Cooke Enterprises, Inc., 678-797-9797, represented by Garvis Sams, Sams, Larkin & Huff, LLP, 770-422-7016, requests rezoning from GC to O&I for a climate controlled Self Service Storage Facility.

Property is located on the east side of Johnson Ferry Road, south of Shallowford Road (3148 Johnson Ferry Road); 16^th District, Land Lots 469 & 470, Parcel 35.

Size of tract is 1.421 acres

Proposed Number of Buildings: 1

Total Square Footage of Development: 109,526 s.f.

F.A.R.: 1.77

Square Footage/Acre: 77,077

Parking Spaces Required: 36

Parking Spaces Provided: 16

Current zoning: GC

Contiguous zoning is:

North: PSC (Shallowford Falls shopping center);

East: PSC (Shallowford Falls shopping center), CRC (Wal-Mart);

South: LRO (Community Bank of the South), CRC (Wal-Mart));

West R-20 (Johnson Ferry Estates subdivision).

Current land use is Neighborhood Activity Center.

Case manager is David Hong
Planning Commissioner is Christi Trombetti
District Commissioner is Tim Lee

The applicant is requesting the O&I zoning district to develop a climate controlled self-service storage facility. The proposed building would have an exterior of brick and EFIS on four sides. The building would contain three stories and have ??? storage units.

The hours of operation will be 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sundays.

The applicant is showing contemporaneous variances which are:

1. Reduce the required amount of parking spaces from 22 parking spaces to 16 parking spaces;

2. Reduce the side setback from 15-feet to 10-feet along the south property line;

3. Reduce the rear setback from 30-feet to 10-feet;

4. Increase the maximum allowable Floor Area Ratio from 0.75 to 1.77.

Please click for Preliminary Zoning Analysis

Please click for Final Zoning Analysis

Staff recommends DENIAL.

Staff is very concerned with the intensity of the applicant’s proposal. Most of the basic zoning criteria (F.A.R., setbacks, and parking) cannot be met, which indicates this property may (be) too small to support this proposal. Staff is concerned that the size building would be out of character with this lower intensity commercial activity center; even the Super Walmart is much smaller than the Super Walmart prototype. This level of F.A.R. may set a precedent for other properties in the area. It is Staff’s opinion that the applicant’s proposal is not in conformity with the policy and intent of the Cobb County Comprehensive Plan, which delineates this property to be within a Neighborhood Activity Center. The intensity of the proposal with all the variances are too much to be supported by Staff.

ECCA position: Oppose.  While we support the decision for Z-37, 2008, which rezoned this site, we still have the following issues:

• F.A.R. should remain at 0.75 according to the new ordinance for SSSF in NRC.
• Support our neighbors concerning size and location of the building.
• No variances to be allowed during the development phase. meet all county zoning ordinances and development standards.
• Entire site is within 100 year floodplain (see latest FEMA map).  Building may need to be elevated.
• Site plan does not show adequate stormwater controls – Stormwater Plan must be provided at Plan Review.
• Site is within the dam breach zone of Cochran-Maddox lake – need Dam Breach Analysis

Planning Commission Action (September, unofficial): CONTINUED until the October 7, 2008 Planning Commission hearing

Planning Commission Action (May, unofficial): Approved 5-0 to delete rezoning to the NRC zoning district subject to:

1)    A Land Disturbance Permit to be issued within twelve months of this decision and structural building plans with vertical construction approval to be obtained with 18 months of this decision, or the property shall revert to the GC zoning district.

2)    Project to meet all requirements pertaining to Climate Controlled Self Service Storage Facility in a Neighborhood Retail Commercial district, excepting F.A.R to be 1.5

3)    Final site plan and architectural design to be approved by the District Commissioner

4)    District Commissioner may approve minor modification

5)    Letters of Agreeable conditions from Mr. Garvis Sams dated April 7, 2009, October 15208, September 22, 2008 and July 1, 2008.

6)    Fire Department, Water and Sewer Division, Stormwater Management Division and Cobb DOT comments and recommendations

Board of Commissioners Action (June, unofficial):  Approved 3 to 2 with stipulations