July 20, 2009
· Filed under Georgia Cities, Georgia Counties, Water & Coastal · Tagged Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Lake Lanier, Paul Magnuson, Water war
U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson issued his long-awaited decision in the 18-year Georgia-Alabama-Florida water war ruling that Georgia can no longer withdraw water from Lake Lanier. The decision finds that Georgia’s current withdrawal of water for Atlanta’s water resource violates the intended purpose of Lake Lanier – hydropower and flood control. The ruling invalidates a 2003 settlement agreement that allocated 25% of Lake Lanier for Atlanta’s drinking water. Judge Magnuson allows the three states three years to reach an agreement or congressional action. Hereis a pdf of the Judge’s ruling.
Creative Loafing outlines local and regional reaction.
Georgia’s entire congressional delegation will meet Tuesday.
July 18, 2009
· Filed under Georgia Cities, Georgia Counties, Water & Coastal · Tagged Exemption, Stormwater, Thurbert Baker
Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker, who is running for Governor in 2010, issued an opinion that state agencies – particularly the Department of Transportation – do not have to comply with city and county storm water runn-off regulations.
Here is a copy of the Attorney General’s opinion.
The opinion troubles environmentalists and led the Athens Banner-Herald to call for some limits on the state.
June 18, 2009
· Filed under Georgia Counties · Tagged DeKalb County, Sembler, Tax
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.”
June 18, 2009
· Filed under Georgia Counties · Tagged DeKalb County
DeKalb County laid off 60 Development Department employees due to budget shortfalls. The Department is left with 45 employees.
June 12, 2009
· Filed under Georgia Counties · Tagged Cobb County, Development, Incentives, Permits
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.
June 1, 2009
· Filed under Georgia Counties · Tagged DeKalb County, Military School
AJC reports that DeKalb County pulled the plug on the proposed military school simply stating that the plan was “not feasible”.
May 27, 2009
· Filed under Georgia Cities, Georgia Counties, Incorporation, Liquor Ordinances, Mixed-Use Development · Tagged DeKalb County, Dunwoody, Elaine Boyer, Kathie Gannon, 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.
May 26, 2009
· Filed under Georgia Counties, Rezoning · Tagged Acquisition, Bert Nasuti, Charles Bannister, Gwinnett County, Kevin Kenerly, Larry Singleton, Majors Management
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.
May 18, 2009
· Filed under Georgia Counties, Mixed-Use Development · Tagged Bill Draper, Burrell Ellis, DeKalb County, Sembler, 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.
May 5, 2009
· Filed under Georgia Counties, Greenspace · Tagged Cobb County, Parks, Sam Olens
Cobb County is eyeing 277 properties to purchase for parks, but will not release the locations of the potential parks. A 15-member committee appointed by the County Commission will meet behind closed doors to evaluate the properties and make recommendations. The County says the secrecy is necessary to keep land speculators from driving up the prices.
Critics, however, don’t buy the county’s argument now, particularly amid a recession that is socking property values. They say publicizing the locations of the properties could encourage owners to make their prices more competitive.
“I’m not sure if I really understand all of the secrecy around this,” said Jeff Wood, who serves on the 15-member committee county commissioners appointed to evaluate the properties. “I just happen to think that it is may be a little bit shortsighted because there is so much competition for the $40 million.”
Cobb County Commission Chair and candidate for Attorney General Sam Olens first deferred to the County Attorney about the secrecy, but then added:
Olens, however, said he would direct the county to disclose the locations of the properties the committee ultimately recommends, as he did after the 2006 parks bond issue. County commissioners, Olens added, will vote on purchasing the parkland in public after giving residents an opportunity to comment.
