All right, good morning, everyone.

Thank you for tuning in this Tuesday, January 20th, 2026.

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Martin Luther King Day just yesterday.

Today, at the first regularly scheduled zoning meeting that we would have at the beginning of the year, we actually have a comp plan amendment hearing.

And I'm going to call up Philip Westbrook of Community Development to talk through what is occurring today.

Thank you, Chairwoman.

And good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the board, or ladies of the board today.

Today, yes, Commissioner Allen is not feeling well.

He will not be with us.

This is a process that we have been doing for a while on an annual basis, but uh a little bit of background.

The uh Georgia Planning Act of 1989 established comprehensive planning activities for each jurisdiction in the state.

As part of those activities, it uh required that these jurisdictions create and maintain a comprehensive plan.

Um the county has a comprehensive plan.

In fact, uh we get we update it every five years, and we're actually getting ready to uh do a large-scale update uh that is due October 31st of 2027, and we have begun uh initiating that process, and uh I'm sure you'll hear a lot more about that throughout the year.

But uh this is our annual amendment process.

It is not it is a strictly a voluntary process, it is not required by state, it's not required by the code, and it's something that the county just has typically done.

Um we have documents that go all the way back to the mid-90s uh of CPAs uh through this process.

I believe a lot of it had to do with maybe uh the rapid growth going on in the 90s and so forth.

So um, but again, here we are, annual amendment process.

Uh the future land, or I'm sure should say the comprehensive plan and future land use, how it differs between zoning, the comprehensive plan is strictly a long-range planning document that guides growth and development.

It is not a development ordinance, it is not zoning regulation, it is simply a guide and a tool that you as elected officials staff can use it to help make decisions on land uses and other county uh uh businesses uh help make decisions for the future of the county.

So that's where that's how we how it relates.

So you can just think of the the comprehensive plan as a guide, the zoning is a regulation.

The zoning is an implementable tool of the comprehensive plan.

So with that uh a little bit of background.

Um I want to we have two different types of proposals.

We have zone decisions and commission proposals.

The zoning decisions are based off of zoning cases that were approved uh to a zoning district that were that was incompatible with the future land use.

Um there and that those those zone zone decisions occurred through October 12-month period between October 2024 and October of 2025.

Um again, they were they were cases that uh are incompatible with the future land use.

The commission proposals typically are proposals that come from the commissioners.

Ultimately, a lot of times they come from the community.

Uh but this year, uh, just so happens that uh they really could be called staff proposals.

Uh staff had just through our daily work uh throughout last year.

We come across uh changes that need to be made to our future land use, and we mark them down, we note them, and we bring them uh forward uh for for change and amendment.

And this year we have three commission proposals that staff identified that we felt like needed to be uh at least proposed, and also the commission proposals uh that those cases um the property owners of those uh properties were uh sent mail or sent a letter via mail as well as signs were erected in the area to notify the community of the proposed changes.

Um okay, so now that we got a little that that little background, I think we can get into the process of the actual meeting.

And I believe uh the chairwoman, if you would mind, I would kind of go through how we want to go through this process.

It's a little different than our zoning, and um so what we'll do is I'll read off start with the zoning decisions.

I'll read off each zoning decision case.

After I read that case, you the chairwoman will ask the audience if there's anyone like to speak for or against.

If they raise their hand, we'll set that case off to the side.

If they don't, we'll continue moving forward after we read off all the zoning discussions decision cases.

Uh you the board can vote on all the cases that did not have speakers and then come back and revisit the cases that did have speakers and vote on those individually.

Once we move through that process, we'll do the same thing with the commission proposals.

Sounds good to me.

Just one slight modification will not slide to the board.

Is after you ask for the public feedback, I'll also ask for commissioner feedback since they have the ability to have the matter heard as well.

Excellent.

Thank you.

And also when I read the case, because this is the board commission.

I'm gonna also want to follow that reading off with the planning commission recommendation.

Sounds good.

Thank you.

All right.

So with that, if you don't have any other questions, I will uh continue forward.

