East Cobb rezoning

Tucked away on a cul-de-sac street off Lower Roswell Road, not far from the clatter of the East Cobb Pipeline Project and featuring some lush and ample residential elbow room, lies the Bermuda Drive neighborhood.

More formally it’s known as the Carter subdivision, named after the homebuilder who constructed nine ranch-style homes on big lots in the early 1960s. This was just before East Cobb went from rural to suburban, and as developers were still maintaining something of a pastoral atmosphere for new properties.

Several residents have been there nearly as long as the subdivision (located just across Lower Roswell from Holy Family Catholic Church), and some are related to one another. To say that the Bermuda Drive neighborhood is a tight-knit one is an understatement.

“It’s a community, not just a street,” said Elaine Dover, who’s lived in her home on Bermuda Drive for 44 years.

Yet like many East Cobb neighborhoods, Bermuda Drive isn’t immune to a rapid, explosive new wave of residential building that emphasizes density over just about anything else. When a 2.172-acre tract of land at the entrance to her community was proposed for rezoning, Dover and her neighbors were concerned.

The rezoning (here’s the agenda item information) is being sought by Rabin Dayani, an established developer in the area. He wants to change the current R-20 zoning to R-15 to build five two-story homes on the land.

Dayani wants not only bigger houses (with a minimum of 2,500 square feet) than what’s on Bermuda Drive, they also would be on higher density land than what’s nearby. He could build four homes on the land under the present zoning category, which would have been fine with the Bermuda Drive neighborhood.

According to the Cobb zoning staff (which is recommending denial), the land was initially zoned for two lots in 1959.

When Dover and others spoke in opposition to the rezoning Tuesday before the Cobb Planning Commission, they used word “precedent” often. It’s a word that has come up frequently in recent East Cobb zoning cases, as residents have seen higher-density many residential and commercial projects proposed near their communities. Some have been approved, others have not, but in so many cases, the battle that’s being fought is quite often over precedent.

Even if it’s a difference over one house, as is the case in the Bermuda Drive neighborhood.

“We feel it will set a precedent in this area,” said Jill Flamm of the East Cobb Civic Association, who also spoke in opposition before the planning commission. “R-20 is suitable for new development in this area.”

Dover submitted a petition to the planning commission, saying that reducing density from R-20 would open up the Bermuda Drive neighborhood “to a negative precedent.”

The planning commission—which is an advisory board appointed by the Cobb Board of Commissioners—agreed, and voted to deny Dayani’s proposal by a 5-0 vote. Mike Terry, the planning commission chairman who represents District 2 in East Cobb, said at first he didn’t think the rezoning would draw much opposition. But he heard plenty from Bermuda Drive homeowners, and read excerpts from e-mails he’s received.

Terry said the neighbors aren’t anti-growth, but favor “smart” growth that complies with the land use plan and isn’t dramatically out of step with existing residences.

“They’re not saying don’t build here, but let’s leave the current zoning and build four quality homes,” Terry said. “I think four will be fine, but five is out of character. We need to protect the character of the neighborhood.”

Terry encouraged Dayani to revise his proposal before before Cobb commissioners have the final say on Oct. 17.