Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Alpharetta Planning Commission approves rezoning, variances for single Milton Avenue lot with required long-term mitigation agreement
Summary
The commission approved rezoning 1.34 acres on Milton Avenue from Special Use to R-15 and granted setbacks and stream buffer variances for one single-family home, subject to 13 staff conditions plus a newly added condition requiring a long-term maintenance agreement for stream-buffer mitigation; the vote was unanimous and the item will go to City Council on Jan. 26.
The Alpharetta Planning Commission unanimously approved a rezoning and associated variances for a 1.34-acre parcel on Milton Avenue that would allow construction of a single-family detached home, contingent on a series of staff conditions and an added requirement for a long-term maintenance agreement for stream-buffer mitigation.
Planning staff (Kathy Cook) told the commission the applicant requests rezoning from Special Use to R-15 and variances to reduce the front building setback from 65 feet to 24 feet and to reduce the city's impervious stream buffer from 150 feet to 75 feet (the state buffer is 25 feet). Staff said the undeveloped lot contains a perennial stream that feeds Faux Killer Creek and that the parcel formerly belonged to Innovation Academy. Staff recommended approval with conditions, citing consistency with the city's comprehensive land-use plan and a mitigation package proposed by the applicant.
Staff identified mitigation measures the applicant will use if approved, including a buffer enhancement plan (on- and off-site with Innovation Academy if agreements are in place), live-stake plantings to stabilize the stream bank, and a requirement to provide 50% additional runoff reduction or equivalent measures beyond standard city requirements. Staff also said the city's stormwater engineer must approve the hydrology study and the draft long-term maintenance agreement before a land-disturbance permit is issued. "The city's required, impervious buffer is a 150 feet," staff said during the presentation.
Applicant Tory Young (Madewell) described practical maintenance expectations and said the homeowner and their landscape crew would be responsible for long-term upkeep. "Honestly, it would be to the homeowner to do that and their landscape crew," Young said, adding she recommends completing mitigation work at the end of construction so the homebuyer receives a fully restored buffer area.
A member of the public, Janice Toledo of Windrush Lane and a member of the Alpharetta Historical Society, expressed concern about flooding and recounted a nearby case where a later-built house produced periods of high water in yards; she asked how the proposal would prevent downstream flooding affecting a nearby park and historic log cabin. Staff replied that the proposal cannot increase downstream flow and that required hydrology analysis, stormwater-engineer review, and the 50% runoff-reduction requirement are designed to address such risks.
After discussion and a motion to approve the rezoning subject to the 13 listed conditions and adding condition 14 (a long-term maintenance agreement for stream-buffer mitigation), the commission voted unanimously to carry the motion. Staff said the application will go before City Council on Jan. 26 for further consideration.
