City Council Approves Cemetery Street Rezoning; Two 1890's Historic Houses Displaced

Before a standing-room-only crowd including print media and Channel 2 news, the City Council gave the green light to Developer Forro's DCD/Mixed Use rezoning February 7, 2004, the first of its kind in the downtown historic district. The Save Historic Norcross organization conducted a vigorous community information campaign. Neighborhood volunteers displayed yard signs advertising the newly launched website and went door-to-door distributing 1,000 flyers expressing concerns about the lack of Impact Studies and a Master Plan in place. Each side was allowed 10 minutes to present its case.

Speaking for tabling the rezoning were former Council Member Faye McFarland, Save Historic Norcross President Anne Webb, and resident Hugh Swogger McFarland, a local business owner, presented a copy of the 2001 Council meeting minutes which illustrates that the LCI was accepted by a previous Council as a study only, not designed as an ordinance to drive Mixed Use rezoning as proponents claim.

A. Webb emphasized she does not oppose the Mixed Use concept in appropriate commercial areas, but urged the Council to table the rezoning for clear definitions, Impact Studies and a Master Plan. State experts (GMA) say mixed use does not succeed without a Master Plan. She asked the developer to consider incorporating the two historic Victorian houses into his plan to retain continuity of the town's best period Gateway flowing into Main Street.

Swogger, a retired school superintendent, cited the irreplaceable charm of the town as the attraction that drew him here and urged the Council to table the Forro plan and study what the city stands to lose by rushing to rezone and forever altering its character with four-story buildings. He cited Cambridge, MA where no one is allowed to build over 30 feet high.

City Council Action: Passed the Cemetery Street Rezoning Request with a 5-0 vote. In other business, the Council placed a 180-day moratorium on Design Concept Development (DCD), the rezoning tool initiated by Community Development Director Johnny Lawler. The council imposed no provisions for defining Mixed Use and no rules governing absentee landlords and occupancy restrictions. The City Council also issued Requests for Qualifications or resumes for an architectural firm and for the city attorney's position.