Marietta Parkway, that’s a notice from the City of Marietta about a rezoning and annexation request that’s being opposed by Cobb County officials.
On Tuesday’s Marietta Planning Commission agenda is a request by Traton Homes, LLC, to annex six parcels of unincorporated single-family residential land on Indian Trail and assemble them with with three commercial parcels already in city limits that front Lower Roswell.
The planning commission meeting begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Marietta City Hall, 205 Lawrence St., in the city council chambers.
Traton wants to build 63 townhomes and a single-family home on the 7.48 acres. The land, which formerly housed an auto repair shop and a recycling center and homes that have since been demolished, is across Lower Roswell from a QuickTrip and is in a transitioning commercial corridor with alternating city and county properties.
The three city parcels were annexed by Marietta in 1998.
Traton’s request is for the Planned Residential Development Single Family (PRD-SF) zoning category, and the land is adjacent to smaller, older single-family homes in unincorporated Cobb.
The parcels Traton Homes is assembling for townhomes are shown in diagonal lines. Map: Marietta Zoning Office
The proposed density would be 8.56 units an acre, and that’s where the county objects. It’s citing a 2004 state law that limits newly annexed land to a density of no more than four units an acre. On Feb. 1 the county sent a letter to the city pointing out that current density is 1.75 units an acre, and that the proposal constitutes “a substantial change in the intensity of the use of the property.”
The future land use plan category for the area also calls for low-density residential, but the Traton request would include changing that to high-density residential.
The Cobb letter was signed by commission chairman Mike Boyce and commissioners Bob Ott, who represents the Lower Roswell-South Marietta Parkway area, and Keli Gambrill.
City planning data including in the zoning case file indicate that other PRD-SF projects in Marietta range from nine to 12 units an acre.
Traton’s proposal comes with a number of issues that don’t meet requirements for that zoning category, and a detailed site plan hasn’t been included.
Among the concerns is dedicated recreational space, and while Traton has indicated there will be “open space” on the development, the only amenities mentioned are a pool and a pool house. In all, the recreation area would be less than an acre, and open space would be only 12 percent, less than half of the category’s requirement of 25 percent.
Looking east along Indian Trail, where single-family homes remain in unincorporated Cobb.
City zoning staff also noted that PRD-SF requires a minimum lot size of 4,000 square feet, but Traton wants to “reduce the minimum lot size to the footprint of each unit.”
Another variance would reduce driveway length from 20 to 18 feet, and the units would have two-car garages. All of the units would be accessed by private roads and alleys, and the city zoning staff is recommending that a traffic impact study be done.
The zoning staff also says a sidewalk waiver would be needed for South Marietta Parkway, a deceleration lane needs to be built into the development and city sanitation vehicles wouldn’t be able to go down the streets or alleys.
Instead, garbage bins and dumpsters would be needed where those vehicles can make pickups.
Traton also has not submitted a landscaping plan, nor has it detailed elevations, floorplans and finishes for the townhome units.
The Marietta zoning staff is also asking Traton to enter into a development plan and donate right-of-way along Indian Trail for traffic improvements.
If the planning board makes a recommendation, the Traton request would go before the Marietta City Council on March 13.
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The former Walmart grocery at the Sandy Plains Village Shopping Center would become an indoor recreational center if the owners can get rezoning for the entire retail complex.
That’s on the Cobb Planning Commission agenda for Tuesday, but the county’s zoning staff is recommending denial, saying noise is a major factor, and that it’s activity that’s better suited for a more intense commercial area.
DDR Southeast Sandy Plains, LLC, wants to rezone the complex on Woodstock Road—between Sandy Plains Road and Mabry Road and which includes the Movie Tavern—from neighborhood retail (NRC) and neighborhood shopping (NS) to community retail (CRC).
Ignite Adventure Park would contain nearly 67,000 square feet of space and is proposed as a family-oriented center with go-karts, bumper cars, wall and rock climbing, indoor trampolines, mini-golf and more.
Cobb zoning staff, in addition to concluding that the proposed zoning is incompatible with the surrounding community, said noise and fumes are the biggest issues:
“Staff is concerned that the proposed go-karts will increase noise and fumes for the adjoining residential properties due to the venting requirements gasoline engines may require. “
The retail center’s attorney, Garvis Sams, submitted stipulation letters here and here since the initial application.
Also on Tuesday’s agenda is a rezoning in the Canton Road corridor that has drawn community opposition.
H & I Real Estate wants to rezone part of an existing shopping center at 3920 Canton Road from neighborhood shopping to neighborhood retail at the Kingston Drive Extension for a retail center with a special events facility.
Essentially, the applicant is asking for additional use of a nearby assembly hall that’s been operating there for around five years. Zoning staff, which is recommending approval with some conditions, said the application came about because of complaints that were taken to Cobb Code Enforcement.
But the Canton Road Neighbors civic group said it objects to an event hall, which isn’t a permitted use under the proposed rezoning category.
Canton Road Neighbors said it also was concerned about the impact on the nearby Emerson Unitarian congregation and the Canterbury Glen subdivision, whose residents have complained about late-night noise.
“To date, this has not been a neighborhood-friendly business,” the civic group wrote in a letter submitted to county zoning staff
The planning commission meeting starts at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the 2nd floor board room of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta.
