East Cobb Church rezoning

East Cobb Church rezoning goes before Cobb commissioners

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East Cobb Church rezoning case delauyed

Some minor changes to the site plan and stipulations for North Point Ministries’ rezoning request were submitted this week before Tuesday’s vote before the Cobb Board of Commissioners.

The mixed-use proposal at Johnson Ferry and Shallowford roads for East Cobb Church, residential and retail got a recommendation for approval by the Cobb Planning Commission on Aug. 3.

That vote, which took place on the fourth hearing, included numerous changes by planning board member Tony Waybright, who represents District 2 that includes the JOSH area. 

They address residential density, traffic and stormwater issues that have been raised over the last several months, and as the proposal has been revised.

What commissioners will be voting on Tuesday is a 130,000-square foot church and accompanying parking lot, 71 townhomes and 59 single-family detached homes, a small amount of retail space and a public park area that includes a multi-use trail.

The density of the residential would be 5.8 units per acre, something nearby residents and the East Cobb Civic Association say does not fit with a suburban setting.

But Kevin Moore, North Point Ministries’ attorney, has said several times that the JOSH area already is heavily commercialized, and there’s nearby residential that’s just as dense.

The North Point Ministries request is the first major rezoning case in the East Cobb area for District 2 commissioner Jerica Richardson.

While commissioners typically don’t discuss how they may vote on rezoning cases in advance, she is holding a preview of Tuesday’s zoning hearing on her Facebook Live page at 7 p.m. Monday.

Another case in the East Cobb area of note is scheduled for a vote on Tuesday, and it’s drawn opposition from the Bells Ferry Civic Association. 

They’re concerned about a parking lot for a 36-acre distribution facility/warehouse proposed by Scannell Properties on Chastain Meadows Parkway south of Chastain Road. 

While that may sound mundane, an open letter the civic group is distributing claims that nearby residents “were not informed that these vehicles were fleets of delivery vans” supporting a yet-to-be-built warehouse between Chastain Meadow, Big Shanty Road and I-575.

“Residents ask that the entire plan for the parking lot and the distribution facility be combined in an open and public hearing, so that their concerns could be heard by the Board of Commissioners,” the Bells Ferry Civic Association letter states.

“Area residents would like measures taken to divert the significant influx of van and tractor trailer traffic away from established residential neighborhoods.”

(There’s more on the BFCA website).

Scannell Properties submitted this stipulation letter on Wednesday.

Tuesday’s zoning hearing begins at 9 a.m. in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta. It 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.

Here’s an agenda summary of the hearing, as well as a thumbnail breakdown of each of the cases to be heard. The full packet can be found by clicking here.

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East Cobb Church rezoning gets Planning Commission approval

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East Cobb Church rezoning held
Proposed townhomes fronting Johnson Ferry Road would be bounded by a brick wall and a community walking trail.

The Cobb Planning Commission voted 4-1 Tuesday to recommend approval of a request to build a church and a high-density residential development at Johnson Ferry and Shallowford roads in East Cobb.

The vote came during the fourth presentation by North Point Ministries for its proposed mixed-use development on 33 acres, and after more than an hour of discussion Tuesday morning.

Despite concerted community opposition, based mostly on density and traffic issues, the advisory board signed off on the application, which will go before the Cobb Board of Commissioners for final action on Aug. 17.

North Point Ministries is planning a 130,000-square foot East Cobb Church, a smaller activities building and a parking lot along the Shallowford Road portion of the land, and will sell 22 acres at Johnson Ferry Road and Waterfront Circle to Ashwood Atlanta, a residential developer, for 71 townhomes and 59 single-family detached homes.

(For the proposal submitted by North Point Ministries, there’s a revised site plan that came in last Tuesday and a lengthy new stipulation letter last Wednesday.)

At the hearing Tuesday there were 58 people attending in favor of the request, and 29 opposed.

The residential portion of the project has raised the most concerns, and on Tuesday nearby residents and civic leaders repeated their objections.

They included numerous variances being requested for the homes, which North Point attorney Kevin Moore said were necessary after community pushback against what originally had been 125 townhomes.

East Cobb Church rezoning held
Jill Flamm of the East Cobb Civic Association called the proposed residential visuals “watercolor renderings.”

Those variances include setbacks, separation between single-family buildings, lot sizes and guest parking.

“There will still be some lot-size variances,” said Planning Commission member Tony Waybright, who represents District 2 in East Cobb where the development would take place. “We’ve got to give a little to get somewhere.”

