Zoning Board of Appeals - Regular Meeting

All righty. So, we are about to begin our meeting for the community zoning information meeting today, February 2nd, happening at 6 p.m. Just a couple of house rules. Please refrain from talking unless you are the speaker. Please be respectful. Please keep your questions and comments relevant to tonight's topic. And please wait for the presenter to finish speaking before asking any questions or stating your comments. For any follow-up comments or questions, please feel free to email the planning email address. Give me one second. There we go. Some important dates. The public participation plan report will be due March 4th. This is for reszonings and special use permits. Your planning commission hearing date will be March 18th, 2026 and then your mayor and council public hearing will be April 14th. Each applicant is required to meet each deadline and attend each meeting. The public participation report. So again, all applicants that are submitting a reszoning special use or modification is required to have at least one community meeting. This meeting is hosted by the applicant. On the screen, you'll see an example of a postcard that needs to be sent out. Again, this example of a postcard can be sent via postcard. It can be a mailer form. However, it has to be sent out to each resident within a onem radius of your subject property. On the right hand side of the screen, you'll see the public participation report form, form E. That form is required to be submitted to us once you complete that public participation meeting. There are a couple additional rules that have been changed in the

ordinance. You are also required to have a hybrid portion for your meeting. That means you have to have a link to be able to view your meeting via webcast. That recording has to also be sent to staff, mayor, and council as well. And give me one second. Let me make sure I cover all of that cuz there are some changes. Give me one second. Okay. So, we'll also send you out an email with all of the email addresses that you'll have to send that. Um, so it'll be a letter of intent, your site plan, and then again an example of that postcard. So before you send any mailers out, please make sure you send it to staff for that final approval. There we go. So today we are currently on cycle three. So it's the community zoning information meeting happening today. The next deadline you'll have for February 25th will be your public notification and your sign posting. You'll get a email from staff letting you know that that sign is ready to be picked up for you to post on your property. And then we have the public participation plan report. We just went over that. That's due March 4th. And then planning commission will be March 18th. and then mayor and council will be April 14th for this current cycle. The first thing we have on our agenda is the text amendment TA26-001. The text amendment is to amend the

ordinant the ordinance for 2021-00003 in section 302.15 of the city of South Fulton's code of ordinance pertaining to gas stations and convenience store distance requirement and the codifine legislation waiver process. At this time, if you would like to give your response, a question or concern of this text amendment, please form a line behind the podium. Again, please make sure you are mindful when speaking and asking questions to staff.

Let's not let's not form a line just yet. Let's let's go through it before we do that. All right. Before Before we get started, let um does everybody have a copy of it? Did they pass those out up front? All right. All right. If you all give me just a second and we'll get started. Are we still waiting on on anybody to come in? All right. Thank you. Um, so good evening everyone. My name is Reginald McClendon. I'm the managing director of the community development and regulatory affairs department for the city of South Fulton. Um the reason why we are here today um at this community zoning information meeting is because a uh text amendment to uh the South Fulton zoning code has been proposed. Um it is a a council sponsored text amendment. You'll see um on the copy that you have in front of you the council members that are sponsoring this change. the um I I want to start by addressing a couple of procedural things um based on some emails that I saw. Um the um there were some questions about

why this has to be presented um at a CZIM. Um the the community zoning information meeting um is designed to speak about these items. If you look in um in our zoning code section 802, um text amendments to uh our zoning code are actually required to be presented at CZIM meetings. Uh and so that's why we're here today. You don't we don't do it very often, so that's probably why you haven't noticed it, but um we do present text amendments at CZIM meetings. Um what a text amendment means is basically a change to the language in the zoning code. um there's not necessarily a change to the zoning of a particular parcel. Um and so um this is a text amendment that is in relation uh to gas stations. Uh I am I'm going to um try to be uh upfront in saying that this is from my understanding this is still a living document. So there um are potentially more changes to be made to this document. Um and I'm I'm also going to attempt to uh kind of explain um procedurally what's happening uh before I get into the before I get into the actual text that's in the document that's presented in front of you. Uh, and so, um, what you see in front of you is a text amendment that, um, or or is an amendment to the city code of ordinances that will create a new code section. Um, and that code section will include regulations for gas stations and convenience stores. Now, this code section that you that you see

in front of you in this document is not actually contained within the zoning code. It's in a different part of the code of ordinances. It's in chapter 7. Um it's it's in title chapter 7 of title 12, which is not actually in the zoning code. It's in the business license code, uh which is a different part of the code of ordinances. Uh however um what what I don't think you see in front of you and the reason why this is a zoning code text amendment is because there is language that is contained within our zoning code that will be simultaneously um deleted um and replaced with this language that you see here which will be in a different part of the of the city code. So, I know that's a um a little bit technical and a little bit complicated, but um if you have any questions about that, please let me know and I'll I'll do my best to explain. Um so, I'm I'm going to I'm I'm going to do it backwards. I'm going to start out by talking about what's going to be deleted from the zoning code and then I'm going to talk about what's being proposed to go into this um ordinance. Um there's a section in the zoning code um the number of which eludes me at I think it's 302.15 um in that section has a couple of requirements for gas stations. One of those requirements is that gas stations have to be yeah 30 section 302.15. Um it basically has two requirements. Um excluding gas stations with frontage on Fton Industrial Boulevard. So gas stations in every other part of the city

uh have to be separated by a minimum of 3 miles from other gas stations. Um and then the second requirement is that um gas stations should not be located within 1,000 ft of residential uses or mixed use districts that include residential development. Uh so the intent of what you see in front of you is that the language in that section 302.15 is going to be deleted in its entirety and replaced um with what you see here um which has a few different regulations included. Um and I will not read it verbatim. You have it in front of you. Uh but again, if you have any questions about any of the language here, please let me know and I'll do my best to to answer. Um the the first section here, uh so I'm looking in the uh at the language that you should have in front of you, which looks Yeah. Right. those were passed out. Uh also, this is this has been uploaded onto the um city website um as of about an hour ago. Um we have uh I believe uh some slightly updated uh definitions for gas stations and convenience stores just to um clarify how we're defining those uses. Um now the meat of it is that the new requirement that is being proposed for gas stations um is that um gas stations um will be um can be no closer than a mile and a half um which equals 7,920 ft. We try to be um precise u when we do these types of regulations. So, um it's

basically a mile and a half distance um distance requirement between gas stations, which is of course half of what is previously are of what is currently in the zoning code, which is 3 miles. um the the 1,00 ft from residential um is maintained. Um now here's where we get a little bit complicated. Um the it is my understanding that there will be um different requirements for it. It will still be possible to have gas stations that are within um that 1.5 mile uh distance um of each other. and within 1,000 ft of residential uses. Uh however, if someone wants to locate a gas station within 1.5 miles of another gas station or within 1,000 ft of residential, uh then that use will require a special use permit. Um and then along with that special use permit, there will be certain um requirements that are requested in that special use application. Uh and that includes um a complete and independent environmental impact study. um a tree buffer of 35 ft for immediately

adjoining residential parcels if any uh in the submission of a lighting placement plan to ensure minimal impact on surrounding parcels. Um further requirements of gas stations um and I believe this is I believe these will pertain to all gas stations um is that adequate signage is required. um a paving um it says ensure paving material in condition uh is installed and maintained in a manner consistent with federal and state regulations to ensure limited negative environmental impact. Um and external cameras that record activity in the area of fuel dispensing um or in the front of a convenience store are required. Um, additionally, this would this um text amendment would require existing gas stations to come into compliance with these new regulations within 5 years of the effective date of this ordinance. All right. So, I I do want to explain one thing that that we don't see here in writing, which I do think is important. Um, which is that gas stations are currently allowable in three um of our zoning districts. um the heavy industrial zoning district which we call M2, the light industrial zoning district which we call M1, and the general commercial zoning district which we call C2. All three of those zoning districts do allow gas stations. Um however, all three of those zoning districts allow gas stations um with a special use permit.

meaning in order to construct a a gas station, a new gas station, uh the um the owners and applicants will have to come before city council and get that special use approved um by their majority vote. Um I believe it is the intention of this ordinance to allow for gas stations in each of those three zoning districts, M2, M1, and C2 by right. Meaning um that as long as the um the applicant meets all other requirements um as long as it there is a um 1.5 mile distance between gas stations and 1,000 foot distance between the gas station and residential uses, then that person or or that um owner would not have to get city council approval. All they would have to do is submit their building um plans and um it would be approved administratively through um our department. Um only when they intend to build a gas station that does not meet the 1.5 mile distance requirement um or the 1,00 ft distance requirement from residential. um will the special use permit process uh then be activated um and those particular gas stations would would have to seek special use. They could still be approved. Um however, they would have to come before council and get that special use. All right. So, I think I got through that. That was a lot. Um and it and it was a lot that um I had to um digest in a in a very short format. So um hopefully I I touched everything um that needed to be said. And so at this point we will open it up

to comments. Now before now as we open it up to comments I I want to um make a couple of things clear. One, this is not a public hearing. There will be two public hearings for this item. One will be in front of the South Fton Planning Commission, February the 18th. Is that it? March 18th. March the 18th. Oh, okay.

I appreciate you. Um I haven't seen this actually. All right. March the 18th. Um That's that's what I thought. So fe so February 18th. Um

uh so this so this agenda is a general agenda um that in those dates are going to pertain to the remainder of these cases that you're going to hear about uh tonight. If you stick around through the other CZIM cases, um this text amendment is following, um a different legislative path, uh the council members, um have specifically requested that. So, it is my understanding that this text amendment will be presented to the South Folsson Planning Commission on at their February hearing, which is February the 18th. Uh, I hope I hope I'm getting that right. February the 18th.

What time?

6 6 o'clock p.m. That's at the Welcome All uh Park um facility. And then this So that's that's the public that's one public hearing. We have two public hearings for all of our cases, including text amendments. The second public hearing will be um here at city hall on February the 24th at 5:00 p.m. Uh so you will have those two opportunities um to present um your public comments about that case and and that's including this opportunity you have. Um, but I want to be sure that to say that those are the actual public hearings. This is not a public hearing. The CZIM meeting um is a um a meeting that's designed for you all to be able to um make comments uh and interact with developers. Uh and so um the reason I'm bringing that up is because we don't have time limits at this um at this meeting. So you all can get up and say what you want to say and say it for however long you want to say it. However, um please be respectful uh that we do have other business to um attend to. Uh and please understand that your public comments will be taken at a later time. Um and so that so you don't have to get it all out tonight. You have those two public hearings. You can email your council members. You can email um our staff. uh you can email our clerk, Mr. uh Corey Adams, who's at the door um and and give your comments uh in the future as well. Uh this meeting is being recorded. I believe we're being broadcast on YouTube. So um whatever you say, I promise you'll uh get to uh

anybody who wants to hear it. Um but we do have other business to get to. So, I would ask that um you all um try not to uh kind of continually repeat the same comments. All right. So, I think I've said everything that I kind of can say.

The public hearings are both in February, February 18th and then February the 24th. Yeah, it's it's not on the print out here because this this print out. Yeah, we can pull this the calendar back up so that you can kind of visually see those dates. Um, but it's not the dates that are printed here on this agenda. Um, those dates are going to pertain to the remainder of the cases that we have tonight.

Question. I thought recently you guys made a change in the public hearing. I thought there was a presentation that was done by the city attorney along with the lady from UG during one of your city council workshops where they basically talked about the fact that you only have to do do we have while she's coming to the podium. Do we have did people sign up to speak or are we kind of just coming up as as people want to? They're just coming up as they like. Okay. No, that that's fine. I didn't know if we had speaker cards or anything. No, no, no.

I don't remember, but it was a few months ago, two, three months ago. You guys, you're only obligated to do one. And so they were basically, it seemed to me like everything since then has been one public hearing. So now we're here and you're saying there going to be two public hearings.

So and and I want to and I want to make sure I clarify because we're already sitting here dealing with a publication that shows February I mean March 18th and you're changing it. And I I mean, let's be clear. We know that council people in particular are rushing this thing through before they leave office. Yes.

