Cobb Commissioner Jerica Richardson is set to announce a new appointment to the Cobb Planning Commission next week, days after her holdover representative steered through a vote on a major rezoning case in East Cobb.
According to Tuesday’s meeting agenda, Richardson will appoint East Cobb resident David Anderson to succeed Tony Waybright.
Waybright had been appointed in March 2020 by former District 2 commissioner Bob Ott, whose time in office ended last December. Planning commissioners, who serve as an advisory board on planning and zoning cases, serve terms running concurrently with the commissioners who appoint them.
According to an agenda item, Anderson would serve through the end of 2024, when Richardson’s term expires.
Anderson is a real estate executive and entrepreneur with a background in commercial real estate investment and development, urban planning and data analytics.
He has been a project manager with the New York City Economic Development Corporation and according to a biographical profile sent by Richardson’s office, “his goals as Planning Commissioner include enhancing the transparency of, engagement with, and usefulness of planning guidelines and data for all stakeholders.”
Anderson earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard University and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. East Cobb News has contacted Richardson seeking more details.
Anderson would be the fourth person on the five-member Planning Commission to be appointed this year.
They include Deborah Dance, a former Cobb County Attorney who was appointed by Northeast Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell after longtime board member Judy Williams died of COVID-19 in January.
Dance assumed her position just as the Sprayberry Crossing rezoning case went before the Planning Commission. After a third hearing, the board passed her motion in June not to make a recommendation, although county commissioners approved that mixed-use proposal.
Waybright, a civic and school activist in the Smyrna/Vinings area, stayed on when Richardson began her term in January, and as the rezoning application of North Point Ministries at Johnson Ferry and Shallowford roads continued.
They held a virtual town hall meeting in February in which Waybright offered some conceptual changes to the North Point Ministries application for a mixed-use proposal for East Cobb Church, high-density residential, retail space and a community park and multi-use trail.
After full Planning Commission hearings in May, June and July ended with votes to delay, the Planning Commission voted on Tuesday to recommend approval. Cobb commissioners will take action on Aug. 17.
The North Point Ministries rezoning is the first major East Cobb case for Richardson, whose district stretches from the “JOSH” corridor through the Smyrna/Vinings/Cumberland area.
Nearly 60 people turned out in support of the rezoning at Tuesday’s Planning Commission hearing and nearly 30 came in opposition.
In his motion to recommend approval, Waybright made numerous changes, including capping the number of units and density.
Also on Tuesday, commissioners will consider a proposal to make changes to the public comment portion of their meetings. The agenda item is here; and further details are here.
The meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta, and 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.
Related stories
- East Cobb Church rezoning gets Planning Commission approval
- Cobb commissioners approve Sprayberry Crossing rezoning
- East Cobb Church launches “Revitalize JOSH” campaign
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