Roswell red shirts turn out for rezoning request

By DELANEY TARR delaney@appenmedia.com

ROSWELL, GA. — Residents turned out in droves to the Feb. 13 Roswell City Council meeting to oppose a rezoning request that would increase residential density on a 5.7-acre parcel at 8800 Eves Circle.

The developers asked the agenda item be deferred until the March 13 City Council meeting, and the council approved the deferral. But residents, donning red shirts, still took the floor to speak against the rezoning and the deferral.

The plot is mainly undeveloped with one home on the site. The applicant, Igor Dubinsky with developer AEC Inc., is seeking a rezoning to allow for 11 residential lots. The site is currently zoned RS-30 for single-family estate, which requires a minimum lot size of 30,000 square feet.

The request is for RS-12 zoning, single-family suburban living, which would allow lot sizes of 12,000 square feet.

The applicants said they need the additional lots to “make development feasible.” They also said the request is in line with development trends in the area, and there would not be significant impacts to the environment.

The rezoning application moved through a neighborhood meeting, but the Planning Commission voted in

January to deny the request despite a staff recommendation for approval with conditions.

Meanwhile, residents launched a Change.org petition against the rezoning request. The petition has 337 signatures.

David Russell, an engineer retained by a neighboring homeowner’s association, told the City Council he took issue with the stream channels that receive water from new developments upstream.

“They just don’t have the capacity to take on additional water flow,” Russell said.

Russell said the homeowner’s association does not trust the developers to minimize environmental impacts. He cited the developers’ proposed plan to discharge water through gravel.

“The water is going to collect on the road, find a way off the road and down the side of Eves Circle, and it will cause an erosion issue,” Russell said.

One 12-year-old Roswell resident named David took the floor to express environmental concerns “on behalf of all the children growing up” in Roswell.

“The city has not done enough to secure the banks that will are impacted by the excess stormwater,” he said.

Residents have also said the development will displace the deer population in the area, destroy the walking path many people use and drop the property value of nearby homes.

Many residents asked why they were not made aware of the deferral request.

City Councilman and Community Development liaison Mike Palermo apologized for the lack of notice about the deferral, but clarified the developers went through the legal process to push the agenda item.

“Ultimately, I’m very focused on making sure that all parties are treated fairly, whether it’s an applicant or a neighbor that has concerns,” Palermo said.

He assured the residents that there would have to be “extremely extenuating circumstances” to warrant another deferral and promised the council would be clear with the public about any reasons for deferral.

Roswell Mayor Kurt Wilson asked every speaker to return for the March 13 City Council meeting.