He also noted that North Point donated right-of-way along Shallowford and Johnson Ferry for a multi-purpose trail that will be open to the community.

“That’s the benefit to the public in return for looking at the variances,” he said, noting that they were a better option than seeking other zoning categories.

Waybright had recommended a fee-simple townhome designation for the townhomes, but North Point kept its request at RA-6, with a proposed density of 5.8 units per acre.

Moore said that’s less than a townhome development behind the Kroger on the southeast corner of Johnson Ferry and Shallowford with six units an acre.

“This is not some isolated suburban neighborhood with single-family homes,” Moore said, saying that 75 percent of the assembled property in the rezoning is bordered by commercial property.

But Ruth Michels, who lives in the adjacent MarLanta subdvisision, countered that while she and her neighbors want the land to be redeveloped, “this is not the right development.”

She said she is concerned that the amount of developable land is unclear because a flood plain study has yet to be done. That process, which would provide an assessment of land in a drained lake, typically comes after a rezoning vote, in what’s called the site plan review stage.

Michels cited what she called a “lack of transparency” in submitting a stipulation letter late Monday.

“What is the real density?” she asked, adding that “it’s impossible to have an accurate picture of how this property is to be developed.”

A July 27 site plan shows the church at left, townhomes at the top and single-family homes on the bottom.

Jill Flamm of the East Cobb Civic Association also expressed opposition to the number of variances, a lack of lot-size specifics, no landscape plan, few details on a proposed community park and no sidewalks within the residential areas.

In his motion to recommend approval, Waybright incorporated some of those issues. His conditions would cap density at 129 units and 5.82 units per acre, conceding those figures could go down depending on the results of a flood plain study.

He also said the residential building heights should be no more than 35 feet and no more than two stories (some of the renderings include three stories).

Other stipulations include at least one pavilion and gazebo in the park, streetlights and benches along the multi-purpose trail, sidewalks on at least one side of all internal roads in the residential development and limitations on external lighting, including a ban on floodlights.

Another stipulation Waybright added was to prevent right-turn traffic coming out of the church on Sundays, to keep vehicles out of the nearby neighborhoods.

The only vote against was Planning Commission chairman Fred Beloin, who said while he “liked the look” of the townhomes, wanted to keep the density under 5 units an acre. His motion to cap that figure failed.

Another East Cobb case that was to have been heard Tuesday is being delayed again. The Cobb zoning staff has continued a request by Pulte Homes for a proposed 99-home single-family detached development on nearly 50 acres on Ebenezer Road, between Blackwell Road and Maybreeze Road.

Pulte Homes revised that site plan and submitted a new stipulation letter last week, after questions were raised about density of around 2 units an acre, small lot sizes and a lack of amenities.

That case has been put on the September zoning calendar.

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Rezoning redux: East Cobb Church, Ebenezer Road cases resume

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East Cobb Church rezoning held
Single-family homes proposed off Waterfront Circle are what a nearby resident has described as “townhomes, just detached.”

Tuesday’s Cobb Planning Commission agenda includes a fourth hearing for the East Cobb Church mixed-use proposal on 33 acres Johnson Ferry Road and Shallowford Road and a second hearing for a new single-family development on Ebenezer Road.

Also delayed from recent months is a proposal for a senior subdivision on Sewell Mill Road at East Piedmont Road on land currently owned by the McCleskey Family-East Cobb YMCA.

The five-member planning board, which advises the Cobb Board of Commissioners, voted to hold the first two cases at its July hearing. The third case was delayed at the request of the applicant.

Here’s a summary of what’s on tap Tuesday, and the full 1,280-page agenda packet can be found here.

New filings were made in all three cases this week. For the East Cobb Church proposal submitted by North Point Ministries, there’s a revised site plan that came in on Tuesday and a lengthy new stipulation letter on Wednesday.

The changes are minor. The 130,000-square foot church and retail/office space have generated support, but opposition has generated around the 22 acres that would make up a 129-unit residential development with access off Johnson Ferry via Waterfront Circle.

Plans still call for 71 townhomes and 58 single-family detached homes on property requested for RA-6 zoning.

That request continues, although Planning Commissioner Tony Waybright suggested a fee-simple townhome designation at the July hearing, saying it would provide an ideal medium-density purpose in a community with lower-density residential.

The RA-6 category would allow just under 6 units an acre, density nearby residents and the East Cobb Civic Association said was too urban and incompatible with the area. 

Density issues were also raised in July for a proposed 99-home single-family detached development on nearly 50 acres on Ebenezer Road, between Blackwell Road and Maybreeze Road.

