The Rosebud Coalition

The proposal to build a daycare center at the corner of Rosebud Road and Brushy Fork Road has finally hit the City Council agenda… for tomorrow night, Monday, January 28 at 7:30 pm. It is extremely important that we appear in force at the meeting.

This case has been on hold because the county had objected to the annexation of the property into the city. The county’s objection invoked a process that included a recommendation by a three-person panel consisting of a planning professional and citizen representatives from both the county and city. I was appointed to the panel by the county.

The planning pro agreed with my position that a 12,500-square-foot daycare center designed to house 230 children was a commercial use that would be too intense for the area. In addition, Weitz disagreed with the property owner’s assessment that the tract had no viability as a residence, especially since the owner had made no attempt to market the property as such. The planner also agreed that approval would set a precedence for additional non-residential development at that corner and toward Hwy. 78.

A very strong piece of evidence in our favor was a September 2004 letter from the city’s Director of Planning and Development to her counterpart at the county in which the city expressed its opposition to the previous rezoning application for the same tract to allow construction of a convenience store and gas station. At that time, the city cited some of the same reasons for denial that I argued today (inappropriate use for area, precedence for other non-residential uses, etc.). The planning pro noted the contradiction in the city’s position.

Because of the precedence that a rezoning will set, it is extremely important to the community that this proposal be denied. Because the City Council is not required to honor the panel’s recommendation, the community must forcefully express its position on Monday night.

To Do List

Please send an email to snellvillecouncil@aboutgwinnett.com NOW. It doesn’t have to be long; just insist that the Council follow the recommendation of the annexation dispute panel and its own staff in 2004 and deny this annexation and rezoning.

Then… please attend the City Council meeting tomorrow night at 7:30 pm.  It is IMPERATIVE that we make a good showing. There is at least one other highly contentious case on the agenda, so there should be a good crowd; but the Council needs to know that we are united to protect our community from bad development.

Please– do not put this off. Send your email now and meet me at City Hall on Monday night.

Case Cite

2nd Reading – ANX 07-09/LUP 07-11/RZ 07-17 – Applications by LT Construction, Inc. to annex the ±2.752 acre parcel into the corporate boundaries of Snellville; to amend the Land Use Plan from Residential –Low Density (Gwinnett County) to Office/Professional; and to amend the Official Zoning Map from R-100, Single-Family Residential District (Gwinnett County) to OP, Office Professional District for a proposed ±12,500 sq. ft. Child Day Care facility with ±22,000 sq. ft. of playground area and future ±10,200 sq. ft. two-story office building and related parking at the intersection of Brushy Fork Road and Rosebud Road

Filed under: Growth & Development