Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Once comments have been reviewed, the plan will be presented to the Cobb County Planning Commission and the Board of Commissioners.
The final draft of the Vinings Vision Plan is available for public viewing and comment on the Cobb County community development website and now its up to Vinings residents to let the department know how they feel about it. The document that was developed by the Vinings community over the past year is a master plan for the community that includes a breakdown of Vinings demographics, zoning and land use maps and historic assets. The goals and objects of the plan were categorized into pedestrian infrastructure, preservation of land uses, natural environment, community facilities, historic preservation and building and street aesthetics. One highlight of the plan was the proposal to redraw the lanes at the intersection of Paces Ferry and New …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
The city's community development department saw the number of new home building permits nearly double in the first quarter compared to the same period in 2011.
The city of Smyrna is reporting a dramatic increase in the number of new home permits issued when compared to previous years. Is this a sign that things are looking up? Smyrna’s director of community development thinks so. “At least in Smyrna, things are coming back,” said Ken Suddreth. The community development department issued 70 new home permits in the first four months of 2012 compared to 38 for the same time period in 2011 and 21 for 2010. “The interesting thing about the numbers I’m giving you from 2012 is it’s not just one or two subdivisions that someone picked up and is finishing out,” he said. “It actually involves 11 different subdivisions, which is good because it’s spread out.” Suddreth said developers are beginning to …
Work continues on the Atlanta Road LCI Median and Trail Project, the Spring Road pedestrian bridge and the Atlanta Road Trail.
- GOVERNMENT
-
Tuesday, May 15
The Smyrna Public Works Department offers updates for several of the city's construction projetcs.
The road will still be closed to traffic and pedestrians this summer, but the scope of the project has been narrowed.
Cobb County’s District 2 Engineer Bryan Ricks told a crowd of about 50 Vinings residents that there would be some changes to the Woodland Brook Drainage Project. Yes, the road will still be closed for four to six weeks this summer, but the scope of the project has been narrowed, which no longer requires the contractor to raise the road. Ricks outlined the original plan in March at a meeting for the Vinings Vision Plan. The original plan called for the replacement of the dual 48-inch pipes that run beneath Woodland Brook Drive to be replaced with a 25-foot by 8.5-foot bottomless arch culvert. However, Ricks said in the new plan the culvert will be about 25 feet by 6.5 feet. “The reason we’re not raising the road is in meeting with the …
Monday, May 14, 2012
Learn about a major project that will close a Vinings street for six weeks and find out what else is coming up in the week ahead.
Here’s a look at what’s coming up in the week ahead for Smyrna-Vinings. Government News Vinings residents who live near Woodland Brook Drive are invited to an informational meeting to learn more about the drainage project that will prevent flooding in the neighborhood, but close the street for four to six weeks this summer. The meeting hosted by District 2 Commissioner Bob Ott and Cobb County Department of Transportation begins at 5 p.m. at the Vinings Public Library. Cobb County School Board meets Thursday at 7 p.m. to legally adopt the 2013 budget. The preliminary budget the school board approved on a 6-1 vote April 26 uses five furlough days, a 175-day school year, a half-year delay in step pay raises, $21.2 million from the reserve …
Residents can attend an informational meeting about the project Monday at 5 p.m. at Vinings Library.
The Woodland Brook Drive culvert replacement project is set to begin soon and Vinings residents will have the chance to learn more Monday at 5 p.m. at the Vinings Library. The SPLOST project will close Woodland Brook Drive for six weeks this summer. At a meeting to review the final draft of the Vinings Vision Plan in March, Bryan Ricks, a Cobb County District 2 engineer, outlined the scope of the project. Woodland Brook Drive is prone to flooding because of an inadequate drainage system, he said. Currently there are dual-48-inch pipes running underneath Woodland Brook Drive. These will be replaced by a 20-foot by 8.25-foot arch culvert. “It won’t have a bottom to it, but it’s going to be an arch culvert,” he said. “The square-footage as …
Friday, May 11, 2012
In its most recent session the state legislature voted to eliminate the ad valorem vehicle tax, which provides about $1.3 million in revenue to the city of Smyrna.
Not everyone is singing happy birthday about the elimination of the state's ad valorem vehicle tax, sometimes referred to as "the birthday tax." At Thursday’s meeting of the Smyrna Area Council Cobb Chamber of Commerce, Ward 3 City Council Representative Teri Anulewicz asked Smyrna’s state representatives and senator about what the tax cut means for local governments who rely on ad valorem tax revenues. “I appreciate that the governor and our elected officials have said, ‘Oh we promise and we pledge and we’re going to make it happen,’ but no one has explained to me how exactly the state is going to ensure that I do not have to make difficult budget decisions because a bunch of other folks want to say they’ve made a tax cut,” she said. …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Almost all the plaintiffs were pleased with U.S. District Judge Steve Jones' revised district maps with a few exceptions.
All of the plaintiffs in the Cobb County redistricting case “are satisfied with virtually all aspects of the court’s initial redistricting plan with one exception.” It’s just not the same exception. Jonathan Crumly—the Marietta lawyer who brought the lawsuit against the commissioners last month, then accepted their switch to his side Monday—focused his lone concern on the district border shared by JoAnn Birrell, District 3 Commissioner, and Bob Ott, District 2 Commissioner. He wants U.S. District Judge Steve Jones to move two precincts along the Fulton County border—Roswell 01 above Ga. 120 and Timber Ridge 01 below it—from District 3 to Bob Ott’s District 2. “Plaintiff believes this minor shift will sustain the integrity and …
The zoning amendment was based on changes to the development's site plan and the elevation of its new units.
At its meeting Monday, Smyrna City Council tried to juggle the sometimes conflicting desires of neighbors and the developer of Vintage Square subdivision on Atlanta Road across the street from Campbell Middle School. The developer, TI Vintage LLC, proposed to Council a zoning amendment to modify the existing site plan and zoning condition approved for the development in 2006. The amendment was recommended for approval by city of Smyrna staff with some added conditions. Council ultimately voted 6-1 to approve the request with Ward 2 Representative Andrea Blustein casting the dissenting vote, but not without some lengthy discussion. The Amendment TI Vintage LLC, represented by the applicant Jeff Freeman, sought the amendment as a means to …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Due to the sale of alcohol to a minor, the commissioners voted to suspend the beer and wine license at the Kroger on Powder Springs Road for 60 days. They also asked for confirmation of various kinds of training for the Kroger employees.
The commissioners get underway at 9 a.m.
Lissa K.
9:35 pm on Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Cayce Foods Inc. is building a new store in Little Five Points. There hasn't been any mention of that. Williams Park Neighborhood said they wanted a grocery store. more ›