Wednesday, October 10, 2012
The supercenter sought a waiver to be able to sell alcohol, even though the store is located fewer than 600 feet from a church.
The Cobb County Board of Commissioners denied a waiver request Tuesday by Walmart for a location on Barrett Parkway in South Cobb County to be allowed to sell packaged beer and wine, with commissioners voting against the waiver stating that the supercenter didn't have sufficient evidence that alcohol sales wouldn't affect a nearby church. The waiver is needed because the the store is fewer than 600 feet from Pine Grove Baptist Church in Powder Springs, the distance required by the county's ordinance. According to the ordinance, a waiver may be granted for a business closer than 600 feet to a school or church if it can show that the sale of alcohol won't affect property values or adversely affect the use of the institution. Evidence …
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Commissioner Bob Ott explains Cobb County's rezoning process.
According to County Commissioner Bob Ott, redevelopment is on the rise in District 2. “Just over the last two years in District 2 there has been over $400 million worth of projects: $250 million in commercial and $150 million in residential,” he said Tuesday at a town hall meeting in Smyrna. “That’s more than the other three districts combined, so there’s been a lot of activity.” And redevelopment means rezoning, a legal process that leaves some citizens scratching their heads. Ott spent a portion of the meeting detailing Cobb County’s zoning process. Step One: Zoning Application is Filed and Reviewed Once an applicant submits an application, Ott said a 90-day clock countdown begins. During this time, the applicant meets with county staff …
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Two Cobb citizens came before the Board of Commissioners to plead for their causes.
An otherwise routine Tuesday evening meeting of the Board of Commissioners of Cobb County was colored by the appearance of two public speakers coming before the board pleading for the right to own chickens and to rail against money in politics. Joseph Pond, founder of the Backyard Chickens Alliance of Cobb County, once again stressed his recommendation that the board alter the 40 year old zoning code and allow chickens and ducks to be counted as pets and not livestock. With the current code, chickens and ducks can only be kept on properties exceeding two acres in size. Pond said that if the code was amended, neighborhoods with HOAs would be able to restrict chicken keeping. Pond lost his job two weeks ago and his chickens in the fall of …
Monday, August 13, 2012
After a drawn out process, the Board of Commissioners is expected to approve the revenue-generating venture.
The Cobb County Board of Commissioners are expected to approve a contract that will allow advertising to be placed on the windows of Cobb Community Transit (CCT) buses to generate additional revenue for the county. As reported by The Marietta Daily Journal, the process to approve a contractor for this project has taken roughly a year due to the lack of competitive bidding. In May, the county invited representatives to examine the dimensions of CCT buses, which caused two more companies to submit bids. The contract was won by Signal Outdoor Advertising, of Orlando. The ads are expected to bring in at least $60,000 in the first year, at least $70,000 in the second year, and at least $80,000 in 2015, when the project is slated to end. This …
Friday, July 27, 2012
Meet the partisan candidates seeking to represent Smyrna-Vinings.
Georgia voters will chose Tuesday, July 31 which candidates will face off in the November election, and Smyrna-Vinings Patch wants you to be informed. Below you'll find links to candidate profiles we've posted on the site in the weeks leading up to the primary. Read where the candidates stand on important local issues like TSPLOST and learn how they got into politics in the first place. Cobb County Commissioner District 2 Commissioner Bob Ott (R) Cobb County Commission Chairman Chairman Tim Lee (R) Larry Savage (R) Mike Boyce (R) Bill Byrne (R) State Representative, District 40 State Rep. Rich Golick (R) State Representative, District 41 Justin O'Dell (D) Michael Smith (D)* Diana L. Eckles (D) Phil Daniell (R) State Representative, …
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Commissioner Bob Ott says he'll vote against maintaining the rate of 11.11 mills because it preserves a 2011 increase.
The Cobb Board of Commissioners will set the property tax millage rate for fiscal year 2013 at tonight's business meeting. The FY 2012 rate of 11.11 mills is being proposed for an extension. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the Board of Commissioners meeting room on the 3rd floor of 100 Cherokee Street in downtown Marietta. District 2 Commissioner Bob Ott, who represents East Cobb and Smyrna-Vinings, told The Marietta Daily Journal he will vote against maintaining the same rate because it preserves last year's millage rate increase. He and District 3 (Northeast Cobb) Commissioner JoAnn Birrell voted against the millage hike, which passed on a 3-2 vote. Also tonight, the commissioners will take up a measure approved Thursday by the Cobb …
Monday, June 11, 2012
A controversial zoning amendment and two candidate forums are coming up in the week ahead for Smyrna-Vinings.
- ELECTIONS
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Monday, June 11, 2012
The city of Smyrna’s Planning and Zoning Board meets Monday at 6 p.m. at City Hall. The meeting’s agenda is short, but one controversial item is sure to result in lengthy discussion. The board will consider a text amendment to the city’s R15 zoning ordinance that would make the requirements for day nurseries in a residential area more specific. This item has been put on the agenda after residents of Cheney Woods neighborhood in Smyrna’s Ward 5 raised concerns about the expansion of Oxford Academy, a private daycare center owned by former Ward 5 City Council Representative Jimmy Smith and his wife Cindy. Neighbors are concerned the daycare will negatively impact their property values as well as increase traffic volume and drainage issues…
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 …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The board will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room at 100 Cherokee Street, Marietta.
- GOVERNMENT
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Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The agenda for Tuesday night’s Cobb County Board of Commissioners meeting is pretty routine, but several items are of interest to specific Patches. The board has its regular meeting at 9 a.m. in the second floor meeting room at 100 Cherokee St., Marietta. For more specifics see the full agenda on this page.
Monday, May 7, 2012
We take a look at the Smyrna City Council agenda and other Smyrna-Vinings happenings for the week.
There’s a lot on the agenda for Smyrna-Vinings this week, so let’s dive right into our look at the week ahead. Smyrna City Council meets Monday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall. The agenda looks light and includes a public hearing for a modification of the site plan and zoning conditions for Vintage Square Subdivision and the reappointment of Downtown Development Authority members. Council will also vote whether to approve the use of $340,086 of Community Development Block Grant Funds between the city of Smyrna and Cobb County. The complete agenda can be viewed at the city of Smyrna website. The public is invited, and the meeting is also televised live on Charter Communications Public Access Channel 19. Replays of council meetings air the…
Brian
2:24 am on Thursday, October 11, 2012
Bruce: Sadly I think this would lose in a vote since so many people go to church. However, it doesn't need a vote. A church is a religious entity and it should not get preferential treatment. Who cares what the believers in Christianity say about alcohol? Btw, are we going to also restrict alcohol sale around mosques, synagogues and temples? If not, then we shouldn't be doing so for churches. We … more ›