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Council approves site-specific variances for gas station at 1810 Williams Drive with conditions
Summary
The council approved variances allowing a gas station and convenience store at 1810 Williams Drive with site-specific conditions including parking reductions, dumpster enclosure standards, removal of existing nonconforming signage, and landscaping in lieu of sidewalk where right-of-way constraints apply.
The Marietta City Council approved site-specific variances for development of a convenience store with fuel sales at 1810 Williams Drive, subject to architectural and site conditions specified during the meeting.
The applicant proposed a small convenience store with a fuel canopy on a parcel of about one-half acre that faces constraints from surrounding rights-of-way and an existing water main. The developer's attorney said the CRC zoning allows the proposed use and that the variances are needed to address setback, landscaping strip and parking requirements given the lot's size and geometry.
Speakers at the council meeting included the applicant's representative, who presented revised site plans and a photo of a comparable nearby convenience store to illustrate proposed building materials. The applicant agreed to remove several existing nonconforming pylon signs on the site; council amended the motion to require removal of those signs within 30 days if not already removed. The applicant also agreed that any on-site dumpster enclosure would be built to match the building's materials and be durable (no simple wood gate), and that the variances should be site specific to this application only.
Residents who spoke at the hearing offered mixed views. Neighbors and some nearby residents expressed concerns about adding another gas station and the long-term permanence of such a use; others, including nearby residents and a citizen with long familiarity with the property, said the site has been difficult to develop and that a convenience store would serve local businesses and residents.
Council and staff discussed practical constraints including a known water main at the north edge of the lot, potential requirements from Cobb County and the Georgia Department of Transportation for any work in adjacent rights of way, and Transportation staff comments that some proposed parking spaces backing onto Williams Drive likely would not be allowed in plan review (the developer acknowledged that plan review could require removing those spaces). The development team said they added three additional parking spaces in a revised plan submitted the day of the meeting to reduce the scope of the parking variance.
Council approved the variances as amended: the variances are site-specific to this application, parking was reduced to the layout shown (14 internal spaces as presented to council), billboards/nonconforming pylon signs are to be removed (within 30 days if not already removed), and the dumpster enclosure must be constructed of durable materials substantially similar to the sample images presented. Council also clarified that any final changes required by GDOT or Cobb County during permitting (for fencing or curb cuts) would be addressed during plan review.
Why it matters: the approvals allow a fuel-and-convenience use on a constrained infill parcel. Council and transportation staff noted that plan-review stage approvals remain necessary for final engineering and any county or state right-of-way changes.
Implementation: the applicant will proceed to plan review; Transportation and county/state approvals may require engineering changes. The variances were explicitly made site-specific to this applicant and property.