Like we're very clear about that. But I think that I think for the sake of transparency, like there's something to be said for even if it's a mistake that now we're going to continue down a path full steam ahead when you have something that's published that's gone out to the public that shows February 18th. Good evening. My name is Carmen Davis. I'm one of the assistant city managers here at City of South Fulton. Thank you for being here tonight. uh to answer the question about the public hearings. Um certainly the track for the remaining cases is on the track of the March public hearings with the with the exception of this one. It had already been published. So it's not a new issue. I think what we didn't do for this um uh letter or or um agenda for today did not distinguish the fact that this particular zoning case is on a different schedule from the others because it's already published. We already put it Mr. McClendon was off on leave so he's not aware of this scheduled timeline.

Where was it? uh in the uh what's what's the normal publishing? The South Fton neighbor. So, it is the publication is I'm not sure the date right now, but it is published to satisfy the twoe notice for the February 18th meeting with the city planning commission and then the February 24th meeting with city council. So there will be two public hearings on this case. Why is this different compared to what you guys have started doing in the past? Because you guys recently just changed. Have we haven't changed the two?

Yeah, you guys really I thought it was very interesting like discussion quite frankly with Sarah the city attorney brought the man. If you're speaking you have to come to the mic for me for the folks online. Yes. Because online they're trying to hear you so it'll be helpful for them to hear it. people online, please join us

in the office and in the in the building. We need you. Um, but you guys changed it and I remember you guys went through one of the zoning cases and it was very like people showed up to speak and there was a lot of dialogue about the fact that people had showed up and they were learning that because the the public meeting the public hearing had taken place at the county at the planning commission meeting that they would not be allowed to speak. And specifically it was about the gas station, not Stonewall tail, but the one over on Flat Shoes or wherever in district 7.

I don't recall it either. So I I wish I can answer your question, but I don't recall that having won. But I'm not saying that you're not correct, but I just can't respond to that or answer.

Okay. for for transparency that we are trying to uh have between the city and the residents, between the city elected officials. Why not can't we just stick to the date that's printed? Why can't we just stick to March the 18th and these other dates? Why are you falling back? I don't see anything for February. This is printed March the 18th. So why can't we just stick with this since it is printed? Not our fault. We don't print the publications. So why can't we just stick to March the 18th? that give us enough time is is there in a way that we can stick to the date that's on here March the 18th versus because people are looking for March 18th to come to the meetings it's not our fault we should not be held as residents and as citizens uh just for the purpose oh it's a mistake deal with it no this is March the 18th I think you we should stick to March 18th so why can't we just keep it at March the 18th

there's no need in rule everybody already know that this has being rushed because it's it's it's an official that's trying to hurry up and that has to resign come March March the six. So all of this is being rushed. So let's be transparent with the residents of city of South Fton. Keep it at March the 18th. It's printed. It's right here when everybody can see it. Let's stay till March the 18th. I don't understand why we can't.

I mean March 18th, that's what we have. Can we please stitch and we need you all word that we can stick to this March the 18th? Me is not going anywhere. We just discussing the gas station. So why can't why have to be so in a hurry? Well, let's let's take our time and discuss it March 18th. Here we go. Right here. Can we do that? Can we have y'all word to do this? Can we can we can we can we have y'all word to keep this at March the 18th because it is published. Can we can we can we keep it? We we cannot. uh zoning is a is a legal process. Um then why is it not February? Be because this is this is not the official publication of the of the date.

Um there's there are specific places and formats in which we have to publish uh notices for public hearing uh in the official notification was for the February 18th date. See, this is why this is why people This is why the residents confusing for the resident when you have something on paper that says March 18th and then you're saying February that's kind of confusing for the res. We we we understand

we may need to see legal we may need to see uh we may need to seek legal uh advice on this and see what's going on and stuff because not only you all coming with more gas station with less of a mile and then you're coming with these little oh special use permit and you know good well when the developers come you all going to give them exactly what they want. This is not you all. I'm talking about those who made the decision. You all going to give them exactly what they want. developers. So, stop playing the little mind and the games with those words with the special use permit and stuff because we're dealing with people health and well-being. We're dealing with people lives. People are using well water. People are using well water for their daily chores, using well water for their farming, using well water for whatever they're using it for. And it's going to be affected me being one that's used well water that's going to be affected by benzene a carcinogen that gives leukemia that gives cancer. It's people in this room that's that farm have agriculture on their land that's going to be affected their children going to be affected by leukemia and you all sitting up here playing games with dates not caring about how the residents feel or anything. This is our health. This is our well-being. And I don't know if you all live in South Fortune or not, but we need to say, "Hey, stop playing the little mind games with us. We want to stick two to three mile rule. We don't want the 1.5 miles. You all can take it and shove it. And we going to stick two to three miles. If we got to take this all the way up the world news, David Miller, we're going to stick to what we going to stick with. That's three miles. And that's one gas station per three miles." And you can let the uh council person know Helen Willis. Yes, I'm saying her name. She's resigning March the 6 and she's rushing this

right and all you all pretty much work together at the end of the day we're going to stick to this March the 18th we're going to seek legal advisory cuz if it's published and from my understanding once it's published and all to the media that's what it's supposed to be not come I don't see nothing say February 18 nowhere but we will sit together and set up soft food in all these districts this is not just Stonewall tale and it's funny how Stonewall hotel when the developers withdrew from the gas station November of last year. Two months later, you're coming with this two months later when the developer withdrew November 2025 with the gas station going to be right across from our homes. That's right.

Two months later, now all of a sudden, nobody's complaining about, hey, we need more gas stations, but all of a sudden now, oh, we need to repeal it. right before this same council person who's over that district working with the developers. I have emails to show this. She was singlehandedly reszoning working on reszoning the area for the developers to build a gas station back in May of last year and the residents didn't hear about it till August. I wonder why.

So I wonder why all of a sudden now oh let's make the gas station two at 1.5 mile distance. Is it because she want to get her developers in before she leave? This is affecting us. How y'all playing with us? We're sick and tired of of electing y'all as our city officials and you all get up here and y'all betray us. You all betray us. YOU ALL SIT HERE AND you know this stuff gonna cause leukemia and bazine leaking into the water. Y'all don't care. You just care about developers. You care about people you selling us out and we're sick and tired of it. That's right.

We're sick and tired of it. And I'm not going to take it no more because my water is going to be affected and along with other people in here who use well water. So today is March the 18. We're going to stay with that day and I will be in in involved in a legal advice on this. If we have to sue then so be it. I don't and I don't think this was said earlier uh but could you all please introduce yourselves when you uh come to the microphone so we can know who you are.

Yes. My Yes. My name is Adena Loftton, District 2, and I was the one that uh led the fight against the gas station last year on Stonewall Tail. And all of a sudden, this same developer all of a sudden want this gas station. That's why it's 1.5 miles with two because it's a gas station over there already. So, he can get in at two gas station per 1.5 miles. Nobody's my the game's gonna stop right today. the only in our neighborhood you all push these all these gas station. Nobody asking for gas station. I think we're asking for nice restaurants, nice shops, nice multi-use development. You all want all this what's going on in the community, ice and everything. We sitting here talking about gas stations. Gas stations for real. Like we people out here dying.

People out here dying from benzene, from leukemia, all this type of stuff. Pollution in the air. You all playing with us. We sick of it. My name is Adena Loftton and I live on Stalw Wild Tail.

Can you say your name for me and your comment?

Hi, my name is Cedric Williams. I live in District 4. Um, I'll make a general statement. Uh I do have a couple questions as well. It is obviously something is a foot as it relates to the fact that we're fasttracking this proposal. Um I liken this process to South Fulton to the gold rush California 1848. Every developer, merchant, supplier and service people will make amend with these changes. While I cannot find and believe that this is reasonable that someone would like to cut that in half. Um so it is quite troubling. One of the things is when you develop land, especially a gas station, we are essentially marrying ourselves to 30 years of of of a as a commitment because the reality of this is if the gas station does well, that's one thing. But if it fails, what is required to uh do anything with that property in most places and with most companies coming behind them, they don't they don't put in the money. We have tanks that they will have to pull up

and all the other things. So when we sell off this land, we're done. And to do that for a gas station is not something that we really want to commit to. Um, I would say that, and this is a question, when you apply for a gas station and these other buildings, are you uh guaranteed a liquor license? That's a question. That's the only one.

I think the answer to that question is no. um the uh our our um and and you say liquor license, but I'm I'm going to kind of refine that to a beer and wine license because gas stations don't generally sell liquor, but um those those licenses are controlled by our police department. They do that process. Uh and so I'm not 100% sure um what all that entails. Uh but I will say that generally um gas stations are entitled to beer and wine licenses as long as they meet all other relevant requirements. Those relevant requirements that's based on uh community input or once they've established that they have this facility uh they apply based on their credibility is my question. there is a lensure um hearing process. So there is some community uh input. Uh they they generally have those hearings at the same time that we have our zoning hearings. Uh and I think they do open those hearings up to public comment. Uh and so I I I do believe there is at least an opportunity for the public to comment on those licenses. Um, however, the specifics of the approval process, I'm I'm just not sure of. Our department doesn't control that. So, I will make my final statements so others may um provide some input. It is clear for whatever reason that uh Helen Wills um Willis has an agenda. Um there is absolutely no reason why this needs to be fasttracked this quickly. Obviously uh legally South Fulton has crossed their tees and dotted their eyes to make

sure and we we probably have an uphill battle as it relates to trying to push this along. But I will say to you that traditionally in government when you have one individual they pretty much represent anywhere from 100 to a thousand constituents. You have more than just one individual here. So that number is multiplied. I would hope that even though this was sponsored by six members of the city council that five that they would take into consideration what is being said today, the input of individuals and the people showing up because we are their constit constituents and we need to be heard. Um, you answer my liquor question. So, thank you very much. in the name of

My name is Civia Muhammad. In the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful panel, please hear me because this is very serious. You're dealing with our life. You're dealing with our property. You're dealing with our wildlife. We don't want any more gas stations in our community. This is being rushed. You're not listening. This is very serious. Please hear us. We voted you in for a reason. I've been in South Fton now for 20 years. My house is probably very at a million. I do not want to see gas stations one point, two point miles, 3 point miles. I did not come to South Fton, originally from Atlanta, Georgia, live here to make this my home in an agricultural community. Now that it's majority black people in South Fulton, you all want to take advantage over us and we will get the law judges or whatever involved because right now you all are playing with our life.

We have property in for in South Fortune and we love our property. We like staying in South Fortune. That's why we move here. But who wants to see a gas station on every block? Think about this. We moved to South Florida to have a better way of life. That's right.

To live comfortably, to live right. But you want to bring all of this nonsense, ghettoness, rushing things through the uh system and it's not fair to us. I want Miss Willis to know this is not fair and this would not be unchecked because this is wrong. You're putting a gas station in front of houses. You're not caring about the community. We voted you all in and I want you to really hear me because this is serious. You're dealing with our grandchildren health. We don't want to always move to white folks community because this is what we have to fight for when we elect black people in our communities because they don't know how to do what they need to do to secure the people who voted them in. We want to stay in South 40. We don't want to run up to John Creeks. We don't want to run up to Sandy Spring. We don't want to run every time. We have to fight for what is right. This is the right thing to do. Leave the ordinance where it is

and let's work together on putting it somewhere else. These gas stations on main roads. It's very simple. I don't care if the churches are behind these people or whatever the case is. We really need I mean I really just need y'all to listen. You may be here in South Fton for today, but next in the next five years you may be gone. You may up and leave and get married, move to another state. We're the people who have probably and we may and we want to keep our property. We want our children to be able to come and play without drinking the water, thinking that they going to get cancer. You ought not even thinking about the overall pictures. You just thinking about a gas station getting approved, people getting money, whatever, whatever, whatever. Think about this. We don't want to go every time you turn around running to them people area because we can't work together as a committee, as council women, as mayors, and work together as a community. We want to work with y'all. We don't want one side this way, one side that way. We want to work together, but we want fair dealings. We want things to be done right. We don't want this to be rushed. And I yel because I really believe in my heart that this is being rushed and it's no reason and it's going to be some lawsuits behind this because we cannot continue to run to different counties just because we have elected officials who want to make our community where we pay taxes and do this and that and the other bad and they won't be gone about their business.

