A rezoning request to allow the development of the final parcel of the mixed-use development began nearly two decades ago with the Hudson Bridge Walmart was denied by the Stockbridge City Council at its July 13 regular meeting.
The applicant proposed 147 single-family attached fee-simple townhomes on a 20.367-acre site on the northwest corner of the existing commercial corridor, behind Quik Trip and Taco Bell. Amenities planned for the neighborhood, billed as an “upscale gated community,” would include a swimming pool, clubhouse area and play lawn area, according to a staff report.
The entire area was annexed into the city in 2002 for mixed-use development, after which the former Baptist Inn site was replaced by Walmart and other retail and restaurant developments.
City staff recommended approval of the request with several conditions. During the public hearing, two people spoke in favor and two spoke in opposition.
Elton Alexander made a motion to approve with recommended conditions while also requiring two-car garages, eight-foot sidewalks, and a developer-funded traffic study. That motion was second by Yolanda Barber. But it was voted down by the other three council members: John Blount, LaKeisha Gantt and Alphonso Thomas.
In other business, an attempt to add a face-mask resolution to the agenda was voted down along the exact same voting lines. Alexander, who has advocated strongly on social media that the state and various municipalities require citizens to wear face coverings, made that motion after having technical difficulty joining the meeting, which was convened via video conference. His request came after the agenda had been adopted. Mayor Anthony Ford noted during his regular comments at the close of the meeting that city officials strongly urge everyone to wear masks while also maintaining proper social distancing and hand washing guidelines.
During the city’s service delivery strategy (SDS) discussion, Alexander tried to get the council to take action on a motion to move forward with the process of establishing a police department. That was also seconded by Barber, but there was no discussion and no vote taken. The public hearing on the SDS saw no one speak for or against, and there was no action taken by the council after the public hearing closed.
The council adjusted the city’s regulations regarding maximum height standards for grass and weeds. Following the language in the International Property Maintenance Code, which the city recognizes as its official standard, the council made six inches the maximum height for weeds or plant growth on exterior property. As part of that motion, a new stipulation was approved requiring private swimming pools, hot tubs and spas containing water more than 24 inches in depth to be completely surrounded by a fence or barrier at least 60 inches in height.
The council approved a master engineering services agreement with Carter & Sloope, Inc. to rehabilitate the Mays Crossing Sewer Lift Station and replace the force main at a cost of $106,700. Also approved was the 2021 Local Maintenance Improvement Grant road resurfacing list, which contains a total of 4.67 miles over 16 streets in the following subdivisions: Carriage Lake, Fallen Waters, Northbridge Stations, Parkland, Monarch Village, Davidson Landing, and The Summit.
