Snellville Village Shopping Center deals with zoning issues

Snellville zoning problem...not again!

Representing Snellville Village, located at 2118 Scenic Highway in Snellville, Pellerin asked for the council's leniency in what could have been a financial disaster for the owners of the 17,000-square-foot shopping center.

As a result of conditions of zoning placed on this property back in 2004, any structure or structures built on the property would have to screen any rooftop equipment from view with a parapet. Such action would shield North Road travelers and residents from the unsightly rear of the building or buildings.

But no one told Pellerin and Salomon Real Estate Services LLC about that condition. According to Pellerin, he discussed his project with then-planning director Jamie Westaway, and Westaway told him specifically that a rear parapet on the building would not be required.

A month after construction on the shopping center was completed and tenants began moving in, Pellerin was advised that his building did not comply with conditions of zoning.

Compromise reached on Snellville shopping center
Gwinnett Daily Post

A compromise was reached, with Pellerin offering to plant 57 12-foot Leyland Cypress trees between his building and North Road. Eventually, when a building is constructed on the adjacent property owned by the Snell family, the zoning condition requiring screening of rooftop equipment must be enforced.

Compromise reached on Snellville shopping center
Gwinnett Daily Post

Snellville Possibly Facing Crematory Lawsuit

You could really see the "writing on the wall" on this...If Crematorium of the South operator Chris Nazum has loss of income from not being able to open, he could sue the city. On the other hand, you have ticked off residents who might also want to sue. I might sue just 'cause I'm tired of hearing about it. Just kidding about that.

Snellville braces for possible crematory lawsuit
Atlanta Journal Constitution - GA, USA
By BETH WARREN Snellville Mayor Jerry Oberholtzer said city officials are bracing for a possible lawsuit as the debate over a controversial crematory near ...

Related Links:

Residents Collected Money to Hire Attorney
200 City Residents Treated to Free Scolding at Snellville Council Meeting

Warren Auld Urges Zoning Inquiry

"Mayor Pro Tem Warren Auld, a civil attorney, said the controversy may merit a formal probe by a citizens panel. He has asked City Attorney Michael Williams to verify whether the city's
charter would allow the independent review.

A citizen-led investigation isn't needed, Mayor Jerry Oberholtzer said Tuesday.

He said new City Manager Russell Treadway is already tracing the history that allowed the Cremation Society of the South to transform a former house on U.S. 78 into a crematory."

...More from the AJC

Crematorium Protesters Called "Cry Babies"

Click Here for UPDATE on Snellville crematory July 14, 2008

Speaking out anonymously, a person posting to the Rants and Raves
section of Craigslist had this to say:

"Supposedly there's a crematorium almost complete
in Gwinnett. Just saw it on the news.
They got this steel chimney coming out the house
sort of like a regular house but more leaning
towards a Sonny's BBQ.

Anyway. One of the mothers said it would not be
good for her kids to see this when driving by
Said " it would remind them of death too much" !
Uhm... mam ?

What's on the news every morning ?
Is there a cemetery near you.?
That doesn't remind you of death ?
The sooner you fill your kids in that
they're "gonna die one day" --the better off they'll be mam.
And yes, when you drive by,
the smoke coming out the
chimney is of burning human flesh
and bones. Read more from these cry babies here:
http://mysnellvilleblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/
crematory-next-door.html "

Link to full posting and curse words here.
Thanks for the free website traffic though!

Although I don't agree with the bluntness of the post, to some extent I understand what he/she is saying. Death IS a part of life. I try to think of it as the final stage of life. It's important to explain death to kids and what is happening at the crematory.

My uncle was a funeral director. He owned the only funeral home company in a five county area in Texas. When I was a teenager, he allowed me in to watch him prepare a body. Everything is done with respect. It's important to help kids understand that what is done to the body after death is not felt by the person. They no longer feel any pain. Cremation is not painful to the body...the person is dead. It's not morbid, it's a service.

My father was cremated in 2005. I actually personally prefer the idea of cremation to burial.
The reason I prefer it is that I don't like the idea of my father's body being in the ground, decomposing. Cremation seems more pleasant to me.