They'll be gone in another county doing something else. But I guarantee you if there was 5050 white people here, we won't even be here tonight. We'll be at home watching our TV and our regular program cuz y'all wouldn't dare stuff this down their throat. Y'all need to listen to what we're saying because this is right. I've been out here 20 years when the roads were still dirt roads. When the roads were still nice, people loved at College Park. People couldn't wait to get on Butner South for whatever the case is. Now people are hating where we live because we got incompetent people who are representing us. Don't care about how we feel. Don't care about what we got to go through. I want y'all to really think about this. If your mama was on Butner, if your mama was on South Fton, would you want your mama drinking this water? Will you want your mama from a gas station with loud music, blunt sto everywhere, weed smoking, all of this nonsense that brain crying. Y'all are not doing us any justice. We need justice here. Please look at this. Help us. I don't want to run anymore. I've been to three counties. I've been here all my life. I settled in South because I love the community. is not far from the airport and we wanted to be remain nice agriculture where we could continue to grow our fruits and vegetables and live a life carefree from crime.

That's right. And cancer.

Please think about what you're doing. We voted y'all in and y'all have to take this in consideration. I'm not here to preach, but I'm here to let y'all know that this is wrong. Don't rush it. Take a breather. Let's sit down and look at this because we love our community and we want to keep our community a safe place, a decent place, a nice place. So, please consider what you're doing. Go home, pray about it, think about it, and reconsider what you're doing because you're hurting the residents here. And I'm telling you, houses will start being lost as far as people leaving their homes because they seeing too much crime. We will have a backslash on this. We don't need that. We have million-dollar home, $2 million homes, da da this or da da that. It doesn't matter about the price of the home. It's the value in how we treat our community. So, please think about it. No one wants to walk away from their property, but no one wants to be in a crime riven zone. Thank you for listening and please please consider what you're doing because this is unfair to the community and it's unfair to the residents. We voted you all in for a reason not to be it's nothing wrong with having developers coming into the community but let them be on the main road. You all should be ashamed of yourself sitting here even consider putting a gas station in front of a old person house.

Thank you. You should be really ashamed of yourself because money money is not everything when you're losing your dignity.

Money will come if you do the right thing with the resident. Our community will bring you in money. We should be talking about a YMCA. We should be talking about a bar Boys and Girls Club. We should be talking about things that will uplift our community. We should be ashamed of oursel even talking about a gas station. We We are not New York. We are not Detroit. That whole area up in there is changing because they want to change. We want to keep our community safe. We want to keep it nice. We want to keep it agriculture. We want to farm. We want to do the things that we like to do without crime. And you know and I know if you do the study, gas station bring a lot of crime,

a lot of downfall.

And look at the economy. Trust me, this gas station will not last because the economy is so bad right now. And we need to really look at everything, not one thing, but all things so we can really become a community. And we can really bring in millions of dollars on the front end and be really prosper if you do the right thing. Have a wonderful night. Hello, my name is Donna Gums and um I'm just wondering with this first part here about a text was sent out a text and you said that's a legal a text message.

Well, a text amendment to the ordinance, huh? Yes. So, so was that a text sent out? No, not Okay. Okay. So I I wondered about that. So I I thought that would have been illegal. But also, do you know that on Soya Road near Broad Street in that area, there are gas stations that's out of business over there and no one wants to develop there because the land is contaminated by what they did with having those tanks there.

And so we don't want our area to turn into something like that or wait for it to turn into something like that. We just know we don't need it. And also I lived in Brooklyn. I came here from New York and I like the space that you have, but now it's so crowded where there next to the high school there's been over a thousand apartments built. Um we don't have we have one supermarket unless you go to Union City or somewhere else further or uh or Peach Tree or somewhere. So we have to drive so far. Why we can't get quality things come in our area instead of more housing or gas station? I mean, housing, we still have a lot of that, too, because of the apartments as well that have been just developed in the last two years. But, I mean, we really don't need this gas station. I don't see what value is given to our area. What What value is it given to us? Can you can anybody justify the value is given us?

Okay. Do you think a nice restaurant people would like to go to or Well, I like some some people do. That's what they think we need.

Okay. All right. Well, that is my side of it because I really feel this is injustice and it's really not taking the people who are taxpayers, who are homeowners, people in in or whatever capacity that they come here in that we're not being taken into consideration. It's just someone has something to sell, someone has something to buy, and we don't care about the people. And then Yes. And then for the date to be changed, I would I have other neighbors that I like to tell about this. I would have been telling them those other dates that's here in in hard in writing as opposed to when he told us these other new dates. I would have hated to have even came here because I was relying on what was given to us tonight. So we we do want to keep those other dates and whatever we have to do, we want to make sure those dates because this shouldn't just be pushed that through like what you guys are trying to do and just change something at the last minute. Thank you.

She got to be down by March 6th. Good evening. My name is Nadia Murray and I live in district 1 at 4785 Cascade Hill Circle. Katherine Roel is my council person. Um, wanted to give a little context. I am a product of South Fton County. I have lived here since I was 2 years old. My parents purchased a home in 1977. So, I've seen the best and worst that South Fulton has had to offer. I've seen where we've had a Red Lobster on Old National. I've seen we had a Denny's Shaies. We even had a beach off of Old National,

Pleasant Hill Beach. But as of lately, we have turned South Fullton County into a pocket of poverty. Yes. Again. Okay. That's right. And that's what I don't want to continue. Okay. So, if Helen Willis and her counterparts are listening, we are asking that you hold this until after the election where we can have a value add and robust conversation where all citizens of South Fton County can have a seat at the table. Thank you.

Okay. And I want to close with the reason I'm passionate about this particular ordinance. When you talk about cancer, I'm standing before you as a two-time cancer survivor. Okay? So, unfortunately, this can't happen because what I just went through in 2024 and 2025, I wouldn't want my worst enemy to have to deal with it. So, if you love yourself and your family like my family loves me, then I ask that you hold this vote until we can get to the table and have a a conversation. Thank you and have a good evening.

Good evening. I'm Penny Webster Lewis. I live in district two and I read over the proposed changes and with that additional special use permit, this basically nullifies the original ordinance because okay, if they they can still get in less than a,000 ft from homes if you get a special use permit, which we don't get any say on. So what it's been a very crafted well-crafted this is a well-crafted document but it basically takes all the underpinnings that protect residents away. It's crafty but it's not protective.

We are not protected at all. And so, as you've heard, I'm not going to repeat anything that you've heard already, but the ordinance that exists right now is the underpinnings which keeps council from approving or even the zoning commissions from approving changing agricultural zones to C2 where they can put that gas station and with a special use permit, they can put 1,000 feet, less than 1,000 feet from somebody's house. This doesn't do this doesn't answer the mail. So what those who are the authors of this proposed

text amendment, they need to go back and look at it again because you've stripped away everything that ordinance 2021003 provided, all the protections for the environment. And wait a minute. Today at um I was at um oh it's the shoot uh stone not Stonewall but the middle school uh the the recreation center over by the middle school of sand town. They're installing EV chargers. EV is what's coming. When you talk about planning for the future the future isn't fossil fuels.

The future isn't fossil fuels. So, we shouldn't be looking to get more gas stations. We are losing parking spaces. Even out here at city hall, there are five or six parking spaces dedicated to EV. And then we're getting ready to strip what little protections we have of to the environment and to people's livelihood by changing it, which will make it easier to the for the zoning board to change from agricultural to C2. And that means we might look like an old national. So

as you think about this, as our council deliberates on this, this camp, this is not the answer. This is not the answer. So February 18th is not the answer and February 24th is not the answer. We need to do the right thing for the right reason. And I'm not against developers, but you've got to protect your constituents first. Thank you. I yield. Thank you.

I do want to offer a brief clarification if I may on our special use permit process. uh special use permits do have public hearings. And so um if a if a special use permit is requested, uh the community would have the opportunity to um to give public comment on that uh at a at a public hearing in front of city council and one in front of the planning commission. So um I I just wanted to make sure that we clarify that somewhere because I didn't see this for the first time till today.

It it it was just published today. Um we did put it on our um on our on the uh CDR website today. Exactly. Special use permit just mean they going simply special use permit going to simply means that okay we hear you all talking the residents come and talk we going to hear you talk then we going to go have executive session then we going to come back and say oh by the way six out of seven pass the special use permit. See this deceit and this crafted language which really need to be torn up and burnt because whatever we have to do to save our property and to keep our health and well-being in good standing and keep our children for getting leukemia and ourselves. We just heard a survivor here of cancer. Not going to happen. Okay, we going to stand up for hours. And I want everybody here before we leave. Make sure we meet up before because we're getting ready to have the news. We're going to take this world news. We're gonna take it further on every news and all that that the city of South Finland don't give a damn about they excuse my French. I don't mean to say the curse, but they don't care nothing about their constituents. They're selling us off for big development and they're selling us out and don't care nothing about our health. Not one time did the did the uh council woman when the developers was trying to put the gas station across from our street. Everybody on cross our street on wellwater and the gas station was trying to get right literally I can open up my door and I would see a chevron neon gas sign. Not one time did this council woman will meet with us.

Miss Loftton, Miss Loftton, if you if you may if I may please allow Thank you for your comments. Can we make a round for those who haven't? Okay. Yet and then if you have more. Okay. I'm I'm passionate about it because I understand. I'm I'm affected by this personally. I understand. I wanted to give you some time. But I do want to respect those who have not spoken yet. And so we want to Yes, ma'am. Thank you so much. Now, first of all, I'm so glad I made it here because I was trying to figure out what agenda was what day, at what location, at what library, at what?

So, first of all, I'm coming for for I think I think my name is Monica Pier on Mondays. So, now um

the reason I'm talking is and I'm kind of trying to find out what's going on now. First of all, I feel bad because I don't have a pin, ice out, and no gas station. But anyway, I'mma get it before I leave. Now, I have a child care center on Highway 138 in I guess it's Fairburn. It's kind of hard to figure out where you are, to be honest. Are you in the city of South Fton? Are you in Fairburn? Are you in Fed County? It's It's not really divided. I would like to know, too, who who these folks are. I don't know why there's not a name tag to say who y'all are. So, no, but I mean who who's who's who, cuz I I don't know who's who's a part of county explain the process. We're going to explain the process. Okay. So, anyway,

ma'am. Anyway, so ma'am, give us an opportunity. We'll answer. We're going to answer the question so you can understand what's happening, right? Because I've gone through a reasonzoning. I've gone through a different, you know, I kind of know the process. So, is this where where are the impact studies? First of all, why is this information not made public? I I can't find anything on the website. That's right. I can't find any and I'm pretty astute

technically competent. So, I mean, I know how to follow a couple of prompts and what I don't know, I asked chat and he couldn't find it. So, I I'm just wondering if we could kind of get things clarified, publicized, and then everybody can follow because it's almost like a a maze figuring out what's on the agenda, what's what's coming up, where's the public opinion, where's the community. First of all, the signs, where were they now? Is there certain because is this the agenda for tonight? I mean, what what's really going on is my general question.

So, I I've heard him speak, so I I guess you would say, are you City of South Fulton or what? Yes, ma'am. I'm the managing director of community development.

Super. Can't get a call from anybody in the city of South Fulton, planning, zoning. The only people that answer the phone are the people in um what's what's the people that come out and tell you to take your sign out? Who Who are the people? Code enforcement. they answer the phone. So, if we could work on that and getting some things published, that would be great. And then, um, I'm This is This goes in the silly category. Where is the gas station? Because on 138 there's supposed to be a gas station. Then there's a gas. It's kind of hard to figure out what gas station we're even talking about.

So, you know, it's hard to follow. You know whi which gas station is this? So this is this ordinance will be effective citywide. So this would Okay. Good information. Yes. Got it. Uh and and additionally, so I'm the director of CDR. This is our assistant city manager, Miss Carmen Davis. The remainder of the people here on the DES are uh are people who have cases that will be presented after we got after we're finished with this one.

