Hello Everyone,

This week, I qualified with the Gwinnett Republican Party to run for a second term as your County Commissioner in District 3.  At least one other candidate well known in development circles has also qualified, so the Republican nominee will be selected in the July 15th primary election.  Over the next three months, I plan to aggressively campaign to hold my seat by continuing to meet with voters and explaining my goals for a second term.  These include:

• Continuing to expand and improve public safety services in the county, including police, fire, and quality of life.
• Controlling the county’s growth rate, in order to make sure that the county has the capacity to provide services to residents, and that new development takes into account the character of our neighborhoods.
• Solving traffic problems by adding to our infrastructure, including more roads, better signal timing and intelligent traffic management systems.
• Working to expand and improve the parks and recreational facilities offered by the county, especially in the older areas of District 3.
• Making every effort to reduce taxes by controlling government spending.

Your support of my reelection effort is very important to me.  You can help by putting up a yard sign, telling your neighbors about what I’ve done to improve the quality of life in District 3, hosting a neighborhood coffee or distributing literature.  If you already have a yard sign, go ahead and put it back up. It’s not too early to start getting the word out!

If you can help, either reply to this email, or use the volunteer form on my website to sign up:

http://www.mikebeaudreau.com/volunteer-form.htm

This weekend, I’ll be in the Snellville Days Parade, and then at the Gwinnett GOP Booth at Briscoe Park.  If you have time, I encourage you to come out to show your support and say hello.  I’ll have some yard signs and other campaign material you can take with you.

Thanks again for your support in the past, and I look forward to serving as your commissioner for a second term.

Mike Beaudreau
Gwinnett County Commissioner, District 3
www.MikeBeaudreau.com

PS:  In my first campaign, I refused to take financial contributions from Developers, and I am not going to accept Developer funding for my reelection.  That means I need your help to let residents know about my record and my plans for a second term.  Please consider making a financial contribution using PayPal:

http://www.mikebeaudreau.com/donate.htm

Several Council members cited concerns that the property would be difficult to serve and would bring with it several problems– like a deficient and unsafe intersection– that the city would then be responsible for correcting.

The premise of the Council’s rejection benefits the community. It is highly unlikely that the owner will attempt a second annexation since the concerns raised by the Council cannot be addressed simply by changing the proposed use. The county has already rejected a commercial use at that corner, so it is almost certain that the property will maintain a residential zoning.

It does not, however, benefit the community for an abandoned house to be situated so prominently. If the owner does not negotiate a sale to Tomco, it is my hope that he will consider subdividing the property and building homes in such a way that the northern buffer shielding Tomco is preserved. It may be in the community’s best interest to support a rezoning to a slightly higher residential density to provide a profit incentive for the owner.

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

You may recall that the developer, Danny Herrmann of Diversified Development, had filed, delayed, amended and refiled an application to build the shopping center and a 25-acre religious campus on the 40-plus acres. That proposal collapsed last year when the developer to build the church failed to secure financing.

In late December, Herrmann refiled his application to build just the commercial portion. I and other community representatives were to view Herrmann’s new plan on Wednesday evening. Herrmann notified me this afternoon that Publix had withdrawn its tentative commitment to anchor the center over concerns that the new store would negatively impact its Grayson store, which is apparently not currently meeting expectations.

According to Herrmann, he will be moving dirt onto the southernmost portion of the site over the coming weeks to level it and cover exposed granite.

The panel’s non-binding recommendation will be part of the evidence considered by the Snellville City Council when it conducts a final hearing and vote on January 28.

Weitz 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.). Weitz 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 our recommendation, the community will need to forcefully express its position in early January.

According to District 3 Commissioner Mike Beaudreau, “This should eliminate the overly long delays caused by the present four way stop sign, and will improve safety for the new schools being built in the area.”

Construction should begin early in 2008.

The panel will consist of one representative from the city, one from the county and a planning professional.  I am the county’s representative on the panel.

The panel’s recommendation will be part of the facts presented on January 28 when the Snellville City Council is expected to make a final decision on the annexation and the proposed rezoning to allow the construction of a daycare center.

Check back after 12/17 for my update on the panel’s progress.

Even though the city’s planning staff has recommended that this proposal be denied, the Council’s vote came as a surprise, especially since both Council member Barbara Bender, an adjoining property owner, and newly-elected Tod Warner, a former Planning Commissioner, had recused themselves from the vote.

The Council voted to deny the application “without prejudice,” which means that the one-year waiting period to file anew is waived. Because the proposal was an assemblage of properties with apparently cooperative and willing owners, it is highly likely that another rezoning application will be filed. Given the County Commission’s objection to the density of the project and the community’s stiff opposition, however, a second attempt will be much less dense.

Enjoy the Holidays!

With the disposition of this case, the holiday schedule for the Rosebud Coalition has suddenly cleared!

Tomorrow (Tuesday) night, the applicant on the Rosebud/78 annexation and rezoning will formally withdraw his proposal before the Planning Commission in the hopes of resubmitting early next year.

The proposal of a daycare center at the corner of Rosebud Road and Brushy Fork Road is on the City Council’s January 28 agenda. Before that date, a three-person citizen panel should meet to review the annexation, which has been disputed by the county. I have been appointed to represent the county on that panel; no meetings have yet been scheduled.

RosebudGA.com Is Yours!

If you are an HoA officer or coordinator of a Rosebud-area neighborhood group, you are welcome to post notices of your meetings and other activities at RosebudGA.com. Contact me at bobg@rosebudga.com for details.

Danny Herrmann of Diversified Development has applied for a Change In Conditions on two commercial rezonings approved earlier this year on Midway Drive at Palmer Drive and Lake Carlton Road. Herrmann hopes to reduce a buffer that made the construction of certain buildings impractical. The cases are on the January 2008 Planning Commission agenda. (Case #s: CIC-2008-00001 & 00002)