Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Rezoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council postpones Anderson Landing rezoning after residents press sewer, stormwater and traffic concerns
Summary
Council postponed a decision on Eastwood Homes’ request to rezone 54.54 acres for Anderson Landing after residents and staff raised questions about sewer capacity, pump station sequencing, stormwater runoff and traffic mitigation; the case is readvertised and deferred for at least 45 days.
The City Council of McDonough voted to postpone consideration of a rezoning request for a 54.54‑acre tract known as Anderson Landing after residents urged stronger, enforceable infrastructure guarantees.
Deborah Akpa, speaking for Mountain Brook Village, told the council that the neighborhood’s sewer system is already under strain and urged the council not to permit building before infrastructure is secured. "Our sewer capacity is near permit levels," Akpa said. "Operating a sewer plant at 97% of permit capability leaves minimal margin for error." She urged independent verification of post‑build flows, completion of the Wade Farm pump station before building permits, larger vegetative buffers and a developer‑funded performance bond and post‑construction monitoring.
Eastwood Homes’ representatives and their engineers said the company has met with city staff and a neighboring developer about tying into regional lift stations and has proffered conditions intended to prevent homes from being constructed before water and sewer capacity is demonstrated. Stephen Jones, counsel for the applicant, said the agenda packet includes a Turnipseed report that addresses water and sewer capacity and noted staff‑recommended conditions that would prevent vertical home construction until capacity is confirmed.
Traffic and stormwater were focal points of the hearing. Traffic engineer Verne Wilburn summarized his independent study and told the council that some existing movements at nearby intersections currently operate at poor levels of service; he suggested the council consider turn‑lane improvements or signalization where appropriate. Developer engineers said the plan incorporates hybrid green‑infrastructure stormwater measures and detention to meet Georgia stormwater manual requirements and that detailed designs will be reviewed by the city engineer and permitting authorities.
City staff and the applicant also acknowledged a procedural problem: three requested variances had not been properly advertised for tonight’s hearing. Because the required advertisement could not be confirmed, the council voted to postpone the case for up to 45 days to allow proper notice and permit any missing hearings. Councilman Scott Reeves made the motion to postpone; the motion passed unanimously.
Next steps: staff will confirm what must be readvertised, provide the missing notices, and return the application with the advertised variances and any additional documentation requested by council; the council set a 45‑day target for rehearing and asked staff to provide supplemental materials on pump‑station sequencing, the Turnipseed capacity report, and any proposed performance/maintenance bond language.