What' you say? Don't look your way. Okay. Um so and I I do I do think that um impact studies, community studies, all of that. Where where can one find that about this particular gas station? Where is all that information? Right. There's there's not this doesn't pertain to just one gas station. So there are no studies to be found. So there is not a a QT coming on 138 next to it's been approved. Yeah, I thought it was approved. When I talked to you, when I came to the meeting over at the rec center the other day, they were saying that which gas station course the mic.

The mic. I thought I was talking loud enough. Sorry. Um I thought there was an approved gas station on Highway 138. Yes. If uh if if we're thinking about the same thing, there was a there was a gas station that was just approved at the corner of 138 and Old National. Old National, right? And when when did it happen? Where was the ims? Where was the information? Where were the signs up on the property? Because I lived not too far away. I passed there every day. Never saw a sign. Never. It it was it was there at at some point.

Anybody have a picture of it? Does anybody have picture of it being posted? Because every time I see, no, seriously, every time I see a sign come up on 138, I turn around, get over far as I can, and I say, "Hey, what is it for?" Because there's always never I only saw this sign. Was it yesterday? When did this sign go up? I just saw it yesterday. So, there No, I saw a sign about this meeting for the second item on the agenda um that was posted a few days ago. So, I was just wondering just general conversation.

So, it sounds like um that's for a different case, but because this is a text amendment, um the zoning procedures law does not um require us to post signs and we and we wouldn't even have anywhere to post them because it's it's a city-wide amendment and not on your website or anything to the this now is currently on the website today. So there isn't like a time period that that you kind of have time to read it and know it's there and all of that. There isn't like a law that says it has to be posted x number of days and get so many people to hear it read it and that's that's not a thing.

Oh, I forgot. She said she was going to give me clarification. So I'm going to sit down and and listen for the time being. But just FYI, it would be good to be able to not have to go to meetings to click on something, download what the petition is, and be able to read it in advance. Is that something that you all are going to work on or is it up it prior to the uh meeting where this will be heard? All of that information will be online. So the second So the second thing that's being about these houses on 138 is that is am I at the right meeting for that? Okay.

So that that is on your website, right? But I wasn't able to pull up anything. So, uh, um, I might have to get a member of my staff to chime in on that because I'm not Can you please yourself so we can know who is who can you introduce yourself, please? Reginald McClendon. Community development and regulatory affairs. Okay. Next person, please. Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Carmen Davis and I am one of the assistant city managers here with the city of South Fulton.

And to clarify, so the remainder of the folks that are at the table are actually applicants. After we're done with this text amendment, they will actually introduce theirel and talk about the project that they're um here for. But I am one of the planners on staff, Adriana Eckles. And then we have another planner outside, Alani Joseph, who helped you sign it. Obviously, thank you. Also, questions about where things are located. At the end of this meeting, I'm happy to take you through our beautiful website to show you where you can find the agenda, text amendments, and all that stuff. So, I'll start by saying let me one minute, please. Okay. I didn't look. So, I would love to allow those who have not spoken yet

to have an opportunity if there's anyone else who would like to speak who have not been heard.

Good evening. I Reynolds uh 585 Kings Place. I reside in District 7 and this is where all the hub is about. The gas station is coming into our area. just like to say um it's good to see you Mr. McClendon. Welcome back and congratulations Mr. Davis as always. Ladies and gentlemen, I just want to say that I heard a lot tonight and couple names that was thrown out there, but I want you to understand that no one person can push this agenda. So, as you see the names that are on this sheet who all sponsored this bill, they have a burden to bear as well. So, let's not just throw it all on one, but we understand who that one is, but the rest of them as well need to uh bear the burden just like that one does. Now, Mr. McClendon, you did a pretty good job in explaining this text amendment, but I have to say that it's kind of all over the place. you know, uh there were some things that you stated that was not on here that uh was going to be omitted or this that and the other. I guess my question to you is uh before this comes even to planning, will a full disclosure of the ordinance be updated so that we can have the actual language that it's going to say?

Right. Thank you for that question. Um, and the answer to that is yes. This this document is um still still like I said, it's a living document currently. So, it's still being gone through some some different iterations and minations. Um but prior to um hopefully prior to the planning commission public hearing, but certainly um prior to uh final passage, there will be a um a completed version of this document um vetted of course through our law department um that will have all the relevant information, but I do believe in its current status presented to you, it's um very close to what the final document will be.

Okay, thank you for that. So once again that you see that we are not in favor of more gas stations especially in the area that they have already agreed and voted on to put this QT. Um the old national 138 area is already oversaturated with gas stations. Uh again, you talk about the environmental use and everything of that nature, how we're moving to uh different types of energy and there has to be a undertone to this whole madness because we've been asking for things uh and you heard some of them here u you know just so that we can enjoy our communities and I do know that here tonight it's not addressed to you guys because you know I I wanted to make people understand that the ones that need to hear this, you need to be at the next meeting.

You need to be at the next meeting so that we can be heard even more. If you don't stand for something, you stand for anything. We have got to start to take note and take heed to who we are electing.

And that's where it all lies. You know, don't want to go there, but I got to. You know, you can't do anything if people don't have any vision other than what they're putting in your area. And like the lady stated earlier, I've been around Atlanta a while and I've been in that same area for over 30 years. So, I know what it was. I know how it shifted. And for some reason, we say that we're a city on the rise, but we at we look like we're a city at a standstill because we do not bring any other type of development other than these types of developments. And so our money leaves our community as soon as we get it.

And that's something that we all should be trying to keep within our community to support our schools, support our kids, and so forth. Like someone stated uh earlier, this type of development, I'm telling you, I I'm not sure. I'm hopeful that we can get this to even get it hailed, you know, but I have no confidence, I'm sorry, that this is going to be in the favor of community. And let me just share, I'm Alvin Reynolds. I'm an advocate for city of South Fulton

communityfriendly and I want everybody to know we have got to stand up one through seven not just our area see people come out when it only affects their area but this have an implication to affect the whole entire city and this is what's been happening for the since our existence has been in the city we don't have seven cities in one area As our council portrays, we are one city. Yes.

And we need to stand as one. And we ask you, director, CDR, assistant manager. I don't know what you can do or what you can say, but please convey our system here tonight. Thank you. Hey, I'm Maurice Hill, resident of South Fton. I'm just listening to the elders really and the ones that come after them. Um, I'm hearing, you know, disease to the pollution, cancer, which is very deep. Um, sex trafficking,

drug trafficking. I'm not sure if y'all thought about that before y'all came with the idea, but I work all around this city and growing up around different ages of groups of people, people losing their um, children or their children being tooken. It happens at gas stations, especially in the black communities, in our communities. Now I'm not gonna say say black community our community period because we want to make our community a decent and safe place to live and to learn. So when you have the gas station in order to bring problems they not asking for gas stations they clearly asking for you know markets um was deep agriculture and again moving around the city I don't see none of that's going on. So me personally, I'm back at them. I mean, the ones that come after them, you talking about I'm pretty sure majority of the adults, the parents have grandchildren. And again, these are gas stations or by schools, by bus stops,

by, you know, important areas. And again, all I hear is um and see is disease, uh poor, uh pollution, sex trafficking, drug trafficking, um poverty, um and excuse me, because this is deep. I mean, this is real. So again, I just hope y'all think about that seriously. I mean, if you really care and they are asking you, can you know, can you put a helmet? it come with something more, something that's going to help the community, that's going to help the children, that's going to help the future.

Um, again, market uh agriculture, you know, uh you um this agriculture um is deep. They we don't need no gas stations. We do not need no more gas stations. And again, most problems come from gas stations. And again, I've been a resident um for a while and a guy worked in the city for a while. And again, most problems come from gas stations. So again, just think about sex trafficking, drug trafficking, robberies, uh killing,

um homeless, not saying like that. You've had people just stay in the uh gas stations. and again watching where the folks live at and it it it breaks privacy also. So when you think about that uh do you want that in um might ask a question if I'm allowed to ask a question to them? Are y'all residents of South 14? Good question. Yes. How many? Well, these these folks are here for other cases. We're representation of

Okay. So y'all too, so y'all should know exactly what's going on. Again, like when you ride down Old National, you have a almost uh if not a church every corner, a liquor store in the corner or a gas station in the corner. You don't have a market. You don't have health um dining, fine dining, you don't have um I mean, I guess you have dialysis or whatever. Now they tried to build replace it with Walgreens.

But again, where's the the good that? Why is y'all pushing gas stations? The they not asking for gas stations. And I'm I mean this simple. And these are people that been around for a while. And again, you have children, my my children, their grandchildren. And again, think about sex trafficking. kidnapping, drug trafficking, and again that will happen because again these folks already the I'm sorry these adults these parents are already pretty much living a good life and when you come with gas stations and they crying out to you

no more um no more gas stations. You already have a gas station. I mean again why not come with market marketplace? Why not come with a Whole Foods? Why not come with a Sprouts? Why not come with a farmers market? Why not come with um academy for the uh babies?

Uh dayc carees. Um what else we missing? Then think about what we missing. We don't need no more gas station. So this uh dropping a seed over there to you know the residents. You know, this is real because again again I'm I'm letting you know because I see this and you talk to a young dude who who who sees this uh our women are being followed um predators are being established in these gas stations. So again, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, killing,

this drive by shooting, uh poisoning the whales because the whales really mean something to the people. Yes, it really means something. And agriculture, why not open up a park? Why not? Uh where um Okay, you got Walk Park. Um, and again, that's about it. But why not open up a park? Why not open up a market, YMCA?

A YMCA, a uh a basketball court, um after school um a programs um again and um because this is deep and I'm pretty sure uh the people who's over y'all and they who over them know what's going on, but that's just a whole another level we'll get to in the future. So they are really just asking for y'all help and it's really this simple. Don't put the gas station there where it takes have the people back. You talking about taxpayers. You talking about people they pay their hardearned money.

I mean again people going up on their taxes. So they simply just asking now they they not even asking for um um they not asking for parts and all that. What I'm saying all they simply asking for is not to put a gas station. And again, nobody is not gonna use them gas because again saw for is almost filled up uh with people. I mean again y'all with parents and adults and grandparents and great people and again I guess y'all are building homes or whatever y I mean but at the end of the day again just think about drug trafficking,

sex trafficking, uh killing. I mean this is real. And you know just sleep on that. This sleep on that and I'm Maurice Hill and um I could go by district too but I go for the whole South Fortune because this this district is not against this district. We all is one um community South Fton. So again I mean

thank you Mr. Maurice. So, my name is Loretta Williams and I'm in District 4 and I want to first um say um thank you for this uh platform. Um but boy, I guess there's a common theme here. We don't want no gas stations. Did y'all get that? I mean, that's pretty clear, right? But I have a question to Mr. McClendon, who we know, who we have worried to death for other purposes. Um tell me again your title. managing director managing director of of community development and regulatory affairs.

That's what I thought. And okay, so I have a question of you and a part of that mandate and in your role is that is it your mandate responsibility or purpose to bring certain industries to the community? Is that what you do? I I I just want to know. No, ma'am. That would be um our economic development department. Okay. And do you work in tandem with them? Of course.

Okay. So, so the that that so you and economic development because I I'm understand and I'm want to ask these questions like this lady here. I want to get the lay of the land. So you work with them to bring certain industries, certain businesses to South Fulton. Is that correct? We we work in close conjunction with them.

Okay. Is there anything that you can do to help with again the requests that keep hearing over and over again? We heard about the no gas stations, but the things that we actually do want. Um they they showed us when we first moved here um a perspectus of what they were going to do on South Fulton where it was going to be a mixeduse community or something and somehow that kind of went away. I don't know what happened to that. But can we have something like that here?

Some Yeah. I'm saying we're about the same size as a city like Sandy Springs and we could do the same kind of things, but it's almost like it's almost like like my husband was saying like the gold rush is on. They saw the money

and they running for it. And all we're getting is more building. And I have no problem with home building because if you check and hear the stats about the number of housing that is needed in the United States of America, it's unbelievable. And I know that there's a purpose and a place for those things. I don't know why it has to be South Folton except somebody said 400 million was available or something. the budget the the budget. And so it's like we being redlined for the things that we need

except development except building more houses which brings more tax base which is a wonderful thing but where are we going to eat? Where are we going to have entertainment? Where are we going to shop? Those are the questions I have. Yes. Okay.

