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Alpharetta-Roswell
Revue News
October 3, 2013 | northfulton.com | 73,500 circulation Revue & News, Johns Creek Herald, Milton Herald & Forsyth Herald combined | 50¢ | Volume 28, No. 40
Roswell residents question UDC hotos o ep
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U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, second from right, stopped by for a visit at Riverside Park. With her are Roswell City Council member Elizabeth Clark Price, second from left, and Roswell Mayor Jere Wood, center.
N.Fulton keeps rivers alive Annual waterway cleanup draws hundreds By JONATHAN COPSEY
jonathan@northfulton.com ROSWELL, Ga. – Nearly a ton of debris and trash was collected Sept. 28 during the annual Rivers Alive cleanup of the Chattahoochee River and surrounding streams. In Roswell, 206 volunteers collected 1,220 pounds of garbage. Trash continues to be a problem despite more recycling and trash initiatives, organizers say. The City of Alpharetta teamed up with Roswell every year and saw more than 100 volunteers turn out to help clean up roadsides, plant a butterfly garden and collect garbage along the Greenway. On the Greenway alone, nine large trash bags were filled this year. “When volunteers pitch in and do this work, sometimes it’s the only way some of these
Just under a ton of debris was collected at Riverside Park. things get accomplished,” said Terry Porter, environmental program coordinator with Alpharetta. A lot of the garbage comes from other places and ends up in the Greenway or streams, Porter said. “Non-point source pollution is our No. 1 threat to water quality. The debris that washes off the land usually ends up
in the waterways. That really contributes to degradation of water quality.” In previous years, volunteers have found a telephone booth, toilets, a 50 pound bag of onions and tires. “I couldn’t be more pleased with what our volunteers accomplished year,” Porter said. “It’s all about keeping water clean.”
By JONATHAN COPSEY
jonathan@northfulton.com ROSWELL, Ga. – The upcoming implementation of Roswell’s Unified Development Code (UDC) had residents riled up at the City Council’s open forum meeting Sept. 30. The council chambers were filled with residents eager to vent their frustrations about both the process and the changes to the city’s zoning. While the mayor and council largely sat silent and listened, Mayor Jere Wood occasionally clarified issues of contention. The UDC aims to consolidate the city's zoning codes that have been cobbled together as needed for the past 40 years, leading to developer and resident confusion over what is allowed. Many of the resident concerns centered on the fear that new zoning would allow higher density and could spur greater apartment construction. Rumors and emails have circulated in recent weeks claiming high density homes could be built without going through the normal zoning and public hearing process. “With this new zoning, I’m quite concerned about Roswell, to the point where my husband and I have considered moving,” said resident Gaye Maloney. “Most people in Roswell do not want to see more apartments here.” Wood said apartments are only allowed after
There are three more public meetings on Roswell’s UDC Oct. 15 – Planning Commission hearing – 7 p.m. – Final recommendation Oct. 28 – Mayor and City Council – 7 p.m. – Accepted draft Nov. 13 – Mayor and City Council – 7 p.m. – First reading of the ordinance and map Dec. 9 – Mayor and City Council – 7 p.m. – Second reading of the ordinance and map (adoption) For more information on Roswell’s UDC, visit www.roswellgov.com/ udc. council approval and public input. Even those residents who said they understand the need for the UDC still raised concerns both about the speed at which the process was moving and how public input was handled. Some advocated slowing down instead of pressing for an end-of-year
See ROSWELL, Page 35