On Tuesday morning Joe Glancy of the Sprayberry Crossing Action group said the proposed redevelopment plans for the blighted retail center are expected to have what he termed “substantial changes.”
He said he spoke Monday with Richard Aaronson of Atlantic Residential, and “although I have agreed to not share what I strongly believe may be changing, what I will share is that the change to the plan will be significant, and I believe most of the surrounding community will enthusiastically support the change (if it in fact happens).”
Since Atlantic Residential unveiled details of its mixed-use proposal on Sept. 13, some residents have expressed opposition in particular to a 195-unit apartment building. Others were concerned about the fate of the Mayes Family Cemetery, located in the back of the 15-acre property on Sandy Plains Road near East Piedmont Road, and that could be slated for relocation.
According to the site plan (above) released by Atlantic Residential, 62 townhomes would go up in and near the current cemetery site.
Glancy said Aaronson “made it clear that they want to be sensitive to the concerns of those who have family members buried in the cemetery—and that they have no intention of forcing a cemetery move against the wishes of the community. They care about the reputation of their firm, and are not interested in fighting with a large contingent of angry community members. They want dialogue—they want to communicate their plans with regard to the cemetery – and they want to LISTEN to the concerns of those who object. They have already begun to have those talks with individuals connected to the cemetery.”
Glancy and Shane Spink, another leader of the Sprayberry Crossing Action group, had said they’d like to schedule a town hall with the developer, possibly in October. But today Glancy said due to the site plan changes and the cemetery issue, “I don’t think it makes sense to force a community meeting when there is so much up in the air.”
East Cobb News has been hearing from opponents to the apartments since the original site plan was released. In addition to concerns about putting so many rental units near single-family neighborhoods, they said such a development would add to traffic woes and school crowding in the area.
Some also said their concerns were being ignored by Glancy’s group and that in some cases their Facebook postings were being taken down.
Craig Blafer of the nearby Harper Woods subdivision said the Atlantic Residential proposal would create density of 26.5 units an acre, which he claimed is one of the highest figures in the county, and that the plans would change precedent in the area.
“While I laud the efforts of the guys who got us this far, communications have turned into a one-sided sales brochure,” Blafer said. “The community opposition to this project is overwhelming. Nobody wants apartments and nobody wants density.”
A Facebook group, Residents Against Apartments at Sprayberry Crossing, was recently started.
Glancy said in response that Blafer’s density claim “is not even close” to being accurate. He also said “that I have heard from many varying opinions from so many members of our community. There is not overwhelming opposition to apartments.”
Glancy also disputed charges that commenters opposed to apartments have had their comments taken down. The Sprayberry Crossing Action Facebook group, Glancy said, “has hundreds of comments from the anti apartment folks.”
The only messages that have been deleted, he said, involved personal attacks or commenters starting new threads.
Glancy said while he understands that “the concern about apartments at that property is reasonable . . . the factors that the community should be considering are nuanced and require careful, informed and respectful discussion.”
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