So um thank you. As I mentioned, my name is Carmen Davis, assistant city manager and um my responsibility I oversee several departments. CDR is one, economic development is the other, uh information technology and court services. So I can give you some insight to economic development just briefly but I know others want to speak some more on this project. So we have done you mentioned about we've been talking about um we had sharetses on exercises for mixeduse developments and retail. So the city is undergoing a lot of visioning. And so one of them is our comprehensive comp comprehensive plan update which is a update that we do every five years. And so certainly there are opportunities for you to still engage in those. We have meetings this week in the different sectors of the city. Um, we also in the past we had those sharetses to say what do you want to see? What do you want to have? And we've received public input and your desire what you like to see in the community. That information has been captured. We have um contracted with a retail strategies a consultant to assist us in doing um they've conducted studies took our uh demographic information and they are working with retailers to try to match our demographics to their concept because all these retailers they all have their marketing concept and and criteria in which they locate and what they need to locate somewhere. And so um so there are developments underway um there but you know sometimes it takes a while for that to happen two to three years in general. Uh and so we do have certain um developments happening around town that will be coming forth that will be housing those type of uh desired services that you have. But um but

believe me we are working very hard advocating for the city trying to bring those services here. And so we totally agree with you. My followup question is where did they collect so you said that they did that they did studies and collected information that data has been captured. I want to know if anybody in here was given a survey or questionnaire to find out where Yeah. We weren't we we I was given a survey about five six times. Only thing came up with gas station. Yeah. Interesting. Have you ever gotten I mean I know you've been living here quite a while. Nothing

never got we never got anything. I don't but it might be because we're in district four. I don't know but um I I was just wondering where that information how that information was captured too. That's what I wanted to know. Thank you. Thank you. Here you go.

My name is Talha Amanra and I live in district 4. Now, just like this brother was saying, this may all be a mute situation. We just here talking because the dye has been cast. But what if it is a gas station, we're going to protest it, so they won't make no money. But the thing is, the tanks will already be in. And then it if we protest it and they close down, it'll be another abandoned gas station with tanks that nobody wants to take the money to get out of the area. So why are we why should we have to go through all that? Because if it does come and especially I'm talking about the one at Butner and Stone Watel for example. If it comes right there where there's a gas station right across from it

that a brother's been there for a while that's going to run him out of business. A small business. It's going to run him out to have a major gas station in that spot. he won't be able to survive there. Several little small businesses, they'll probably all be gone. Okay. So, it looks like to me in a way a little gentrification.

South Fulton is strategically located. It's near the airport. It's near Sarby. It's near Trillith. Not that far. it would be build it up, let it go all the way down and then come back in and make it for everybody else. So that seems to be what's happening. I've seen this happen in so many other places, okay? And especially in our neighborhoods cuz you realize you gave the best area to us and now we want to take it back, but we have to let it go down first

and then come in and build it up. So, if the gas station does come, we'll protest it. We won't let them make no money. But then you got to come in and have like these other abandoned gas stations that the brother was talking about. They're just there. Nobody has come in and taken those tanks out of the ground. They've been right there. So, it'll be the same type thing. So, don't even bring it so we don't have to go through all this. And all the districts are one. And we need to get that into our mind. I don't know if the city council people and stuff, do they get kickbacks? Do they get money from this? I mean, what do how do they benefit from this?

Especially when their constituents say they don't want it. Because somebody ask, how do they benefit from this? Huh? I'm asking you guys, how do they benefit from this when the constituents don't want it? I'm not aware. Excuse me. I'm not aware of anything that you're speaking of. No, I'm just saying if the council people, how many out of what? Six out of what? Five out of six want this, right? Five out of seven. What do they benefit from this when their constituents don't want it? That just makes me think, you know, what else is going on here? That's a great question. You know, what do they benefit from?

Unless we just have a coup and take over and wipe them all out, you know? and we run. We could do a better job, you know. No, it's just for real, you know, because like you said, we elected these people, right? What are they doing for us? So, it makes you think there some type of corruption. They getting something in the back end. Why? It makes no sense. It makes no sense. That's why I'm saying you guys know. Do you live in Fulton County, South Fulton? Okay. So, that's mute. You live here, right? So what do you think could be the reason that they for other people? No, I'm just asking you

as a manager. Why do you think or how do you feel about five out of seven voting for this when majority of their constituents don't want it? I can't answer that question. I know. But you live here. You have to have some type of idea. You're in the government. Maybe you can make us feel a little better by telling us what you think is going on. But but I'm here in a capacity position. No, no, no. I'm not trying to put you on the spot, but I'm just trying to understand why would they do this when their constituents do not want it. You can't answer it. I'm sure. But it's it's something going on here. It's something going on here that doesn't make any sense.

Okay. Yeah. So that that's all I'm saying. Thank you. All right. Make sure nobody else going up there before. All righty. I appreciate you respecting that, but I just want to make sure everyone was I'll probably be last. Go ahead.

Um, I'm going start with a few things. One, I want to thank y'all for indulging us. Um, I think it gives you guys an opportunity to understand the community that you are looking to build within. Um, basically, we don't want junk. So, think about that as you go through your processes. Um, I haven't quite read through what you guys are trying to bring, but I certainly will. Um, I appreciate you guys who have been um, as you indulge us, you haven't been so bored out of your mind that you just stayed in your phone the whole time. But we appreciate that. That's why I don't frequent that nail salon anymore. But that phone down, man.

But, but honestly, I mean, I know the first time I came up here and I asked about stuff from a procedural perspective. I think this time I really want to kind of go a different direction because to me like we talk about removing things because I thought you said that there'll be some things as long as they are M1 M2 C2 they thousand feet from wherever. I guess if they can meet this 35 foot tree buffer which is like not even the length of this room

um if we must really think about that. So you could be here and your gas station could be right there. Um I I I think for me my biggest issue with this whole conversation is that it it honestly started from one or two gas stations that wanted to go here or there. It wasn't like it was an outcry from the from the citizenry. And then we operate with this consumer mentality that we think is okay to put in our community. So, what I did while I stood back there on that wall, because this wasn't what I originally was going to say, I decided to quickly look up what is the business model of a gas station in a predominantly African-American community.

Fuel is not it.

But we talk about we want to try to ensure that we are modernizing our gas stations. So I propose since we are opening up the code a brownfield fee. You want a gas station? That ain't really where you make your money at anyway. Why don't you give 1% back? Because you approved that QT station and they stood there and talked about how they give back to our community. Anybody in this room can go do research cuz I dang sure show did it that night. Because when when then Councilwoman Guns specifically asked them about their community engagement and involvement, the lady stood there and she called out all these wonderful things that they give to. But as long as that QT station has been down there on Fulton Industrial, I found it to be pretty sad that no organization that she called out was anything in South Fulton.

But Athens, Clark County, Okone, Hyum, City of Atlanta, Gwynette, hundreds of thousands of dollars that they're giving. So for us, you're taking my money, our money, and you're taking it over there.

That's it. I don't care WHAT COLOR THEY ARE OVER THERE. It's not here. It's not helping my community. So, okay, we'll get back to the Well, so, so consider that adding that to people investing. So, when they walk away because that's what's going to happen. They're intentionally going into a place where they are going to walk. You're going to drive Han out of business and he's going and and those empty tanks are going to be there. We as a city are going to be left with the inability to develop it.

We don't have the money for a brownfield to to remediate the brownfield. We got to have matching funds. If we go try to get federal dollars, we got to figure out a way to match it. So, why not make them pay in? And I have a hard time believing that they would really push back on it when the majority of their money is made off of tobacco and nicotine products, alcohol sales, snacks and processed foods, sugary and energy beverages, lottery tickets, ATM fees, phone cards, and prepaid utilities, CBD, Delta 8. You know those like I think they call them psycho additives or something like that. I just don't understand why anybody would have an issue contributing to the community that they are poisoning.

Like the least you could do is give us a little bit of our money back so that when you run in the ground cuz you support somebody else coming to compete against you in the future cuz that's what you're doing. You're opening yourselves up. At least allow us to remediate the land. Give the city put the money in a fund where the city can either give a loan or a credit to somebody who wants to come and remediate that land and turn it into something good. Give the money to the city so that the city they can go pull down federal funds so that they can have something to match. 1% of annual fees is nothing of your of your annual f fuel revenue.

But right now we get nothing. And my big thing about this notion of just moving the the revenue from one, you're just moving it from one corner to the next. So unless you tell me that this thing is within x number of feet from the Union City line and so they're going to compete with that one, we're not gaining any new revenue. We're just swapping it around. It's like a shell game. We're not getting anything out of it. I want to make a couple more proposals since we opening up the code. I want to know when you say a th00and feet distance is that doortodoor

it's it's property line to property line okay so then what I would ask because it includes or it did at one point it's probably been stripped out who knows you've got daycarees schools and all that kind of good stuff that's in there why can't we increase it's still in here I believe No, maybe not. Why can't we increase that? So, I would like to propose that we increase it to 3,000 ft. Give these people I mean I I know for a fact these folks live across the street from what is proposed as a Stonewall tail.

Mr. Middlebrooks, all those good folks. Give these people some relief. You're talking about a 35 foot tree buffer. Again, not even the length of this room. Why don't we put some some standards in here that talk about the folks don't have to have lighting shining into their houses at night? Why do if you're in a residential area, why don't we put you got to cut off business at a certain time? Every You don't need to have a gas station run 24 hours, but they got to listen to it 24 hours. That's why we don't want it.

I I I just think I'm I'm personally not anti- business. I don't think anybody in this room really is. I think what people are really concerned about is the lack of transparency. Regardless to what press statements or what communications get put out there, there's been a lack of transparency that has taken place in this process. one way by example, you put out, you read, you walk on the agenda, one version, and then you come in the room tonight and you get another version. And I apologize to you guys as a staff. I just want y'all to know that brother right there is smart.

Don't get it twisted. And I ain't saying that cuz he's sitting in the room. The brother is he went to law school first and foremost. Did you go to UG? I think he went somewhere. He went somewhere. He passed somebody bar some bar we ain't passed. Smart brother. I feel sorry for our staff as a city that they have to sit here and endure this because it's nonsense. It doesn't make sense. And they have to sit here and take the blunt of what five people have put in front of them. And quite frankly, I believe Aaron Johnson has been bamboozled. He's new

and I truly believe he's been bamboozled. And again, I apologize. I hope y'all will do it with me on behalf of the city of South Fton for half the crap y'all have to put up with because it's absolute nonsense.

They can't control that. I'm not going to hold them to it. I know it's wrong. I know without a shadow of a doubt it's wrong. Yes. But as long as Helen and as you said, five, four other people are pushing this along, they don't have a choice. THEY HONESTLY DON'T. THEY KNOW IT'S NOT RIGHT. IT'S not right to walk something on the agenda and let that be the first time we hear about it.

Then you're out of process because it's a text amendment. You can't do that like that. So that's why we're here tonight because the process wasn't right. When I say the brother smart, THE BROTHER'S SMART. YOU CAN'T walk a zoning amendment on in the middle OF A DAG ON COUNCIL I'm sorry at the end of a council meeting when everybody has left the room. You and and then it's it's it's prefuncter and foolishness to even think it's going to go before the planning commission who they've all appointed. They've already given signal to what they want.

We can go. We need to be there. We need to be on the record every single time letting them know that this is not right. This process isn't right. And the other thing we got to do, y'all, is we got to talk to people. We got to get people to show up at the polls. Yes. Because if we have people show up at the polls, they'd be scared to do stuff like this. And I'm done. Anybody else want to speak?

I'mma be done. I'mma be done. I'm just about just uh going back on what she said that they give nothing back to the community. The developer of the gas station on Stonewall tail, he has a 1.4 million home in Aphereta. Don't give nothing. I guarantee you if you check the tags, if you check the addresses of these developers coming in our community, they not one of them living in the city of South Fton. but they make the money and they take it back to where they live and support their community and their neighborhood. So, we really, really, really need to start a voter registration drive to get more young people involved and more older people, all ages involved to vote these five council members who put this in here and not fighting on our behalf. And they know this. They know this. A lot of them, one of the representative, I think it's Old National. Everybody in their mama know Old National got enough gas station for two cities.