Pulte Homes revised that site plan and submitted a new stipulation letter this week, after questions were raised about density of around 2 units an acre, small lot sizes and a lack of amenities.

The Pulte proposal still calls for 99 homes, and the stipulation letter including enlarging some of the lots “to enhance the viewshed along Ebenezer Road” shifting some others and constructing sidewalks within the development. 

Under the proposed R-15 OSC zoning category, 17 acres would be held in an open space conservation status.

Orchards Development LLC requested a delay until August for its proposed 17-unit single-family detached senior residential development on 3.59 acres on Sewell Mill Road at East Piedmont Road.

The undeveloped lots, currently owned by the nearby YMCA, would go from low-density residential (R-20) to residential senior-living (RSL). The density would be 4.74 units per acre, similar to an adjacent RA-4 townhome development on Sewell Mill Road. 

The Planning Commission meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta.They 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.

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East Cobb Church rezoning gets Planning Commission rehearing

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East Cobb Church rezoning case delauyed
A rendering of the proposed East Cobb Church from Shallowford Road.

A reminder that the East Cobb Church rezoning case that’s been delayed several times is getting another hearing Tuesday by the Cobb Planning Commission, which also is hearing a couple of other cases of interest in East Cobb.

The church-residential-retail mixed-use proposal at Johnson Ferry and Shallowford roads has been revised again, with another site plan and stipulation letter submitted last week.

The church leaders have launched a website with related details, including traffic and density figures that have concerned opponents.

The holdup from the Planning Commission stems from those factors and others, and the continuance until July was for the developer to make design changes.

The 33 acres would include a 130,000-square foot church building and parking lot, 58 single-family detached homes, 71 townhomes and a small amount of retail.

A 99-unit single-family detached subdivision proposal on Ebenezer Road will get its first hearing, and it’s also been delayed and changed.

Pulte Homes originally had proposed 112 homes on nearly 50 undeveloped acres between Maybreeze Road and Blackwell Road. A revised site plan was submitted last week, as was a stipulation letter outlining the changes.

Also held over from June is a proposed conversion of the closed Park 12 Cobb movie theater into a storage facility.

Stein Investment Group is seeking a special land-use permit for the property on Gordy Parkway at Shallowford Road, which has been dormant since the theater closed last year.

The Cobb Zoning Staff is recommending approval of all three applications.

The Planning Commission makes recommendations to the Cobb Board of Commissioners. Here’s a summary agenda of Tuesday’s meeting, and more details here, as well as the full agenda.

The meeting starts at 9 a.m. in the 2nd floor board room of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.

There’s no more virtual participation; those wishing to speak must attend in person.

You also can watch on the county’s website, Facebook Live and YouTube channels and on Cobb TV 23 on Comcast Cable.

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East Cobb Church rezoning request put on hold until July

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East Cobb Church rezoning
A new site plan was filed May 19; see a larger view by clicking here.

Another last-minute request for a major rezoning case before next Tuesday’s Cobb Planning Commission meeting involves North Point Ministries.

The Atlanta-based religious organization wants another month to finalize design changes for its proposed East Cobb Church-townhomes-retail multi-use development at the southwest corner of Shallowford and Johnson Ferry roads.

Kevin Moore, an attorney for North Point Ministries, asked for the request on Wednesday, the deadline for cases to be automatically continued without a vote of the planning board.

The applicant has also filed a new site plan (above, click here for a larger view) with the Shallowford-Johnson Ferry intersection in the top left.

In his letter, Moore said another month was needed due to the “detailed nature” of the design updates, and that the extra time “will allow circulation of these designs to the community well in advance of a public hearing.”

The North Point request has twice been heard by the Planning Commission, which has voted to hold the case both times.

Planning commissioner Tony Waybright said in April that he was concerned about proposed high-density housing when the JOSH Master Plan calls for medium density residential as a transition between commercial zoning and low-density residential in the surrounding community.

The new site plan has 70 townhomes and 59 single-family detached homes. The revised Cobb Zoning Staff analysis submitted April 26 indicates density levels of nearly 6 units an acre.

Also delayed until July is a request to turn the former Park 12 Cobb movie theater into a self-storage facility, more than four years after community opposition shot down a proposed Lidl grocery store on the site at Gordy Parkway and Shallowford Road.

As we noted earlier this week, the Sprayberry Crossing rezoning request, also held for the last two months by the Planning Commission, remains on Tuesday’s agenda, and some more changes were submitted after a community meeting.

