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.
(Here’s the zoning case file for Z2019-04. The application was initially scheduled for February but was delayed to March.)
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.
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.
Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Traffic is already terrible at this intersection, 120 more cars, duplication of services, kids in the front going to Marietta City with a whole set of busses competing with traffic already backedup at the Quiktrip. Sounds legit (insert eyeroll).
Plus no street parking for the units?
Great idea.
Looks half-baked to me.