Changes to the Zoning Code: Cause for Concern?

Andrew Baker, Director of Planning and Sustainability for DeKalb County,
discussed zoning code changes with a group of concerned residents on June 18.

DECATUR — DeKalb County planners are hoping they've cleared up confusion over where cell phone towers can be placed and eased community concerns about proposed changes to the DeKalb Zoning Code.

At a June 18 public information meeting hosted by commissioners at the Maloof Auditorium, Andrew Baker, the county’s director of Planning and Sustainability, said the debate can be frustrating.

He said the proposed changes to the code incorporate more public input.

“The whole idea that you can build a cell tower anywhere just by getting a permit is not a correct statement,” he said. “We now require a public hearing before cell towers are built. So we called this meeting to give people a better understanding of the code and to recommend changes on cell towers and many other issues.”

But some residents were still skeptical.

Louise Runyon, co-chair of Good Growth DeKalb, said the Medlock neighborhood-based group appreciates the chance for input but is not yet convinced it will lead to a better zoning code.

“A public hearing is different from having a code that says no commercial development in residential neighborhoods, including cell phone towers,” Runyon said. “We want a code that says no to any commercial development in our neighborhoods.”

Vincent Latimer, president of Cedar Grove Neighborhood Association, would like to see more upscale commercial development in the Bouldercrest area and stricter code enforcement on residential property owners and developers.

“We need more control on how far back houses should be from the street, the quality of building materials, the number of houses per lot, and the number of cars parked on driveways and lawns,” Latimer said. “To attract more business to South DeKalb, we have to keep it clean and make it the kind of neighborhood where business owners would want their employees to live.”

To address all concerns, DeKalb adopted a comprehensive zoning plan in 2007 that outlines a vision for controlled expansion to be achieved by the year 2025.

Baker told the meeting that the county has been using a 1999 zoning code to implement that plan.

“In order to fully implement the comprehensive plan’s vision, the county needs a more updated zoning code that is consistent with current trends of development,” he said.

He presented slides with excerpts from the proposed code, and planning workers placed charts around the auditorium illustrating the various development zones.

The Zoning Code Update has several goals:

*  Reduce traffic by creating mixed-use walkable communities.

*  Identify the best locations for new growth.

*  Promote redevelopment of underutilized retail centers.

*  Provide “predictability” by creating standards.

*  Protect single-family neighborhoods.

The proposed code also creates new standards for lots, streets, landscapes, open spaces and site improvements.

Baker said the proposed changes should make it easier for initiatives such as aging in place, mixed-use development, intergenerational activity centers, and neighborhood protection.

“The new code is user-friendly and includes graphic illustrations, useful tables and more concise regulatory standards,” he said.

It also encourages redevelopment and repurposing of existing commercial sites as an alternative to demolition, thus causing fewer disruptions to residential neighborhoods.

Runyon said the plan displayed on June 18 is an improvement over the one that Baker presented on May 28.

But she says it still needs tweaking on the issue of public input, a sensitive topic for her group that has been fighting the construction of a Walmart at Suburban Plaza.

Good Growth DeKalb is suing in DeKalb Superior Court to block the construction of a Walmart near the congested six-way intersection of North Decatur Road, Scott Boulevard and Medlock Road.

“There is strong evidence that excess power is given to the planning director and to staff that communities do not have the same appeal rights as developers and that public notice about new development and public hearings is insufficient,” Runyon said.

“What we need is clear, understandable language that spells out very specifically how the interests of neighborhoods will be improved upon in this new plan.”

Commissioners did not take a final vote on the Zoning Code Update at their June 25 meeting and deferred the matter until Aug. 27.  (They have still not voted and are expected to do so before the end of September.)

District 3 Commissioner Larry Johnson, who chairs the Planning and Economic Development Committee, said the code will likely go through more fine tuning and the public will get additional opportunities to offer suggestions this summer.

The draft plan is available at www.planningdekalb.net. Click on “Project Overview.”

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