All right, sounds good.

All right, we'll start with uh here we go.

Let me get my slideshow here going.

All right, Z D1 is based on zoning case Z55 from November of 2024.

It is in Commission District 2.

The existing future land use is community activity center, and the proposed future land use is medium density residential.

The site is located on the northwest corner of South Cobb Drive and Waldrop Circle, north of Dink Lane.

Planning Commission recommendation was for approval.

Okay, we'll see if anyone in the audience here would like to speak towards this particular zoning decision.

Okay, not seeing any anyone from the board.

All right, Phil, we're good.

ZD2 is based on zoning case Z 60 from November 2024.

It is in Commission District 2.

The existing future land use is community activity center.

The proposed future land use is medium density residential.

The site is located on the west side of Bells Ferry Road, north of Turner Road.

Planning Commission recommendation was for approval.

Okay.

Is there anyone here from the audience that would like to speak to this matter?

Anyone from our board?

Commissioner Gambrel.

Um, Phil, just my since we just took that one parcel.

Why didn't we look at considering making it a clear um delineation?

You mean looking at the a wider area, yeah, broader area.

Um that's a good question.

Because the MDR is there.

And then so we and I see do we have a CAC further up to the north, it would be yes.

That I believe the question is why didn't we take a look at the entire area?

Yeah, and clean it up that way.

Right.

Um, well, I think the big the best answer to that is that we would like to have more involved, get the community involved for this area.

Um that is something that we could do in our overall large update coming up in 2027.

Um based on the timing of this it and the effort that is involved, it probably would be better if we did that at a later time instead of this opportunity.

Okay, Commissioner Burrell.

And that was the only parcel that was in for zoning.

Correct that was expected.

So that's right.

We can't really well.

I guess we could look at the rest of it, but these are zoning decisions that were that were changed.

Um that's going to one parcel.

Yes, and piggybacking off of that because of the zoning decision.

We will look at the one parcel, but we could look at the broader area under the commissioner proposals under CP.

And I will also state that it's not typical, and it's really not best practices to uh make change individual parcel changes to the future land use map.

It's it's better future lands are designed to be larger, wider, uh a designation of more of a character of the area, not just single, not a single parcel.

Okay, thank you.

All right, we can go on.

All right, Z D three is based on zoning case Z5 from March 2025.

It is in Commission District 2.

The existing future land use is industrial compatible, and the proposed future land use is neighborhood activity center.

The site is located on the southwest corner of West Atlanta Street and Oak Ridge Drive.

Planning Commission recommendation was for denial.

Okay, is there anyone here in the audience that would like to speak to the zoning decision?

Any commissioners?

No, I agree.

I agree with the planning commission.

Okay, recommendation.

All right, Z D four is based on zoning case Z six.

I know we don't have the commissioner here, and this is the only one that the planning commission asked to deny.

Did Commissioner Allen provide you any feedback that there is?

Commissioner Allen, it was uh it was Commissioner or Commissioner uh Bloing uh that uh requ or that set the motion for denial and his concern was uh it the the proximity to Dobbins and the I guess because even though it was a knack, there was a little more opportunity that could potentially uh and could potentially be residential uh in the for that area, and he did not want that being so close to Dobbins.

Okay, okay.

Well, without Commissioner Allen being here, all of these ZDs I per believe are in district two, but I'm just hoping that he doesn't have any contrasting consideration.

Is uh the planning commission uh representative was not present as well.

So I believe she was under the weather.

Okay, okay.

So ZD four um commissioner Gambrel I'm sorry.

I'm gonna put you on the spot here.

We'll try.

So does staff support the denial of ZD three?

Because I know there was also at the planning commission hearing a lot of conversation around that as well.

So does staff support the denial and it remaining um the industrial compatible?

Yes, staff supports that.

Thank you.

Okay.

All right, any other comments or questions from commissioners?

Okay.

All right, Z D four is based on zoning case Z six from April 2025.

It is in Commission District 2.

The existing future land use is community activity center, and the proposed future land use is medium density residential.