For two cities, not including the neighboring cities that's connected to it. See, you have to include the neighboring cities. You have to include our city. And you got to know that there is a lot of gas station in the city of South Fton. And look for a protest real soon. I'm gonna let this go. I just have one thing to say. Plea develop I mean um you said your position was what? Director of community development

director. Please look at this, study this, ponder over this because this is very serious. You're dealing with our grandchildren life. You're dealing with a whole community that has worked their behind off to be here and to pay you all your salary. Our tax dollars pay the salary to all of these who are in leadership. So, I just want you to really think about this. Don't be bullied into signing off on this ordinance because this would be injustice to our community and it would be an injustice to the school system with a gas station right across the street from children who are in elementary school. You're talking about middle school. You're talking about high school. You're talking about things that children will be stopping at these uh gas station with predators in the gas station looking at young girls, grabbing young girls. I just want you to really vision a gas station being around a corner from Stonewall Tail Elementary School. Children are walking to school. You got the high school. They're going in there buying cigarettes, blunts, beer, asking somebody to buy Think about this. Would you do this if you was in Sandy Spring?

No. Would you do this if you was in John Creek? No.

Please think about how South Fton is positioning their self. If you want to be number one on the south side, let's act like a class of number one people. Because I'm telling you, we have a good thing here. But if you run us down with gas stations and things that are making our community worthless, you're going to regret the day that you did it because you're bringing it down. You're bringing our standards down. You won't be bringing them up. These people will be gone long in these positions. As congressmans, we have to live to see these these things that are unpleasant to the eyes. When crime go up, you hearing am already day and night. It was never like this in South Fton. You're hearing uh police day in and day out. It has truly changed. Imagine you sitting there eating dinner with your family and you're hearing about over the radio, this gas station been robbed. It's a girl been raped at this gas station. sex trafficking said we don't need this kind of stuff. We need things that's going to bring the community up, not down. And I'm going to go have a seat, but I just wanted to plead with you as a resident. Think about this. I know all the councilwoman think this is a good thing. Who knows what they're getting maybe on the table. I don't know. But I'm sure it could be investigated because at the end of the day, this is where we stay. This is where we play. This is where we work. We want our community to be safe, a decent place to live. When I moved here, I was very proud. I was very proud to be in South Fton. It was unincorporated College Park. We had the best school system it was on the southside. Everybody tried to get in South in Stonewall Tail. But now look at the um rates. They had gone down because why? We're landing things in our community that we have control over in our

community and we're not taking it serious. You may be here today and gone tomorrow, but we have to live with this as a community. Please just think about it. This is not about me. It's about a community of people crying out to our representatives saying that this is not a good thing. Thank you so much for listening and I pray that you all ponder over this and really think about what is next for the agenda to bring up our community and not bring it down. Have a good night and be safe.

Thank you. Uh all right, I believe that's the last comment. Um we do have more cases to get to. I want to um make a point before you all leave to to let you know this. Uh there are two public hearings. Um our public hearings are timelmited. So it would be um I I think it would be beneficial for you all to ensure that you organize yourselves uh so that um you can make your points succinctly to the planning commission and to the mayor and council uh and decide what individuals you want to speak for you and know what they're going to say prior to those hearings. uh because you're you're certainly not going to get two hours to to make your presentation at those hearings. Um

February the 18th 6:00 p.m. Welcome all Park uh facility is the planning commission hearing for this item. February 24th, which is a Tuesday. February 18th is Wednesday. February 24th is Tuesday, 5:00 PM here at city hall in front of the mayor and city council.

Thank you. The next case we have is Z26-005/CDP26-002. The address is 0 and 3665 Jonesboro Road. The applicant is requesting a special use, I'm sorry, the applicant is requesting a reszone from AG1 to CUP with a future land use amendment from suburban 2 neighborhood to suburban 1 neighborhood to develop a single family residential community of 41D attached home homes on 13.83 acres located in district 4. I do also want to note that this case will be going to the planning commission hearing that will be taking place on February 18th and be going to the mayor and council meeting that will be March 10th.

Adria, do you want to show my presentation? Oh, okay. Thank you very much. That just went to the slideshow. Do you have my Oh, there we go. Excuse me. Oh, good evening everyone. My name is Michelle Macaulay. I work with a firm called Gaskins Lacrosse. We're a civil engineering and planning firm. We're located in Duth, Georgia. It's my pleasure to be in Georgia. We live in our offices are in Duth.

That didn't load all the way properly, but we are here on behalf of our client to represent a resoning and a comprehensive land use amendment. This is a property that is on 3665 Jonesboro Road. We're reszoning from AG1 agricultural to CUP community unit plan and we are proposing to amend the land use plan from suburban 2 neighborhood to suburban one neighborhood. This is for the construction of 41 single family detached homes. So here's our property that's outlined in red. This is on Jonesboro Road. You can see that it's on the north side of Jonesboro Road directly adjacent to the Jonesboro Road Senior Village. Um and then on the east side that's a transmission line and then we are just to the west of the intersection with Besta Road. This is our property. This is the zoning map for um the city of South Fulton there where you see the property is currently zoned AG1 which is green shown there. I'd like to point out to you that to the north of the property is the city of Union City. um that's outside the municipal bounds of South Fulton. And then on the right there in the beige color, that's the comprehensive plan land use designation of suburban to neighborhood. So what we're proposing and I'll show you the site plan here. Oh, I'm sorry. Yes, we are in the Clifton I mean sorry the old national highway overlay district. This is a black and white rendering of our site plan, but I'm going to go ahead and skip forward to the color version. So as you can see on this property, we are 13.83 83 units u 13.83 acres um because we had joined the city of Union City there is a 100 foot buffer that's required by the code up against uh other jurisdictions. So the northern part of the property there is that 100 foot buffer. There's also a creek that runs through the property. So everything that

is to the east of the creek will be undeveloped. Of the 13.83 acres there will be seven acres in green space that will be protected with this community. There will be 41 homes. There will be an amenity area with a gathering space in a mail kiosk. We are currently showing a second point of emergency access. In the city of South Fulton, the fire marshall has reviewed this project. If you have more than 30 homes, one point of access, you have to have a second point of access. So, that's what we're showing there. It's the I don't Does this have a pointer on it?

It's right here. Can I Can you see it? I'll stand on it. I see that one. You said second part. Oh, okay. And let's hold the questions until the end of the presentation. That way she can answer them all together.

Sure. So, let me just explain uh the reason. So, the property is AG1. It's undeveloped. We're reszoning to CUP 441 homes. There's also the request for a land use amendment. And the reason for that is suburban neighborhood 2, which is the current designation, allows up to eight units to the acre. The proposal is only 2.96 units to the acre, but the zoning district CUP is not listed as consistent with that land use. So, we are asking to go to suburban one neighborhood, which allows up to three units to the acre. Um, and is consistent with CUP. So, that's what we're proposing. There's two things that will be held at that meeting that night. A resoning and a land use amendment. I'm going to show you now. These are some proposed elevations for these homes. These homes will be three and four bedrooms. Um they are looking to sell starting in the mid to high 300s. They will have a a mix of materials um board and batten stone brick on the exterior of the facade. These are just examples of what the homes will look like. And then here, this is not the best of pictures, but I wanted to give you an example of what the amenity area will look like. So, this is what's considered a gathering space. This is when it was being constructed in a neighbor, another neighborhood. But you see, it's a landscaped area. It's a low wall gravel area for like a fire pit and seating. This will be near the mail kiosk. So, when neighbors are coming to get their mail, they have a place to sit and gather and communicate with their uh other neighbors. Um, we have already had our community meeting. The sign was posted on the property. That's what you saw. Um, and as Adriana said, this will go before the planning commission on the 18th of February and will go before the mayor council on March 10th. And with that, I'll answer any questions you may have about the project.

Michelle, is that the conclusion of your presentation? That concludes it. And I'm going to go back to the site plan so you can see it. Okay. At this time, we're going to open it up for comments for the residents. Again, please be respectful to one another. Once you ask your questions, please allow the applicant to respond.

Michael Venable is District 6. Um, I guess it's the staff. What are the regulations on the number of garage units for residents? It depends on if there's any conditions in place, but typically for CUP, it's two garages. But again, CUP gets to create their own conditions. Okay. Well, now

I believe that the parking request I believe the parking standards are at least two off- streetet parking places per house. So, with the twocar garage homes, there would be four. And with the if they do decide to do a singlecar garage, there would be the two parking spaces. It's parking spaces off the street, not necessarily the garage space. Well, I guess I'm looking at the physical building itself. Sure. Why Why aren't all of your homes twocar garages?

This is just a They haven't made the final decision on what the future product will be. So right now they're looking at both containing a mix of singlecar garage and twocar garages, but that's not hasn't been decided yet what that mix would be. Ultimately, it comes down to trying to make this neighborhood attainable. When we talked with the district commissioner, she I mean district council one, she wanted to make sure that that there was homes in this neighborhood that um more people could afford to purchase. So, it would be a mixture, but that's definitely something that can be talked about more with when the builder comes in.

Okay. And I was looking at your CUP designation. I'm assuming that is because of the Union City setback, the creek that you're modifying that. Um h how how big are the lots itself?

These lots will be 4,000 square ft. Yeah. The reason you've hit the nail on the head. The reason for the cup is because this 13.83 acre site is heavily constrained uh with the 100 foot buffer up against Union City and the creek that runs through it. So for the future homeowners, it will it relaxes, you know, it gives them seven acres of green space protected um that will never be developed or touched. But yeah, that does allow for the flexibility to put this the 4,000 foot lots in there.

Okay. No, I'm I'm pretty familiar. I guess this was the boring stuff that used to happen when we were unincorporated and you were there and I were there and um I guess it's not as exciting as what you just heard before. Um here. Um could you back up? Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to I didn't mean to go forward. There you go. Do you need me to read what the setbacks are? What we're proposing? Yes. What what what are the the the front rear side setbacks?

We're proposing a front a front setback of 20 ft. a side setback of five. Uh there will be a minimum of 10 feet between buildings and um the side corner lots will have a 15 foot setback on the side on the corner. So there'll be the front the front is 20 and then if you're on a corner the side will be 15 and there any consideration from doing some side entry garages that can be brought up to the developer. Yes, there would be an opportunity on the corners to do something like that. Yes, we can. I can put that comment down and bring it to them and you can bring it up at the planning commission as well. Well, you know that and the twocar garages. Yeah,

we can do that. And if you could back up and I'll finish which you slide. Yeah, that one. Oh, there you go. And I'm assuming, well, I guess it has to be.

The houses are budding 138. The fronts are interior. The fronts will be facing interior. Yes, sir. Okay. And there will be a no access easement along there. Okay. But the rear construction that's totally non-masonary if I'm looking at from the street. Are you asking? So this what this the gray box on this site plan is showing is not the house. It's the complete building area. Okay.

So that includes the yards and everything. Okay. It won't go that just that is just the box that's created by the setbacks. Yeah. said that, but I guess the the building itself, I saw your mockups. I I'm assuming there will be no masonry on the rear of the properties facing one Jonesboro Road that all your masonry will just be on the front. You know, that's not something that they've made that decision on. You're saying the rear facades that have that back up to 138? Yes. Yes. Okay. We can just take that as a comment. Okay. When you say masonry, you're talking about stone and brick, not hardy plane.

Yeah, stone. Yeah, stone and brick. I mean, it's it's it's an appearance feature. You know, we sometimes get confused at wanting placing almost so much emphasis on being the quote affordable as to being a good subdivision. You quality, you look at that first, then you say, "Okay, let me see what I can do." And if I'm driving by, at least give me the illusion that maybe you've got something nice in here. And having that with um you know, a typical rear facade that does not have the um mock-ups of your front that that's that's problematic.

