Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Zoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves rezoning at 9755 Roberts Drive to allow three detached homes; neighborhood leaders backed plan
Summary
The Sandy Springs City Council rezoned 9755 Roberts Drive on Sept. 16 from RE-1 (one-acre minimum) to RD-7.5 to allow subdivision into three single-family detached lots under conditions limiting curb cuts and preserving river-protection allocations.
The Sandy Springs City Council voted Sept. 16 to rezone 9755 Roberts Drive from RE-1 (residential detached, 1-acre minimum) to RD-7.5 (residential detached, 7,500-square-foot minimum) with conditions that the property be subdivided into no more than three lots served by a single access point and that Metropolitan River Protection Act (MRPA) allocations remain unchanged.
Why it matters: the 1.72-acre site has been the subject of rezoning requests for more than two decades. Neighborhood leaders and the Sandy Springs Council of Neighborhoods told council they had long resisted commercial proposals and supported a residential outcome consistent with the surrounding single-family character.
Planning staff recommended approval with conditions; the planning commission also recommended approval. The applicant's representative, Brad Riffle of AEC, said the three-lot plan produces lot sizes that range from about 17,000 to 39,000 square feet and that the RD-7.5 zoning was chosen to allow a 5-foot side setback where appropriate. Rhonda Smith, president of the Council of Neighborhoods, and Don Heffner, a neighboring property owner, spoke in support, praising the outcome as consistent with long-standing neighborhood goals.
Council appended one additional condition to staff recommendations: the applicant must remove a derelict boat docked on the riverbank before permits are issued. The council then approved the rezoning ordinance by voice vote.
Implementation notes: staff requested that plats ensure required MRPA allocations and any dedication of rights-of-way be shown. The council recorded the conditions limiting curb cuts and preserving environmental allocation levels. The city will process subdivision plats and permit applications under the new zoning and the listed conditions.
What was decided: approval of ZR-25-2 (rezoning 9755 Roberts Drive) with staff conditions and the additional boat-removal condition. The vote was recorded as an affirmative council action with no recorded opposition in the minutes.
Background context: planning staff noted the parcel is constrained by river buffers, stream buffers, floodplain and a sanitary sewer easement; the proposed house sites sit where development is feasible given those encumbrances.
