Proposed Rezoning from R-100 to R-TH for Track of Land Across from Magnolia Walk Subdivision - Update 3/24/2024.
Dear Magnolia Walk HOA Member,
This is a follow up to our email of March 19, 2024, regarding the above subject.
On Thursday March 21, 2024, Magnolia Walk Board members (Paul Vasquez and Otis Brinson) and homeowners David Finch, Tina Brinson and Dave Sousa, attended the Public Forum arranged by the Law Firm (Mahaffey Pickens Tucker, LLP) representing the developer (Walker Anderson Homes) to discuss the scope of the proposed rezoning. Other homeowners on Wildwood Road and Suwanee Creek Road were in attendance.
Shane Lanham (Attorney for the Developer) started the meeting and described the Gwinnett County rezoning process. He described it as a 3-step process as follows:
1. Applicant submits the application for rezoning with all of the required supporting information to the Gwinnett County Planning Commission.
2. The Planning Commission staff reviews the application and determines if it is complete or not, and then issues a technical report with a recommendation of approval, approval with conditions, or denial. The report is addressed during the Gwinnett County Planning Commission public hearing (held monthly). Those in support of the application and those in opposition of the application will each be provided up to ten (10) minutes to speak at the public hearing. The Planning Commissioners then take a vote to table, approve, or deny the project.
3. The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners during its monthly public hearing, reviews the recommendations made by the County Planning Commission. Again, those in support of the application and those in opposition of the application will each be provided up to ten (10) minutes to speak at the public hearing. Then, the Board of Commissioners takes a vote to table, approve or deny. The applicant is then notified by the Planning Commission of the final decision.
Corbitt Woods (Vice-President of Walker Anderson Homes) stated:
· The Baynes family (landowner) retained Walker Anderson Homes to develop Baynes Creek Subdivision – next to the Ellington subdivision on Suwanee Creek Rd, and now to develop the land on Wildwood Road.
· The development plan has been updated in response to comments made by the Planning Commission. The updated plan calls for 113 units (17 homes and 96 condominiums) instead of 126 condominiums as originally proposed. The 17 single-family homes will be located at the front of the property.
· Single-family homes are 2,400 SF and condominiums are 1,800 SF. Projected sale prices – Homes around $500K. Condos are around $400K.
· Mandatory HOA. However, no amenities will be provided like swimming pool and tennis courts. He said it was not economically feasible for the project.
· We asked about relocating the large retention pond located on the northeast corner of the property and across from Otis’ home. Mr. Woods said that the retention pond should remain as proposed as it represents the best location for stormwater collection and retention based on topography and general flow for the site.
· The Baynes family also owns the land behind the property of Magnolia Walk homeowners on Forestwood Drive (Brinson, Shih, Wang, Le and Fincher). The plan is to keep the current zoning of R-100 and build single-family and detached homes in the future. No time frame provided.
· We asked if there is a plan to conduct a noise study due to the noise coming from Satellite Blvd and I-85 once the trees are cleared. The answer was no.
· We asked about any potential disruption of power and communications caused by the relocation of a large power transformer and communication cabinet (ATT?) located on the site. Mr. Woods did not have a response.
We explained that the Gwinnett County 2040 Unified Plan designates the single-family homes on Wildwood Road as an established neighborhood character area, consisting of 1 to 3 single-family detached homes per acre. This means that existing single-family residential areas are not expected to change for the next 20 years, and if they do, the new development is to be consistent in scale, architecture, and use with surrounding properties. What Walker Anderson Homes is proposing is not consistent with the County’s policy or the 2040 Unified Plan. Attorney Shane Lanham acknowledged this part of the policy and said that the policy also allows for transitional areas. This prompted another question regarding land use, residential density, and zoning districts. We asked if the Developer has considered a subdivision similar to Ellington subdivision where the mix is 50% homes and 50% condos. The immediate response was NO, but also said that they will take a closer look.
Next on the agenda is the Gwinnett County Planning Commission public hearing scheduled for Tuesday, April 9, 2024 at 7:00PM at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center Auditorium located at 75 Langley Drive, Lawrenceville, GA 30046. The MW HOA Board of Directors, assisted by our new HOA attorney, will schedule a meeting with the Gwinnett County Planning Commission and address our concerns prior to the public hearing. Stay tuned.
If you have any questions regarding this issue, please feel free to reach out to any of the Board Members.
Thanks
Magnolia Walk HOA Board of Directors
Paul Vasquez
Otis Brinson
Jessica McKinney
Alan Polson
