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Marietta council signals intent to rezone Powder Springs Road site despite county objection
Summary
The Marietta City Council heard hours of public comment over a proposed 43‑lot subdivision next to Kennesaw National Battlefield Park and voted unanimously to notify Cobb County of the city’s intent to approve the rezoning if the county arbitration is resolved.
The Marietta City Council on Jan. 14 heard more than an hour of public testimony and debated a rezoning request for about 10.9 acres on Powder Springs Road, concluding with a 7–0 vote to notify Cobb County that the city would intend to approve the proposal if outstanding arbitration is resolved.
The application from PRE Powder Springs Road LLC was revised from an original 60‑unit plan to a 43‑lot single‑family detached development, which applicant representative Parks Huff described as "slightly below 4 units per acre, 3.9 units per acre," and characterized as a lower‑density option that would create new for‑sale homes near the library and Kennesaw National Battlefield Park.
Opponents, including neighborhood residents and nearby business owners, urged the council to reject or delay any notice that would edge toward approval. Darren Freeberg told the council the plan is "still very, very high density" and pressed for a grading plan, traffic study and stronger setback and buffering commitments, warning of sight‑distance and left‑turn safety issues on Powder Springs Road. John Stephen Beasley and Larry Wills raised similar concerns about grading, sewer tie‑ins and the plan's compatibility with the county’s long‑range land‑use guidance.
Huff countered that the revised plan reduces density by roughly 30 percent from the original filing, that the site "is contiguous to the city," and that GDOT traffic counts do not show a steep rise in traffic on Powder Springs Road. He also said the project complies with city code and that some concerns raised—such as grading to reach sewer—would be necessary regardless of the number of homes.
Because Cobb County previously filed an objection and the matter is in arbitration, councilors could not give final approval at the meeting. Instead, Councilmember (speaker 3) moved to "send notice to Cobb County that the city intends to approve the proposed rezoning and related annexation" if arbitration is resolved; the motion passed unanimously. City staff stressed the motion is a notice of intent only, not a final permit, and that final action remains contingent on the arbitration outcome and any required subsequent hearings.
The council invited additional public input and emphasized further review would occur if arbitration is dismissed or resolved in a way that allows the city to finalize action.
The council’s pending notice moves the matter forward in the intergovernmental process but stops short of a final approval while county arbitration remains active.
