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Council raises concerns about detention ponds; asks staff to study code changes
Summary
Councilmembers raised concerns about stormwater detention ponds being unmaintained and visually prominent along thoroughfares. Members asked staff to research code changes and review sister cities' approaches before proposing amendments to the development code.
A councilmember told the Snellville City Mayor and Council the city should discourage new development designs that leave detention ponds highly visible along main thoroughfares, saying ponds in the right places are often not maintained and can become hazards.
The councilmember asked staff to study options and bring back recommendations. Other councilmembers supported a study-first approach: they asked staff to examine how comparable jurisdictions regulate stormwater detention and to return with proposed code language or a work session discussion before any formal changes to the unified development ordinance.
Council members also discussed a specific instance: the community center project includes a proposed detention area near a wooded parkland the speaker described as an "arboretum." The councilmember suggested enlarging existing detention capacity below the two softball fields rather than creating a new pond on parkland; staff said they would evaluate routing and capacity options.
No ordinance changes were enacted at the work session. The council directed staff to research regulatory options, compare practices in peer cities, and report back to council for further discussion.