The number of senior units have been dropped by 40 to 132 and 102 townhomes are in a revised site plan, up 40 from the April hearing.

The Planning Commission meeting is at 9 a.m. Tuesday and it has a loaded agenda.

In-person seating will be limited due to social distancing protocols, but there also will be commenting for those watching online. They can sign up to speak by clicking here.

You also can watch on the county’s website, Facebook Live and YouTube channels and on Cobb TV 23 on Comcast Cable.

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Zoning update: Sprayberry Crossing, East Cobb Church changes

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East Cobb zoning update, Sprayberry Crossing site plan
The latest Sprayberry Crossing site plan expands green space around the Mayes family cemetery and includes a “town green.” For a larger view click here.

With just a few days before their first public hearings, two major rezoning cases in East Cobb are getting some last-minute changes.

Kevin Moore, the attorney for the proposed redevelopment of the Sprayberry Crossing and the proposed East Cobb Church mixed-use development, filed stipulation letters in both cases on Wednesday.

He also filed a new site plan for Sprayberry Crossing, the latest of several renditions for a mixed-use plan to replace a long-blighted shopping center.

After several months of delays, they’re slated to be heard Tuesday by the Cobb Planning Commission.

We’re still reading through everything, but will summarize what’s new.

The Sprayberry Crossing plans have undergone many revisions, the latest being filed late Wednesday afternoon, shortly before Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell held a public information session.

You can read through the new changes by clicking here; there’s a new Cobb DOT traffic analysis here; and the full agenda packet is here.

Atlantic Realty hasn’t changed the details for the residential component—125 apartments, 125 senior apartments and 44 townhomes—nor a proposed grocery store space.

The developer is asking for a waiver from a requirement of the Redevelopment Overlay District zoning category for at least 10 percent of the residential units be dedicated for “workforce housing.”

In addition, Atlantic Realty is proposing a property owners association for the overall development.

More green space has been added back into the new site plan, with a “town green” proposed near the Mayes family cemetery. That green space will be open to the entire community, not just those living in the development.

In addition, the developer listed a number of businesses in the retail portion that would not be allowed, from video arcades to adult retail to several kinds of automotive services.

East Cobb Church site plan
The townhome units proposed near what would be the East Cobb Church have been reduced from 125 to 110. For a larger view click here.

North Point Ministries Inc. has altered its mixed-use proposal anchored by East Cobb Church to include more low-rise office space at the southwest corner of Johnson Ferry Road and Shallowford Road.

A new stipulation letter (you can read it here), also filed Wednesday, would reduce the number of proposed townhomes from 125 to 110. The applicant is also seeking a new zoning category, Fee Simple Townhomes, instead of a multifamily residential category.

Among the stipulations are to designate that no more than 10 of the townhomes could be rentals at any given time.

North Point Ministries’ plan is to sell that 18.11 acres (out of more than 33 overall) to Ashwood Development, an upscale builder with projects in the city of Atlanta and Florida.

Sprayberry Crossing Shopping Center
Residents near the blighted Sprayberry Crossing Shopping Center have differences about what should replace it.

During Wednesday’s public information session about Sprayberry Crossing, Birrell said she and county staff had not had time to look through the changes.

They answered questions from the public submitted in advance.

Birrell stressed to viewers of the virtual meeting to e-mail their commissioner and members of the Cobb Planning Commission.

“It is in my district and I will take the lead in the discussions,” she said. “But there are five votes. So you need to e-mail all of us.”

She said of the e-mails she’s received thus far about Sprayberry Crossing, there are 83 e-mails against the project, and 21 in favor.

The opposition is mostly over traffic concerns and having any apartments at all.

It’s been three years since area residents held a town hall meeting at Sprayberry High School to jump-start a process that has led to a rezoning case of any kind.

“I know we’re all tired of looking at Sprayberry Crossing,” Birrell said of the retail center that’s been run-down for more than 20 years. “There’s nobody who wants to see this redeveloped than me.”

But she said it’s important to hear fully from the community to determine the best options.

The Cobb Planning Commission meets Tuesday at 9 a.m. in the 2nd floor board room of the Cobb Government Building at 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta. You can read through the full agenda by clicking here.

There will be limited in-person attendance due to COVID-19 restrictions. The meeting can be seen on the Cobb County government’s Facebook and YouTube channels and Channel 23 on Comcast.

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East Cobb Church zoning: ‘What we’re doing is ever-evolving’

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East Cobb Church rezoning
A rendering of the proposed East Cobb Church at Johnson Ferry and Shallowford roads.