The site is located on the east side of Dogwood Drive east of Nacoma Street.

Planning Commission recommendation was for approval.

Okay, is there anyone in the audience to speak to this matter?

Okay, any commissioners?

Okay.

All right, Z D five is based on zoning case Z13 from July 2025.

It is in Commission District 2.

The existing future land use is regional activity center, subcategory retail services, and the proposed future land use is regional activity center subcategory high density residential.

The site is located on the southwest side of Cobb Parkway, northwest of Riverview Parkway.

Okay, anyone in the audience again?

Philip, did you need to add anything?

I was gonna say I forgot the planning commission recommend recommendation was for approval.

Okay, thank you.

Okay, I'm not seeing anyone in the audience, anyone on the board.

Okay, and we go on.

And our final zoning decision, Z D6 is based on zoning case Z16 from August 2025.

It is also in Commission District 2.

The existing future land use is community activity center, and the proposed future land use is medium density residential.

The site is located on the south side of Rebecca Drive west of Park Street.

Planning Commission recommendations for approval.

Okay, anyone in the audience to speak to this matter.

Okay, anyone on the board.

Okay, with that then, commissioners, I move that we approve ZD one, ZD two, Z D four, Z D5, and Z D six, and deny ZD3.

Second.

Is there any question or um discussion?

All right, we'll call the question.

The motion carries four zero.

All right, thank you.

All right.

Now we'll move to the commission proposals.

We'll start with C and by the way.

The the C the name and claim or the net the naming of the CPs basically is CP commission proposal.

Three is for the district, and then chronological the next number is the chronological item how it went through the process.

Sounds good.

And this is now all of District 3.

CP 3 1 is in Commission District 3 and proposes to change the future land use from public institutional to low density residential.

The site is located on the north side corner of Shallowford Road and Wesley Chapel Road.

Planning Commission recommendation was for approval.

Okay, is there anyone in the audience to speak to this matter?

Any commissioners?

Commissioner Burrell.

But this was a church, and that's why it was PI.

And then it's developed now as an RSL residential senior living 55 and older.

So that's the reason for the change here.

Thank you, Commissioner.

There are any other comments.

Okay.

CP 3 2 is in Commission District 3 and proposes to change the future land use from low density residential to public institutional.

The site is located at the terminus of Glenda Lane, south of Sewell Mill Road.

Planning Commission recommendation is for approval.

Okay.

Any comments from anyone in the audience regarding this matter?

Okay, any of our commissioners.

This um was LDR and now it's a church.

So the reason for PI understand.

Okay, any other comments?

Okay.

All right.

CP3-3 is in Commission District 3 and proposes to change the future land use from public institutional to low density residential.

The site is located on the south side of Sewell Mill Road and Spindlewood Drive.

Planning Commission recommendation is for approval.

Okay.

Again, anyone in the audience to speak to this.

Okay.

Anyone on the board?

No.

Is that good?

Okay.

All right.

With that, commissioners, I move that we approve CP 3-1, 3-2, and 3-3.

Second.

All right, is there any discussion?

We'll call the question.

The motion carries 4-0.

And Chairwoman, that concludes the 2026 comprehensive plan amendments.

Thank you very much for your time.

Thank you.

Before we adjourn, I know I've had some discussion with you and Director Gwen, and just want to share that we are in the midst of updating our 10-year comprehensive plan.

And throughout the years, we've had this annual update to reflect zoning changes.

However, that's not consistent with practice of state law or excuse me, general practice around the region is state or state law or our county code.

And so while we are preparing for this 10-year update, is the recommendation of our staff that we do not have this annual update next year, and throughout the time of meeting with the community, we'll determine whether or not it's appropriate to continue with these annual updates.

As you shared, um, Philip and your remarks.

Thank you, Chairwan.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Appreciate all of you joining us today and tuning in.

We look forward to seeing you at our next Board of Commissioners meeting next week, Tuesday, January 27th at 7 p.m.

Thank you, and we're adjourned.