Gota. Okay. All right. Thank you for that. I also want to note that this uh development will be or potential development will be in council district five. Yeah, cuz I thought I was seven. This is council district 5. It's directly across the street. It's that's the dividing line. We're in We're in Councilwoman Bell's district. Again, kind of hard to tell.

Okay. Um, so we have our childcare center right down the street from here. Been there 25 years. I'm glad to see anything other than the weeds come. But if I look at this and I'm thinking there 41 houses. Do Do I need to say my name again? Okay. Monica Pier still. Um, so I'm looking at this and I'm thinking, hm, I think I'd at least like some sort of meeting area instead of just a house and that's it. No pool because I Oh my, I think I could do the fire pit in my own backyard. I'm thinking we need to look at a little more to be appealing for three 300k.

All right. Then I'm thinking noise. I'm going just share a story. Okay. I was in a high-rise hotel and I could not go to sleep for hours because of the traffic noise. That's what this is giving me. 138 is unbelievably busy. So, it's going to be what? I'm sorry, ma'am. Could you speak into the mic at all times? Thank you so much. Oh, sure. It's It's a little awkward to be honest. Does it go down? Pull it down. Pull it down. See, I don't want to break this knife and then y'all be okay. Look how helpful. Look how helpful. Okay,

real real quick because I know we've been here a while. Got to get some more amenities. Gotta be kind of cute. I don't think I like the squareness of it. I'm kind of a visual person. When I look at that, I'm thinking, you know, yes, ma'am.

Civil engineer probably could do a little bit better. Architects get this together and make it look cute because it's not really cute right now. Um, I think I think we need some sort of amenities for sure. It needs to be some kind of buffer because there are a lot of people flying off of 138 into people's off the highway into each other. It looks awful close to 138. Um, but I do I do think houses on 138 would be fine. Are you near Are you near this little hill that goes up right there by by Peters or where where is this going to be the entrance?

And I'm the person that wouldn't put the sign out that you saw. So I walked the frontage of that property. So it's fairly flat there. It it I parked just to let you know, full disclosure, I parked in the senior village and I walked along the frontage of 138. Okay. Um no, there's not a I mean as you're coming as you're coming from the slope. Well, as you were coming from the SATA, as you're heading towards the highway, it did go up there, but where we are in this particular site, it is fairly flat. I didn't I wasn't having to walk up. I do not I mean, it's it's shown on that site plan, but it probably it's not the city is

it's I don't know if you could read that. Very difficult, but that's what I said.

But yeah, it's very flat there. You go past it. When you go past it, I was walking I think I think some more consideration should be given to what's buffering noisewise because it is going to be very noisy, very unsafe. It goes right off of the floor, right off of the the the street. Definitely get some more amenities. Um because I I can't really even sell this to my parents and get them excited. It just looks like a little square. Just a little square. little bit different shapes of the lots. It kind of looks like a little Don't you know I I don't know. All right.

It kind of looks more like a golf cart community where you just scoot around to somebody else's house. You they don't they don't look different sizes. This this I should let you know and and maybe we can make the change for the planning commission when you come back. But so what is shown in the gray is when you have when you establish a lot, you establish how far the house has to be minimum back from the street, how much from the side and from the rear. So that creates an envelope. So the house can be anywhere in here. This is not including the yard. What I'll try to do is another rendering that shows you where the houses will be.

There's a stagger requirement in the city of South Folton. So the homes won't be sitting um directly, you know, it won't be a long line of home like a town home or this is 10 ft is about like thisish from the next house. See see it's it's a minimum. So these are minimums. The city establishes minimum standards for life safety. Those standards 5T and 10 feet are in the fire code. So those those are minimum requirements. And so what we do is we show and then the home builder decides how the best place the house on the lot. Yes, ma'am.

Is this um who is the target market for this? Single family families um um young adults. There's there will be three and four bedroomedroom homes with three to four bathrooms. Why here? Why here versus other I should let you know. So, the reason I'm here tonight is the property owner has listed this property for sale and they have entered into a contract and they are looked at the land use plan and they said what could be developed here and then they approached us and so um this is what they would like to see on the property but it's just a resoning application process.

Here's here's my two cents. Um apartments um nicer apartments with maybe some mixed use or whatever but I think I think this is just my opinion. Oh my goodness. It ain't nothing. Just me. Just me talking, right? I think I think with my community that I've seen for 25 years, most of my parents are not going to be able to afford a house, but I know that a lot of them are living in cars. Might be news to a lot of people. Um, apartment uh hotels. Um, so apartments, I'm just throwing that out. I'm just giving you that as a suggestion. That's not what we were Okay, I'm just I'm just suggesting

that that might be something to look at. You might be able to get more in that actual because you can go up three or four stories. I think it's a threetory minimum or maximum. Um but I mean I'd be glad to see of course anything other than you know gas station, liquor store, but um just my two cents. And then when was the community meeting on the 26th? It was on the 26th. Where where was it? Well, so that was the night of the storm. Exactly. So we tried to go and so what where was the So we had it online. The city Oh, it was online.

The city requires that you have two meeting uh either in person and you have to record it for online and it is unfortunate. We had conversations with the library. That's where the meeting was held. The library was closed. City offices were closed. It was not intentional to not. So how did you have a meeting and nobody knew the meeting was taking place? So on our postcard that was mailed out, we got one at our house. There was also a link to show you how to the QR code. Yeah. Join remotely and we had residents that did join the meeting. How many joined? Four. Four. But it was a it was this was not intentional. Obviously it was the night of

I mean I know we didn't mean to do that. We sent out 2,000 notices. We were hoping to have a very well- attended meeting at the library, but the library called us and we weren't able to have it for safety reasons. And what were the four people's comments? They they asked questions about the project, where it was, what was planning to be built there? Yes, ma'am. Is this a project that was built by who's who's the builder? So, that hasn't been decided yet. This is being brought by the property owners. You're just really trying to see if this is going to pass and get approval from.

So, the property owners have asked to petition to reszone their property for um currently it's agricultural. In order to develop homes, you have to resone it to CUP um which is there's different zone use categories because this property has a lot of physical constraints. Um this this CUP allows us to have ultimate flexibility. Um the density that's being proposed is consistent both with the land use now the future land use plan and the new one that we're asking for as well. Three units the acre is considered consistent. Okay. Um are you familiar with the roundabouts that are proposed for Peters and Beth Road?

I am not. No. So um neither was I. And then we went to a community meeting and they're going to put a roundabout at Peters and a roundabout at Bethada. Okay. There's going to be a lot of construction in the next year or two that is going to impact your development. So for you to come in too with a roundabout and all that, it's going to be an interesting time on 138. So I can tell you what the potential schedule would be for this development. So right now we're going through a resoning process. nothing has been approved by the city council or recommended for the planning commission.

Once that if it does get approved then that we would be engaged our firm would be engaged to develop construction documents which would take um three to four months. This is where the plans are put together for putting the streets, the water and the sewer in. And then at that point we would apply for a permit that goes through a permitting process here. The city reviews all our plans. So, if that gets approved, we're looking about a year, maybe a year and a half before any development would even start happening on this piece of property and then the hope would be in about two years of homes being built. So, it's not it doesn't start tomorrow. There's

I'm very familiar with the length of time, but yeah. So, maybe you can come in on the back end of that, but um okay. Well, um that's all I had. That was the only question I had. Thank you. Thanks. Hi, Stephanie Hudson, District 1. And uh I had a couple of comments. Yes, ma'am. Um since uh you mentioned that the homes may have a onecar garage, we that currently there is a potential there's I'm going to try to bring the drawing back up. Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah. So, there's the potential right now this that there could be a one or two car option in the neighborhood.

Okay. I would like to make my comment and suggest that they not have a onecar garage, especially if you're building three or four bedroomedroom homes and you're looking at families. So, um, these days you have people that are even doing multi-generational housing because of the expense or whatever. And even though I know you're making these affordable, but you still have people that may have two, three, sometimes four cars, right? Yes, ma'am. And then it begins to look junky in the neighborhood. Um, and I'm sure you're not going to have the long driveways. Um, so this Oh, yeah. Go ahead. Sorry.

And, uh, many times people use their garages for storage. Yes, ma'am. So, they're not even parking inside their garage. So, that's why I make that suggestion. And um I would also say yes maybe some amenities. I understand pools are expensive. I understand because I'm on my HOA and the pool is very expensive. But you know maybe another type of um you know uh some type of uh something.

Right. Right now what they're showing is what they're as a as a gathering space. So this would be near the kios shelter or something maybe uh or benches benches around the community uh maybe walking trail and um and uh I also uh I know that builders make more money with twotory homes but I'm a real estate agent and people are dying for ranchstyle homes. Yes, ma'am. Uh,

I have I have clients that are 80 years old and it's so hard for them to find ranchstyle homes and I just had a client 80 years old. She moved into a um ranch condo. There's nothing like that on the south side where I could give you the names of the communities. Uh uh South Oaks at Cascade. It's a ranch condo community. There's another community. It's called the Cottages of Cascade. Okay. Those although those are attached, but people still want ranchstyle homes. Okay. Pi built on uh Enclave on um off near 92 and um Campbell. Yes, ma'am.

It's behind I think they just finished that community. All of those were ranch style homes and um so that's I think that's important. I know you probably can't get as many homes, but yeah, just this the purpose of this meeting is to hear comments and that's appreciate that. Yes. Okay. So, you know, PY did do the community um off of um it's it's a Publix behind the Publix off Highway 92, South Fulton Parkway. Okay. They have 92 homes. They just finished it like last year. Okay. So, um they did the ranch homes with the loft or the bonus room upstairs.

Okay. So, um really neat ranch homes. Not and not just seniors. I have, you know, people 40 years old that want a ranchstyle home. So, or maybe they could do a little of both. Yes, ma'am. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate that. Can you bring back the the um site plan with the right here? So, the black is that just the black dotted lines. So, those are that's just a property bill.

Those are property lines. Those are existing property lines. Yes, ma'am. So the the the thing I would one question are there any plans for a traffic light because I'm questioning how people are going to get across that one, two, three, four, five lane. I mean it's state highway. So So we have to work with G dot on the access to this property. We have to get a driveway permit but there's there's no plans for a a light or an intersection there. I mean no ma'am. Okay. Okay. So, we don't care how the people safely traverse. And not you, Michelle. Not you. Not you. You care, but the people making the money though.

I'm just saying that that would if the G dot told us that that was a requirement, then that would be something that would be brought into that. But that that we don't have anything in the zoning code that would require when people need to traverse because I'm just looking at it going, how would someone come out of that subdivision and safely turn left? And even from a public safety perspective, I'm just looking at it going, how how could we ensure that in the event of a fire that they could safely enter in or in the event someone has a heart attack or a stroke and they need to get out of there, how are we ensuring that they can traverse that area safely? There's nothing there to stop it.

Absolutely. So, that's something we can work with our fire department on and also the Department of Public Works to see what their recommendations are. But again just as a as a proposal. Yeah. So when this so we're just at reszoning stage but obviously when we get to land disturbance the um public works department will review this we are showing a deceleration lane and a left turn lane currently into the project. Yeah. Easy to turn in. Yeah. So that will all be that will all be dis um worked with the transportation department. But I think it would be um it would it would come across a little bit differently to me if developers would come to the table with the with the mindset of protecting

asking for a I'm just trying to figure out exactly what you're asking for. There's a there should be a lane for you to turn into, but but I'm not a traffic engineer, so I'll either when you when you turn the left turn lane that turns into the community, I believe that creates a space on the other side. But that's I'm speaking way outside of my expertise. But if I'm coming out of the subdivision, out of the main entrance. Yes, ma'am. Or even the emergency entrance for that matter. And I need to make a left turn and go back this way. Yes, ma'am. How do I safely come across?

I I just don't want people having to pay Russian. And I think I'm sorry, but that like it it happened at a subdivision next to me. When people don't and I don't knock you for not living here, but when people don't live here, they don't think about how people have to traverse the area. And we're sitting here saying, "Hey, this is a very busy area." And to that end, she brought up noise and potential for all of that. Has there been any consideration for adding a um a metal or a commercial grade fence, steel fence across the back all the way around the backside that leads to I mean the the the frontage part of what is this 138?

