DeKalb County Development Department will meet June 18 to discuss and possibly vote on Sembler’s request for a 100 percent waiver of property taxes for the next 20 years on most of the acreage of the 54-acre development known as “Town Brookhaven.”
DeKalb County Cuts Development Department
DeKalb County laid off 60 Development Department employees due to budget shortfalls. The Department is left with 45 employees.
Cobb County Approves Development Incentives
Cobb County recently approved a six month incentive program to spur residential and commercial construction and reduce its inventory of vacant lot. From now until December 31, any builder can defer payment of all permit fees, including sewer tap fees and inspection fees, until the issuance of a certificate of occupancy on the home or building. Land disturbance permits and permits for additions are not included in the deferral program.
You can learn more about the program here.
Statewide Voluntary Remediation Program Act
On June 1, the new Georgia Voluntary Remediation Program Act, O.C.G.A. § 12-8-100, et seq., became effective. The Act establishes a Voluntary Remediation Program (VRP) intended to encourage “voluntary, timely and cost-effective” investigation and remediation of properties impacted by the release of hazardous substances.
Unlike the Georgia Hazardous Site Response Act (HSRA), which requires cleanup of soil and groundwater contamination to established levels, VRP adopts a risk-based approach under which cleanup standards are determined on a site-specific basis taking into account factors such as potential exposure and groundwater impacts.
You can find the Act here.
Roswell Chickens Can Stay
Roswell Municipal Court Judge Maurice Hilliard invalidates the City ban on backyard chickens for being “too vague and ambiguous for enforcement.” Andrew Wordes a/k/a The Chicken Outlaw can keep his pet chickens on Alpine Drive.
DeKalb County Pulls Plug on Military School
AJC reports that DeKalb County pulled the plug on the proposed military school simply stating that the plan was “not feasible”.
DeKalb County Defers Decisions On Suing Dunwoody And Changes to Liquor Ordinance
The DeKalb County Commissioners again deferred a decision on whether it will sue Dunwoody. It was the eighth time in eight months that the Commissioners delayed making a decision about the lawsuit.
“I feel this is a positive step,” [Commissioner Elaine Boyer] said of the ongoing negotiations. “We have asked to continue mediation with the city of Dunwoody.”
The County and Dunwoody are in current negotiations over the transfer of county-owned property, including the multi-million-dollar Brook Run Park facility on North Peachtree Road.
The County also deferred a decision on changes to its liquor license proposed by Commissioner Kathie Gannon that would allow restaurants in mixed-use developments to serve alcohol despite their proximity to schools or churches.
The Commissioners will tackle both again next month.
Aerotropolis Atlanta
Jacoby Development Inc., the developer that turned an old steel mill into Atlantic Station — a live-work-play mini-city in Midtown — recently completed the initial demolition and site remediation of the 128-acre site of old Ford Motor Company plant in Hapeville along I-75. By fall, the development will enter Phase I – construction of light industrial and parking.
The $1.5 billion development will be called Aerotropolis Atlanta because of its close proximity to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The 10-year development proposes office space, hotels, retail, restaurants, a light industrial business park and a 4,000-space airport parking facility.
More than 90 million passengers passed through Hartsfield last year, the world’s busiest airport. Aerotropolis Atlanta will be “a direct connection” to the international terminal under construction, Condra said. The terminal will be located just across Loop Road from the Jacoby property. Plans call for shuttle service to be offered on Loop Road, so travelers can eat and shop during layovers.
“I really think the reason this project is doing well when others aren’t is our proximity to the airport,” he said. “The location is a big, big selling point.”
Hapeville Mayor Alan Hallman says while the economy might slow the completion date, the project is moving ahead.
Gwinnett County Settles Zoning Lawsuit, Purchases Land For $2.3 Million
Majors Management sought rezoning of a 33-acre tract for higher density residential development. Majors Management proposed to develop the property into 91 lots. Gwinnett County denied the rezoning request, which meant the property could only be developed into 33 one-acre lots. Majors Management sued Gwinnett County.
A year later, the Gwinnett County Commission voted 3-1 to approve the purchase of the 33-acre tract for $2.3 million – more than $69,000 per acre. The County’s acquisition of the property ends the lawsuit. But, not all are happy.
The commissioner who cast the dissenting vote calls the purchase, at $69,000 per acre, inexcusable.
The appraiser calls it incomprehensible.
“I don’t understand this,” said Larry Singleton of Singleton Real Estate in Woodstock. “I couldn’t sell that [property] for $69,000 an acre.”
The Commissioners reviewed appraisal valuing the property from $33,000 – $73,000 per acre.
County Commissioner Kevin Kenerly, who voted in favor of the purchase along with Commissioner Bert Nasuti and Commission Chairman Charles Bannister, said land appraisals for the entire area were “all over the board.”
Commissioner Mike Beaudreau, whose district includes the purchased property, said the wide range in appraisals should have convinced the commission that further study of the site was required.
Like Kenerly, Banister said he had studied appraisals for properties near the site and found them inconsistent. He said the proposal had been sitting around for months while the county faced the lawsuit. He added Gwinnett always has taken the lead in park development, and the decision was in the best interest of the county.
Sembler Asks DeKalb County For $52 Million In Tax Incentives
Sembler asked DeKalb County for $52 million in tax incentives to finish its 54-acre mixed-use development near the Brookhaven MARTA station.
A couple of buildings are up, but last week, [Sembler President Jeff] Fuqua said nothing else will rise on the site unless taxpayers subsidize the project. He showed officials an aerial photograph of the site. They saw two mid-rise residential towers surrounded by dirt.
The tax incentive proposal will meet with skeptical politicans and again face neighborhood opposition.
DeKalb’s top elected official, Burrell Ellis, is worried about the precedent of giving such a generous handout. At the same time, he fears getting stuck with a raw construction site.
“I think there is some benefit to the county of seeing this project completed,” said Ellis, DeKalb’s chief executive officer. But, he said, other developers are in trouble, so a tax break like this “could have broader implications than this one project.”
Bill Draper, a longtime critic of Sembler, said neighbors would like to see the project completed so they could shop in the stores and dine at the restaurants.
“We want to see it finished, but we don’t want to have to pay to see it finished,” said Draper, who is a board member of the Brookhaven-Peachtree Community Alliance.
