USEFUL LINKS

The devil was in the details for the Cobb County Planning Commission March 2 during a rezoning hearing for Steak, LLC, as the company laid out plans to rezone property next to Cherokee Cattle Company Restaurant on Canton Road for additional parking and temporary office space.

The sight distance of a new driveway for Cherokee Cattle Company came into question at the March 2 Cobb County Planning Commission zoning hearing. A Cobb DOT official said the distance a driver can see exiting from the new entrance is currently identical to the one now being utilized 100 feet south, but the restaurant would be required to enhance driver visability, should the rezoning be approved by the Cobb County Board of Commissioners. The picture above shows the line of sight from the new driveway looking south from the same height most drivers would have leaving the restaurant.

Planning commissioners voted 5-0 to recommend the Neighborhood Retail Commercial (NRC) rezoning be approved by the Cobb County Board of Commissioners at its March 16 hearing but not before hearing extensive stipulation requests and questions presented by members of the Marietta-Canton Road Subdivision and Canton Road Neighbors. Those requests included extended and dense landscape buffers where the subject property lines meet residential property, no access to the home still remaining on the site from residential Chesterfield Drive, a reduced number of parking spaces, saving of a tree on the site, deletion to the Low Rise Office zoning category and more. Attorney Garvis Sams, who had been in negotiations with community members for a month before the hearing, presented the plan for the company to commissioners and had agreed to some requested stipulations before the meeting began.

Once everyone had been heard, Planning Commissioner Christi Trombetti went over stipulations that had been offered then recommended approval of the plan with some of the stipulations sought by opposition added to the record. While many of the questions asked during the hearing came from members of the two homeowners' groups involved, the one that appeared to catch most everyone in attendance by surprise came late in discussions from Planning Commissioner Bob Hovey.

"I'm concerned the proposed new driveway to the site has insufficient sight distance," Hovey said. "Why not change that to the already existing driveway?"

A large oak tree cut down by an owner of Cherokee Cattle Company left a number of Canton Road community members irritated. The property where the tree once existed is now up for rezoning.

Hovey was referring to a new entrance for the restaurant proposed and approved by Cobb DOT, which will line up with Dozier Drive, across Canton Road, to allow new access to the site. The ingress/egress now being utilized by the restaurant is approximately 100 feet south of the planned drive. Cobb DOT spokesperson Jane Strickland told commissioners the driveway had been negotiated with Cherokee Cattle Company and Jack Graham, who previously owned the house and parcels involved in the rezoning. The changes are part of the Canton Road Improvement Plan, which is slated to begin construction some time this month. A median break where Dozier Drive and the restaurant's new driveway meet will be included in the plan.

When asked by Hovey if the site distance for the driveway meets DOT recommendations, Stricklin said the driveway allows for 457 feet of sight but 540 feet is recommended by Cobb DOT. When it was suggested questions should be raised about the sight distance during the plan review process, Hovey said reviews of the sight distance should performed before the Board of Commissioners hears the case and added, "Something unsafe is unsafe."

Planning Commission Chairman Murray Homan agreed to having Cobb DOT officials take a look at the situation before the Board of Commissioners consider the rezoning.

Scott Jordan, Cobb DOT Canton Road Corridor Improvements Project Manager, said the sight distance of the current driveway at the restaurant and the proposed one are the same. However, specifications of the new driveway are currently being reviewed, and sight distance will be covered during the plan review phase of the rezoning, if it is approved.

"During a plan review, Cherokee Cattle Company would have to adjust the elevation of the new driveway to maximize sight distance," Jordan said. "Also, it could be require removal of any embankment or obstructions to enhance that distance even more."

The cutting down of a large oak that existed on the property being rezoned a day after an owner of Cherokee Cattle Company bought the residential property brought outrage from some people along Canton Road. While cutting the tree was legal, several community members involved in the rezoning have said they want to assure zoning stipulations are made clear to avoid possible future conflicts with Cherokee Cattle Company owners.