138. Are you asking for for a metal fence along the front of the Yeah, because if you guys put wood up there, it's it's just going to deteriorate over time and then people are the the homeowners association or the homeowner is going to be responsible for it. So, why not put something there that actually has a possibility of lasting? Okay. And then the last thing I want to address is like you brought it up like it was like being so nice to us. you were um it just went away, but um you said you guys are you're going to leave seven acres is going to remain as green sprays. I'm assuming that's like that creek space that's back there that's not buildable. It's it's you can't build on there. There's there's a developer land on the other side that they're not accessing. Yes, ma'am.

Because it's going to cost too much to get to it. Like let's put all this Let's put it all out there. Constraints. Yes. And so what they're using is a zoning district that allows for flexibility. So you said it's how many homes per acre? 2.96. 2.96. But the reality is it's almost seven because you're only building on six of the acreage. So you're stuffing seven houses per acre into that one. Like I and I'm not saying that because you're right if we look at the entire parcel, but I just want to like this is for me is more about making sure people understand what you're really saying or what they're really presenting. Okay. Yeah, it's it's not you. You're just here presenting. This is the way that density is calculated. If

I get how density is calculated, but I get how density is lived. Yes, ma'am. So, there you have. I'm done. Another another example of what goes on in our community. Um, are these homes going to be for rent? No, ma'am. That's not allowed in the city of South Folton. Okay. because I know a lot of developers they're not selling homes that they are putting them out for uh rent. I don't know if they uh subdivision on Datson. I don't know if that's Union City or city of South there's a request there's Greystone there's a restriction in the city of South Fton zoning ordinance that requires there be no rental of the homes.

Okay. No vouchers session A or none of that. Right. That is because you you said affordable housing. So when you say affordable housing, I'm thinking affordable, attainable. We What's your definition? The there is a there's a the idea is that when we we spoke with the council woman and the goal here is for people to be able to qualify to buy these homes as much as possible. There's there's a need for housing in the whole area. So it's balancing all of these different factors that go into purchasing a home. Yes. And who is who is this? Councilwoman Councilwoman Bell. council over what district

this five or 138. Okay. I thought that was uh down on the other end of Old National. Okay. So that Yeah, that's my question because I'm seeing a lot of builders, they're not selling homes. They're they're turning to rent. So I just want to make sure that this was this was bas Okay. Yes, ma'am.

I'm sorry. Michael Ven, one last thing that I failed to admit. Have we ever considered putting a BM along Jonesboro Road to reduce the noise? I I it's concerning the second units. What are those 32 33s? Don't even have any any foliage to um absorb the the noise there. These trees are just this is just a picture of you know the our You can see our architect left a section of gray there when he drew this. So I don't believe he intended to not have trees there, but

Okay. Yes, sir. I guess the biggest is requirement for landscaping along the frontage of all project. Yeah. But I was thinking that some sort of BM along that whole frontage of um Jonesboro would be appropriate because being that that is considered a highway and and there is traffic there that the noise uh some noise mitigation would be appropriate. Okay. You know for homes there. Yeah. Thank you. Okay. Okay. Um, so when you talk about coming out of your establishment and making a right turn,

we've met with Gad and all of this about this whole um roundabout and the lights and all of this stuff. They are talking about the same thing that they were doing on on national where that will be a solid area where you will not be able to turn. So I'm just saying check with that. No. So I'll let you know that before we can access this property, there is a permitting process to Georgia DOT.

I'm just I'm just giving you a heads up. Um I can tell you a lot of our families have had the head on making that illegal left turn. Um, so they will not be able to get into your So they'd have to go all the way around, turn on Peters, come back through a roundabout, and then come back to get to your Okay. Um, so if you could do I don't think you can do a light because you're talking about Peter's Road. I don't believe we do a light just because I don't believe it. Yeah. would warrant there's a but just because the state has a a limit for what they would say has a light but you know if they merited it then that obviously then they move your card to do it

um and that del lane looks pretty short but I'm sure you'd have to the drawing ma'am yes ma'am all right um and what's the little area right here that's cute purple and blue what is this in the front that's a storm water pond and that's just the that's just a when they start doing their actual construction documents and that'll be sized. But that's what that is. That's a storm water pond. Is this a development that you've done in another part of Georgia? Has it looked very similar to this? Well, every development is done, you know, based on the land that's being developed upon. But

I am not a developer. I'm an we I work for an engineering and a planning firm. I'm a planner. So, I represent clients through the zoning process. I work with engineers who design them. Then ultimately this will be sold to a developer who will develop the property and then a home builder will come in and buy the lots and build the homes. That's how the process works, right? Yes, ma'am. Okay. All right. Thank you. Do we have any additional comments, questions? And then staff. All righty. Thank you. The next case we have is Give me one second.

Michelle, is that um Can you turn that Yep. Can you turn that remote off for me?

On the side. All righty. The next case is Z26-007. The address is 2210 Wallace Road. requesting a reszoning from R4A to R3, I'm sorry, requesting a reszone from R4A and R3 to R3 to develop 18 single family units on 11.86 acres located in district 4.

Okay. Um, good evening everyone. I'm Darren Boyin. I'm principal engineer with Ascension Engineers and Consultants, a local um literally local engineering firm um located right here on Cap Creek Parkway. I'm here with um our developer uh Miss Dorothy Cwley. And the uh purpose of this um again resulting effort. Um I saw a couple typos um in the description, but really we're we're resulting um a property that's already R3 with conditions um and we're trying to combine the property with this adjacent 2acre uh parcel that's uh already zoned as R3. uh we want to combine into a single parcel of um R3 property so we can develop a U 18 home um estate home subdivision. I would note I will note here that previously in 2023 um the irregular shape that you see to the right on on this survey file um not looking at the screen but actually looking at the easel that we have here um and we'll go to the screen in just a moment but um the regular um shape that you see to the right of this 2acre uh box um has already been um reszoneed and permitted um actually had a LDP issued under a 2023 zoning case. Uh the opportunity came up for the developer to acquire the adjacent 2acre lot and uh the proposal now is to really modify the subdivision that was already approved so

more homes could be added. Um all homes will be on halfacre lots. Um again they will be estate homes u for families. Um again the development team is local. Um there will be 2 and 12 acres of common area um for the community as part of this development proposal. on our screen here is the updated preliminary plat where basically basically we've added um a second street to the neighborhood. Um I'll point to it. Sorry. Thank you. The original road was here Selena Cove and we're adding a second street for the additional homes of the two acres of our court. again for a total 18 home um subdivision. So don't have any renderings of our um homes that are being proposed right now. However, we plan to do that in our community meeting that will happen on March 3rd at the Wolf Creek Library.

Did you have any comment? Oh, we just don't have it with us, right? Thank you. Yes. We'll now open it up to comments from the public. Please step to the podium and state your name and your comment at this time.

Hi. Um, I just wanted to say that I support this development because of the fact that the lots do have enough space in between the homes and that you don't have to worry about it being so close that you can hear the neighbor or whatever. So, this this is good. This is this is the type development that we need to see in our city, you know. This is this is real good. I like the fact that it's the the distance between the homes and yeah that that's real good cuz that's what homes in South Florida have most of them um you know most of our homes sit on an acre or two or whatever and this fit right in the demographics of that of having homes with that lot not squeezed right close to each other like apartments. This is this is good development for the city and we need more development like this.

Thank you. Stephanie Hudson, District 1. And I've seen the renderings. This is a quality subdivision, first class. So y'all save y'all coins because they're starting at what price range?

900. So y'all save y'all coins. I'll be happy to represent y'all. Michael vonable District 6. If you could just give me some physical numbers, um home square footage, uh lot sizes, and what what's the right of way on the roads that you're putting in if you've got that?

Sure. Um all the home sizes will be u 4 to 5,000 square ft interior heated space. Um the lot sizes again are all measured out to be at least um 22,500 square ft or half an acre every last one of u the rightway 30 ft for the road I believe. I just want to say this is good development. A half an acre all brick, right? Or what is it going to be?

Could be stone and it's Yeah. Um it's the these are the custom estate homes. You have any uh pictures of the homes? We do, but we can't with us. Yeah, I can't show it to you as well. Yeah, we do have a website. It is Liberty Oasis Estates. Okay. Um I'm I'm the builder and owner. So we'll be living in the community as well. So we're building our home. Our children are building

building their homes. So the two acres that we are we acquired were landlocked and so the owner couldn't do anything with it and offered it to us. We purchased it so our children could build their homes um on the on these two acres. And so we're going to we want to combine them in with the community that we already have the LDP. I just want to say thank you for coming with this ideal and thank you for bringing this back the old school community back with at least an acre to a half acre on land that we can come home and be proud to see. So thank you so much. I really appreciate it. You're welcome. Good development. Thank you.

All righty. I'll now open it up to staff. Is the location of the of the detention pond is that where it has to be or could it be placed in the rear of the property and perhaps a um a lot of two could be added to where the the detention pond currently is. Well, we want to utilize gravity. So, the Yes, that's why we need to put it in that corner. Thank you. All right.

All righty. Seeing no more questions, we'll move to the next case. The next case is U26-004. The address is 3220 Butner Road, Sweet 136. Requesting a special use permit to operate a nail salon business in a mixeduse zoning district. U my name is John Dang. Um my legal name is Chong Dang. I'm representing my client Hinwin. Uh she bought the uh nail salon, Butler Nail Spa or Butler Spa Nails on 3220 Butler Road, Sweet 136A, Atlanta, Georgia 30331. Thank you for being here. Uh, I know that you guys really cares about the community. That's why you guys still here at this time. Uh, I am sorry that why I was on the phone, but I got some work to do. So, apologize. This is a existing nail salon that uh, my client bought. So, we are asking to get a special use permit uh, for the city of South Futin. That's that's all I have. Thank you. We'll now open it up to residents for any comments. Please step to the podium and state your name and your comment.

Is this the one that's already there? You're going to be buying the one that's a nail salon already there. You're going to be buying that one? Yes, the existing nail salon. Yes.

Okay. I can't let this one slip. Congratulations if you guys get it. And it's on me as a consumer. I can't go to this nail salon after you guys charge my nine-year-old daughter $90 for a manicure and pedicure. But God bless and I hope y'all do well. I don't even know about that. Sorry about that. Sorry for experience.

All righty. Do we have any additional questions from sta I mean from residents? All righty. I'm going to open it up to staff. Um I'm I'm not sure if you already answered this question, but is this are you taking ownership? Is this a new ownership? Yes. Yes, that's correct. And then how long have Never mind. All righty. Thank you so much.

All righty. To talk about some important dates, I know that there was a lot going on um with the first case with the text amendment. So again, to talk through those dates again, the public hearing for planning commission will be February 18th. Mayor and council, it'll be February 24th. for our zero and 3665 Jonesboro Road. That case will be going to the mayor and council, sorry, it'll be going to planning commission February 18th and mayor and council March 10th. And then for Wallace Road, which is the case, the third case or the fourth case that was on the agenda, um it will be going back to its regular schedule of those states that are listed below. I do want to give a disclaimer that um the dates that's listed on here, it's per cycle. So when you saw that calendar, we do do it by cycle. So those are the dates that are listed on here. Um Jonesberg did have a their public participation, they were on the cycle before. So that's why it's a little kind of flip-flop. So I did want to put that out there. Again, talking about the public participation, reszonings, and special use, you are required to have a public participation meeting. We'll also send you out um all the email addresses that you need to send, the letter of intent, a a site plan, those postcards, um inviting council and staff to those meetings. Um a postcard also needs to be sent out within a onem radius. Uh we have an example on the PowerPoint along with submitting your public participation report. once that meeting has taken place. Again, this is a snapshot of our resoning and special use calendar for the year. Thank you so much for attending

CCIM.

So, I would say at that mayor and council meeting, they will talk through when it'll vote because if it's a deferral, that might change that date and I don't want to throw any additional dates out there that's not correct. Um before you leave public participation meetings, please applicants if you have your meeting please let us know the dates of that for Wallace. So 2210 Wallace Road they'll be having their public participation on March 3rd at 6:00 pm at the Wolf Creek Library. Stay away.