Its recommendations will be forwarded to the Cobb Board of Commissioners, which will conduct a zoning hearing March 19.
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Shortly before Cobb County became the latest metro Atlanta government to oppose legislation that would strip cities and counties of local control of residential building design standards, the East Cobb Civic Association weighed in on the matter.
In response to a message from East Cobb News on Tuesday, ECCA president Linda Carver said that the organization “is firmly opposed” to companion bills in the House and the Senate, “and we will be encouraging our ECCA members to let their state representatives know of our opposition.”
The ECCA, which was formed in 1982, represents around 90 subdivisions in the East Cobb area and takes an active role in examining zoning cases, making recommendations to the Cobb Planning Commission and Cobb commissioners.
Carver said in an initial response Tuesday afternoon that her organization hadn’t had time to sort through HB 302, but indicated that “anything that would take away local control of building standards would not be looked on favorably.”
She followed up later Tuesday when learning of the Senate bill and stated the ECCA’s opposition.
The bills, HB 302 and SB 172, are being sponsored by lawmakers in smaller towns and rural parts of Georgia, and some metro Atlanta cities and counties have taken exception.
The legislation would cover design elements for one- and two-family homes, and would take away local approval for such things as exterior building color, style and materials for roofs and porches, exterior architectural ornamentation, location and styling of windows and doors, types of flooring and the interior layout of rooms.
He said he’s been getting a lot of e-mails about the matter, saying it “smacks in the face of local control. We spend a lot of time working with the community” on standards governing the look and materials of new homes.
Commissioner JoAnn Birrell of Northeast Cobb said it “would be a disaster for the community and surrounding neighborhoods” if local governing bodies lost the ability to set design standards.
The bills are supported by those in home building and real estate industries.
Also on Tuesday, the commissioners voted 5-0 to adopt a resolution seeking an extension for for a special transit committee in Cobb.
The resolution seeks an amendment to current state law, which call for the termination of the committee in December 2019. It’s made up of county commissioners and the Cobb legislative delegation and its duties include drawing up the boundaries for a special transit area.
Cobb is planning to hold a referendum to extend the SPLOST one-cent sales tax for county government in 2020, and Chairman Mike Boyce is eyeing 2022 for a possible transit referendum, saying the extra time is necessary to draw up a viable project list.
The commissioners also approved an alcohol license for Catfish Hox, a seafood restaurant at 2595 Sandy Plains Road, and that was recognized at the 2018 Taste of Marietta festival.
The restaurant’s initial application for beer, wine and Sunday pouring had been rejected by the Cobb License Review Board because it’s located within 600 feet of Sprayberry High School.
Owner Vivian Creasor said in her appeal that while the industry standard is to check identification of customers ordering alcohol who appear to be under 40, carding at Catfish Hox will occur “100% of the time regardless of appearance.”
She said the application for a pouring license is to compete with other restaurants in the vicinity. Kumo, a Japanese restaurant in the same shopping center, also serves alcohol.
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The following East Cobb restaurant scores from Feb. 18-March 1 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing to view details of the inspection:
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Season Stalcup, a Wheeler science teacher, is one of four educators from the Cobb County School District to be named to the 2019 NASA Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors program.
Stalcup, also an assistant coach for the Wheeler softball team, is among 28 in Georgia, and Cobb is one of 14 district in eight states with teachers who were selected to participate.
Here’s what CCSD is sending out about the program:
The NASA Ambassador program is a professional development opportunity for high school science teachers designed to improve science teaching and learning and increase student engagement in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
As ambassadors, the Cobb teachers will join fellow educators from California, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Kentucky, Texas, and two from Columbus, Georgia for training in astrophysics, planetary science content, and pedagogy. Their training will include a week-long immersion experience at NASA’s science research aircraft facility in Palmdale, California with participation in research flights onboard NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA).
SOFIA is a highly modified Boeing 747SP airliner fitted with a 2.5-meter (100-inch) telescope and using a suite of seven cameras and spectrographs to study celestial objects at infrared wavelengths. SOFIA operates during 10-hour overnight science missions at altitudes between 39,000 and 45,000 feet (12-14 kilometers), above more than 99 percent of the water vapor in Earth’s atmosphere that blocks infrared light from reaching ground-based observatories.
After their training, the Cobb teachers, with the help of program staff, will implement a NASA science-oriented electromagnetic spectrum and infrared astronomy curriculum module in their classrooms. The module is developed by the SETI Institute, which has managed the Ambassador program since its inception in 2011. Cobb’s teachers are part of the first NASA Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors class open to teachers outside of California.
“We are so proud of the teachers that were selected to be a part of the Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors Program,” said Christian Cali, Cobb County School District science supervisor. “Their experiences flying into the stratosphere on NASA’s SOPHIA will provide Cobb students with a chance to make real-world connections with the concepts they are learning in the classroom.”
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The East Side Broncos 12U baseball team is collecting gently worn, used and new shoes to raise money for a trip to Cooperstown, NY this summer. Clean out your closet and bring your shoes to East Cobb Park on Wednesday, February 27th from 8-10 a.m. We will have 2 SUVs open and ready to stuff with shoes!
Let’s get these boys to Cooperstown!!
There’s nothing to buy! All you have to do is clean out your closet of gently used shoes that you no longer wear.
For more information about this fundraiser and where the shoes go, visit funds2orgs.
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