While he’s building a faith community during a pandemic, Rev. Jamey Dickens is also taking a crash course in how the zoning process works in Cobb County.

The pastor of East Cobb Church, the newest addition to the North Point Ministries family of Atlanta-area non-denominational congregations, Dickens lives not far from the proposed church home at the southwest corner of Johnson Ferry and Shallowford roads.

His church’s motto is “to love where you live,” and Dickens said in an interview with East Cobb News on Monday that “we want to listen to our new neighbors.”

Dickens has been poring over site plans and learning the language of planners and developers as the church’s application for a mixed-use development proceeds.

North Point’s request is for more than a new sanctuary and church-related facilities. More than 100 townhomes and some retail space are planned for the 33-acre site that’s at the heart of the “JOSH” community.

North Point’s zoning case, first filed last fall, was to have been heard Tuesday by the Cobb Planning Commission. But that has been continued to March by the Cobb zoning staff, which initially recommended denial for traffic, density and land-use reasons.

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On Thursday, Cobb Commissioner Jerica Richardson and Planning Commissioner Tony Waybright will be conducting a virtual town hall to get public feedback on the project. Dickens said Kevin Moore, North Point’s zoning attorney, will make a presentation that is being revised from the original plans.

The town hall starts at 5:15 p.m. Thursday and will be streamed live on Richardson’s Facebook page.

You can sign up by clicking here. Richardson’s office will send out an e-mail prior to the meeting with a link to the event and information on the meeting structure.

(Here’s the latest site plan; and here’s the initial zoning analysis; as well as traffic analysis. You can look through all the related files by clicking here.)

“What we’re doing is ever-evolving,” said Dickens, who indicated the number of townhomes may be reduced, among other changes.

Those have been in the works after North Point leaders met with nearby homeowners groups, as well as Richardson, Waybright and others in the community.

Dickens said he understands some of the concerns that have been expressed—especially about traffic from the church as well as the townhomes.

East Cobb Church is planning a facility with a four-story building and sanctuary for up to 1,300 people, as well as a parking deck.

Dickens said the parking deck, which would front Shallowford Road, will be at surface levels, as will all other parking areas.

North Point’s plans are to acquire the entire 33-acre site from prominent attorney Fred Hanna and his wife’s outreach ministry, which they tried to assemble for a residential project in 2016 that was withdrawn.

The church would then sell the portion of the land for the townhomes to a developer that North Point is currently negotiating with.

Jamey Dickens, East Cobb Church
Rev. Jamey Dickens in his role as student pastor at Buckhead Church.

As for church activities, Dickens said only Sunday mornings will pose any traffic issues. Like the other North Point congregations, East Cobb Church will not have a pre-school during the week.

The East Cobb Church sanctuary is smaller than most of the other North Point churches, and Dickens said as is the case at the other locations, this one will have off-duty police who will “prioritize all traffic.

“If our people need to wait, then fine,” Dickens aid.

He said he’s hopeful that Thursday’s town hall will clear up some of the “misconceptions” about North Point’s plans.

“I don’t feel like that on our side it’s a battle,” he said. “I feel confident that we’re going to find a version of this that works.”

The Johnson Ferry-Shallowford site wasn’t something Dickens said he initially thought was the right “fit” for East Cobb Church, which became part of North Point Ministries in late 2019 and had been meeting at Eastside Baptist Church.

After serving as the student pastor at Buckhead Church, Dickens was tapped to lead the new congregation, which grew out of having members from various North Point churches who live in East Cobb, and who wanted to worship closer to home.

“We think we have an incredible message, and we know that people want to be connected to a church where they feel at home,” he said.

East Cobb Church has grown to around 800 people (children excluded), and he estimated that typical in-person attendance was around 600. Services have been continuing online during the pandemic.

North Point was founded in 1995 in Alpharetta by Rev. Andy Stanley, the son of retired First Baptist Church of Atlanta Rev. Charles Stanley. Other North Point churches are located in Woodstock, Cumming, Decatur and Buford.

North Point congregations are known for having mid-week Bible studies in the homes of their members, as well as community outreach.

In October, East Cobb Church raised money for and donated a box truck for Simple Needs GA, which provides furniture and other household goods and everyday items for needy families.

While many of the new church’s members are young families like Dickens’—he and his wife have four children—some of the empty-nesters are among East Cobb Church’s most active volunteers.

He said of Thursday’s meeting that he’s hopeful the North Point presentation “will put some people’s minds at ease.”

 

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