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Published Saturday, November 14, 2009 in Local

Neighbors turn out to oppose rezoning near Hwy. 16/54

By Sarah Fay Campbell

The Times-Herald

A large crowd filled the Coweta County Commission chambers Thursday night for the public hearings on two Turin/ Sharpsburg area rezoning proposals.

During the nearly three-hour meeting, several residents spoke in opposition; more submitted forms stating they were opposed to the rezoning requests.

No one but the applicants spoke in favor of the rezonings.

A decision on the requests is expected at Tuesday's county commission meeting.

There were separate hearings on residential and commercial components of a rezoning request for property near the intersection of Ga. Hwys. 16 and 54 between Turin and Sharpsburg.

Oakhall Properties, Thompson and Charlotte Lewis, Frank Neely Jr. and John Neely are requesting the rezoning of 131 acres on Neely Road, near the commercial request, from Rural Conservation to RI-B, Single Family Residential Infill District. The proposal is for 208 homes on the property. There will be 45.5 acres of greenspace, sidewalks, and a wastewater treatment plant.

The commercial segment of the Neely request would be 55.15 acres fronting Hwy. 16, with 10 proposed buildings ranging from a 90,000-square-foot anchor to smaller structures of 5,000 to 10,000 square feet.

A separate request also heard Thursday was for commercial rezoning of nearby property at the Country Gardens Nursery at Lower Fayetteville Road and Ga. Hwy. 154. (See related article.)

Land planner Dennis Drewyer spoke for the Hwy. 16 applicants. Several times during his presentation, he mentioned that the project is much smaller than the Twelve Parks mixed use development approved for the edge of Sharpsburg.

The homes will be upscale, and the stormwater management system will be built to the highest standards, Drewyer said.

"We feel that now is the time to approve this rezoning, if for no other reason than the guarantee of these high standards of quality in writing," Drewyer said. "While it is still owned by people who care about the same things, and will agree to the protection of this land and the neighbors," Drewyer said. "Not a banker or a stranger who gets it later."

The subdivision would be affiliated with the commercial shopping center fronting Hwy. 16. Drewyer referred to it as a mixed-use project.

The commercial buildings would initially have septic tanks. Once the wastewater treatment plant is operational, the commercial buildings would tap on to the sewer system.

Frank Neely said the property is where he was raised, and where his father and grandfather lived and died. "I think an awful lot of this property," said Neely, who lives in Arbor Springs.

"I have met with my neighbors and family and friends. And the timing of this is not the best," Neely said. "Construction is not going to start for quite a while," he said. However, "I would love to see this zoned this way so we could ensure quality development."

Thompson Lewis, who lives in Carrollton, said he decided to invest in the property in Coweta County based on Coweta's comprehensive land use plan, and the approval of Twelve Parks.

"You have the opportunity to help protect the welfare of some of your citizens and the quality of the future growth of the eastern part of the county, while this property is still owned by people like us," Lewis said. "We have a track record of doing things the right way and we are willing to do the right thing in this situation."

Leroy Johnson, a former county commissioner, was the first to speak. The proposed development wraps around Johnson's property, where he has lived since 1952.

"Turin is a small, rural town. It's a great place to live. We have a very friendly atmosphere and good neighbors," Johnson said. You can go the post office and end up chatting with several neighbors.

"Those are the things we'd like to keep," Johnson said.

He's very concerned about increased traffic on Hwy. 16. He also doesn't like the very small lots proposed for the homes. "When you have these houses with 10 feet between them and no front and back yards to speak of, gentlemen that, to me, invites something we don't want -- the criminal element."

"I want you to understand that I am 100 percent opposed to this," Johnson said. "I don't think it's good for the community. It's certainly not good for the little towns of Sharpsburg and Turin, and it's something I think is premature," Johnson said.

Ned Chambliss lives on Neely Road, which will be the main access point for the subdivision. Having homes 10 feet apart "is entirely too dense, and doesn't conform to other houses and lots in the community," he said. "There are no existing homesteads in our community under one acre. The majority are five acres or more."

Jim Gillespie spoke as president of the Clearwater Lake Corporation. He said he had statements from almost all of the 45 homeowners on the lake and "I know you'll be shocked that they are unanimously against it."

Gillespie is particularly concerned about stormwater runoff and its affect on the lake. He's also worried that the wastewater treatment system could fail or be overrun by rain. "One failure, and we have a dead lake. We have no value," he said. "These wastewater treatment plants fail all the time."

During discussion of the septic tanks for the commercial sector, Commissioner Rodney Brooks said he had concerns about the suitability of soils in the area. He is also concerned that there is no estimate of the wastewater requirements of the commercial businesses or the capacity of the treatment plant.

"I didn't know there was any good soil in this area, to be honest with you," said Gillespie.

"I don't know of anyone that spoke here that didn't have a legitimate concern," Drewyer said. "But I would like to reiterate that the only way they can protect properties next door, properties downstream, properties that are worried about being impacted by development like this is by approving it, with strict standards."

"We can't pretend that this is not the proper place for this," Drewyer said. "We can't pretend that this is going to be Serenbe, or some story-book thing in a planning directory."

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