It Was a Packed House at Monday's City Council Meeting

Every seat was taken at the City Council chambers Monday night by residents in anticipation of several zoning matters.

Over 100 homeowners filled the room and about a dozen more stood during the council meeting.

Council members Randall Johnson, Brad Raffensperger, Karen Richardson and Ivan Figueroa were present. Absent was Mayor Mike Bodker and Council member Kelly Stewart.

Public hearings were scheduled for four requests for zoning changes. Following is the zoning request and the council's decision.

1. A request to change zoning to allow for an automatic car wash on the 10400 block of Medlock Bridge Road.

The applicant Yoon Ho Choi had requested zoning changes to accommodate the construction of an automatic car wash. He had requested that the 25-foot side buffers and 10 foot setbacks be eliminated and replaced with a 10-foot landscape strip adjacent to AG-1 properties.

But the applicant notified the City that he wanted to delay the decision and asked that his request be denied without prejudice which would permit him to re-apply after a specific waiting period. The HOA spokesman who represented the homeowners wanted a full denial saying the C-2 zoning requested was too intense.

In a 3-1 vote the council voted to deny without prejudice, with Ivan Figueroa voting against. He said he would have rather the vote would have been for a flat out denial.

2. A request to change zoning to allow for a mixed use development to include 240 homes and 85,000 square feet of commercial space on the 7700 block of McGinnis Ferry Road.

After much discussion, this was deferred by City Council in a 4-0 vote to the Dec. 2 City Council meeting. The main objections brought during the public comment was that the development which calls for 116 single-family detached homes, 124 townhomes and 85,000 square feet of commercial space was too dense for the 52-acre tract, especially the 240 homes planned along Bell Road. Six people from the surrounding subdivisions spoke against the development saying it would increase traffic and cause over-crowding in the schools.

3. A request to amend zoning to allow for a driveway for a future funeral home.

The request for a change in conditions by Jeffery S. Wages to allow for a driveway for a funeral home planned for the corner of Medlock Bridge and Bell roads was delayed at the applicant's request.

Council decided 4-0 to approve a delay to Jan. 27, 2014.

4. A request to amend zoning to allow the addition of a multi-purpose building on church property located on the 11000 block of Rogers Circle.

The request by the Good News Atlanta Church was approved with 4-0 by council vote after a number of additional conditions were added and approved by the applicant. The conditions included natural buffers of 25 feet, a berm and additional trees to be planted.

A new business item was added - the purchase of 3.91 acres of property at 105715 Bell Road to accommodate the traffic round-about planned for the intersection of Bell and Boles roads.

The majority of the $853,000 cost for the property will come from state and federal funds. The sale on the property is expected to close by the end of the year and work on the intersection improvement will begin sometime in 2014.