City Council Approves Brumbelow Road Zoning Request

The agenda for the March 14 Johns Creek City Council meeting was light in comparison to the that saw debate over charter changes and Old Alabama Road rezoning.

During last night's meeting the council approved a request from developer John Jamont to reduce a lot adjacent to Brumbelow Road from 18,000 to 14,000 square feet in order to square up the lot next to it. The lot is part of the Estates at Deer Chase subdivision. All subdivision lots adjacent to Brumbelow have been maintained at 18,000 to preserve the character of the area.

However, according to the applicant, the lot needed to be trimmed from the back to square up the lot adjacent to it, as the adjacent lot had an awkward shape that would make building a house that matched other properties in the subdivision impossible.

While the city's Community Development Department recommended denying the request, the staff noted that the denial was due to the fact that staff should not set policy — that responsibility should be in the council's hands.

The council approved the request 4-2, with Randall Johnson and Bev Miller dissenting. Mayor Mike Bodker said he supported the request because it was a unique situation, and the lot would be trimmed from the back and not noticeable from Brumbelow Road.

Council member Dan McCabe was not present for the meeting. A few days prior, the Post 2 representative announced that he would not run for re-election in the fall, citing the need to focus on his family and career. 

"When I started to help out with the city movement in 2006, I had no idea it would lead to serving in an elected capacity for 5 years," the council member stated in an e-mail announcing his decision. McCabe previously served as finance chairman of the Committee for Johns Creek, the movement that led to the city's incorporation in 2006.

"I am committed to finishing out this term, which will be up at the end of December," continued McCabe in the e-mail. "I am so proud of what we have accomplished. We have a vibrant and successful organization that is routed in operational efficiency. Those that remember my first campaign will recall that was my sole focus in running for office."

Following McCabe's announcement, Tim Jennette, former chairman of the city's Planning Commission, announced on his website that he would run for Post 2 in the fall. Jennette previously ran against Kelly Stewart in a special election last year for Post 5, which was vacant due to council member Liz Hausmann's successful run for Fulton County Commission. Jennette and Stewart eventually faced each other in a runoff that Stewart won with 58 percent of the vote.