Marietta City Council Meeting: November 12, 2025

The Marietta City Council convened for a meeting featuring post-election remarks, routine consent agenda items, and a public hearing on a significant residential rezoning proposal. The session included discussions on community changes, housing development feasibility, and local infrastructure concerns, culminating in a decision to table the primary rezoning application for further review while approving related lot subdivisions and code amendments.

Consent Calendar

• Approved unanimously (7-0): The consent agenda was approved following a minor adjustment to Item 20250900 (Code Amendment related to fire scheduling change), confirming its effective date as January 4, 2026.
• Code Amendment 20250900: A motion to suspend rules and waive the second reading for the fire scheduling change code amendment was approved.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Donald Barth: Expressed pride in the election results and offered full support for the Mayor, stating, "You have done what you said you'd do, and we continue on." He emphasized the need for a strong council to support the Mayor.
• Tracy Stevenson: Expressed the position that the council needs to "get a little younger" to better incorporate young folks, noting that the young electorate has indicated this desire.
• Lily Reed: Expressed strong opposition to the Trayton proposal. She argued that the project fails to comply with city code regarding connections to arterial streets, threatens school overcrowding, and lacks adequate safety measures. She proposed capping the development at 51 units as a solution to meet code compliance.
• George Balbona: Expressed significant concern regarding the impact on his residence, specifically that his street (Matthews Circle) would become a "developmental driveway," and requested a noise study due to the removal of forest buffers. He also raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest regarding the City Attorney's relationship to the applicant's counsel.
• Sullimar Diaz: Expressed opposition based on housing affordability, stating that the projected starting home prices ($500,000 - $600,000) are "almost three times higher than what's typical in our city" and do not address the actual housing needs of city workforce residents.
• Donald Barth (Continued): Expressed support for the project as a "great project" but noted that while he does not control driveway widths, neighbors could assist with road improvements on Herbert Drive. He stated that the current traffic exit strategy favors Scott Drive, contrary to neighbor concerns.
• Jereen Bonner Willis: Expressed gratitude on behalf of the Cobb County NAACP for the city's continued support of Juneteenth and scholarship programs.
• Jerome Boite: Stated concern that residents on Whitlock Drive and Manning lack adequate bus routes, requesting a bus route change to improve convenience and clear traffic.
• Rosser Sutherland: Expressed positivity, congratulated all candidates, and noted that the recent election was "probably the first real competitive mayor's election" in a long time, deeming it a healthy process.
• Sam Foster: Expressed a desire to see the community improve and be more responsive to issues like affordable housing and safety, thanking the Mayor and all candidates and pledging continued engagement regardless of election outcomes.

Discussion Items

• Z 2025-17 (Trayton Corporation LLC Rezoning):
  • Applicant Position: Kevin Moore, representing Trayton Homes, explained that the proposal was revised from 130-119 homes down to 79 single-family detached homes based on community feedback regarding density and townhomes. He presented a traffic study concluding minimal impact (less than one second delay at intersections) and noted a $107,000 contribution for road improvements.
  • Council & Community Concerns:
    • Driveway Safety: Ms. Minnesota expressed strong opposition to the proposed 7-foot driveways for rear-loaded units, citing a previous incident in the "Mange" neighborhood where inadequate parking forced cars onto grass and streets.
    • Traffic Routing: Mr. Barr and other neighbors questioned whether traffic would incorrectly utilize lower-volume internal streets (Matthews Circle, Herbert Drive) instead of the proposed arterial connections, noting the traffic study did not account for these specific intersections.
    • Feasibility vs. Design: The applicant stated that reducing the unit count to 51 to accommodate wider streets or driveways would "greatly increase the cost of the home" and make the project economically unfeasible, resulting in a loss of pocket parks and amenities.
    • Affordability: Ms. Diaz reiterated that the project prices out local workers who cannot afford the estimated $500,000-$600,000 starting price.
    • Conflict of Interest: Mr. Balbona raised concerns about the City Attorney being the cousin of the applicant's counsel and the presence of planning commission members from partners at the same law firm.
  • Applicant Response: Kevin Moore confirmed a willingness to table the application to address concerns and noted that the 5% rental limitation is a city ordinance requirement.
• Z 2025-21 (Trammel Street Subdivision):
  • Ellen Gleason: Proposed subdividing a property to increase density from 4 to 5.5 units per acre, requesting variances for lot width and side setbacks.
  • Council Deliberation: Council member Mr. Walker initially moved to approve the lot size variance but sought an amendment to exclude the side setback variance (reducing from 10 to 5 feet) to ensure fire code compliance requirements (sprinklers) were met.

Key Outcomes

• Z 2025-17: The Council tabled the Rezoning application for Trayton Corporation LLC until the December 10, 2025 Council meeting to allow time to address concerns regarding driveways, traffic routing, and affordability. The motion passed 7-0.
• Z 2025-21: The motion to approve the subdivision with a variance for lot width was amended to exclude the side setback variance and passed unanimously (7-0).
• Procedural: The meeting concluded with a motion to enter executive session regarding property acquisition and disposition, which was approved.