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Published Monday, January 12, 2009 in Local

Palmetto rezones 38 acres at U.S. Hwy. 29, Tommy Lee Cook

By Amy Riley

The Times-Herald

The mayor and council of Palmetto rezoned and annexed four land parcels totaling 38.83 acres located on U.S. Highway 29 and Tommy Lee Cook Road at the January council meeting.

Bill Creel, agent for the owners of the four parcels, said the largest portion of the four parcels will be used by Palmetto Baptist Church. The lots in question are located in land lots 63 and 64 of the seventh district of Coweta County.

Parcel D was rezoned from C-Commercial, a Coweta County zoning designation, to C-3 General Commercial within Palmetto's zoning code. Parcel C was rezoned and annexed from M-Light Industrial to M-1 Light Industrial. Parcel B and C were rezoned and annexed from M-Light Industrial to M-1 Light Industrial. Parcel A was rezoned and annexed from M-Light Industrial in Coweta County to a L-1 Limited Use District, the limited use being for a church.

Parcel D was rezoned from C-Commercial, a Coweta County zoning designation, to C-3 General Commercial within Palmetto's zoning code. Parcel C was rezoned and annexed from M-Light Industrial to M-1 Light Industrial. Parcel B and C were rezoned and annexed from M-Light Industrial to M-1 Light Industrial. Parcel A was rezoned and annexed from M-Light Industrial in Coweta County to a L-1 Limited Use District, the limited use being for a church.

In other business:

--The mayor and council adopted a new sanitation fee schedule, increasing its monthly sanitation rate from $15.50 per month to $17.05 per month. The increase reflects an increased cost of providing sanitation services incurred by Palmetto of just over $14,000 per year.

"This is not a revenue generator," said City Manager Terry Todd. "We're recapturing the cost increase that the city has incurred."

"The current contract expires in June of 2010," said Mayor John Miller, "at which time we will have the opportunity to enter into a competitive bid process."

--Mayor and council passed an ordinance adopting new regulatory fees to correct some inconsistencies that previously existed in the zoning ordinance on fees assessed for certain businesses, such as pawns shops, personal care centers, and bed and breakfasts, that require some additional inspection and/or certification services from the city.

"The new fee structure eliminates inconsistencies and makes it possible for those business owners to know in advance what they are being charged and why," said Todd.

--Mayor and council considered the proposed conditions set forth by the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) for Foxhall Village, a residential development of regional impact (DRI) proposed in Palmetto. The proposed conditions have already been agreed to by the other two parties with a combined interest in the project -- the City of Chattahoochee Hills and Merrill Trust.

Palmetto added two modifications to the original set of conditions recommended by the ARC, and those modifications had also already been approved by Chattahoochee Hills and Merrill Trust.

The first modification states that "any changes to the current DRI would require additional ARC approval if such is required by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs," said Todd, and the second modification states that only the City of Palmetto will be required to approve the transportation implementation plan.

The approval letter was delivered to the ARC on Wednesday, Jan. 7.

"The ARC could still determine that this development is not in the best interest of the region, but this is our best shot," said Todd.

--City Clerk Cindy Hanson reported that city offices will be closed on Jan. 19, in observance of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

--Council Member Leon Sumlin and Gregory Rusch commended Police Chief Luther Graham on his department's exceptional work in the community with the recent Thanksgiving basket and Santa Express programs.

"The police presence and community interaction is definitely making a difference," said Sumlin.

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