Hubs feels that traditional burial is important because there is a grave site and a marker. My father does have a final resting place and a marker, in the new Dallas-Ft. Worth Veteran's Cemetery in Dallas Texas...so although I do find gravesites important for genealogy reasons, there's no reason why you can't have a grave site AND a marker for your remains if you are cremated.

With everyone being so concerned with the environment, I would think that overall, cremation is better for the environment. Traditional burial replaces body fluids with chemicals. Cremation burns the body at a very high temperature. Contrary to what the Craigslist poster said, the crematory isn't going to release smoke of burning flesh and bones. It will have filtration systems, so only some heat will be released.

With cremation, there isn't the cost of an expensive coffin that's all fancified to look like a comfortable bed with a satin pillow. The only reason for that is to comfort the family. That's a good reason, but I don't think a good enough reason to pay $12,000 for just a coffin (my uncle had a "Showroom" of coffins, urns, and accessories). It can get ridiculous.

Now you know I am not opposed to cremation at all. I'm all for it and that's what I want done when my time comes. But, I still wouldn't want to live right next to one.

It comes down to property values, and that most potential buyers would not the cremation center next door either. It comes down to residents feeling like they weren't represented or protected enough by the City of Snellville in the zoning ordinances. Snellville residents want their home to be worth more than a loaf of bread. The word that probably sums it all up the closest is DISMAY.

AJC Writes about the Crematory Next Door

AJC Writer/Blogger Susan Gast has written a
great post about the crematorium
that Cremation Society of the South is preparing to open for business in August 2008 at the corner of Abington and US78/Main Street in Snellville.
Check it out if you would like more details on the situation.

Click Here for UPDATE on Snellville crematory July 14, 2008

Holy Development on Hold Batman

Oh sorry, the Batman part really has nothing to do with this.

"A Loganville developer has scrapped plans for a 25-acre church complex at U.S. 78 and Rosebud Road in Snellville.

Danny Herrmann of Diversified Development said he will formally withdraw plans for the religious complex at a Tuesday night meeting of the Snellville Planning Commission.

[snip]

The church proposal would have included a 40,000-square-foot sanctuary, a 30,000-square-foot community center and seven church office buildings totaling about 42,000 square feet. Herrmann said the church that wanted to locate to the property could not secure financing. He would not name the church.

It would likely have drawn significant opposition, largely due to traffic concerns, had it gone before the Planning Commission Tuesday.

A traffic study conducted as part of Herrmann's rezoning request found that the project would generate 8,829 car trips each Sunday and 5,560 each weekday — including 619 during the evening rush hour."

Read the entire AJC Article here: LINK

What goes on

This information is from this page of the Atlanta Journal & Constitution's website, and is a bit dated. It's dated 3/25/2007. But the information on how the city works and how the citizens can be involved in meetings is good. Some people may no longer be serving. I have noted in red any who have left. I have also changed the @ in email addresses to [AT] so those dang email harvesters intent on spamming won't hassle anyone. If you need to email, just remove the [AT] and replace it with @.
---------------------

SNELLVILLE

PLANNING COMMISSION

The Planning Commission makes recommendations on zoning matters to the mayor and City Council. Members are:

Chairman Tod Warner, twarner[AT]snellville.org

Vice Chair David Foster, dfoster[AT]snellville.org

Ray Mokhberi, rmokhberi[AT]snellville.org

Joe Williams, jwilliams[AT]snellville.org

Ida Graham, igraham[AT]snellville.org

Patricia Port, pport[AT]snellville.org

Phone messages also can be left with John Dennis of the Planning and Development Department at 770-985-3514.

CITY COUNCIL

The mayor and Snellville City Council make the final decisions. Members are:

Mayor Jerry Oberholtzer, 678-898-2659, joberholtzer[AT]snellville.org

Robert Jenkins, 404-281-0567, Rjenkins[AT]snellville.org

Mayor Pro Tem Bruce Garraway, 770-982-9843, Bgarraway[AT]snellville.org

Barbara Bender, 770-972-3435, Bbender[AT]snellville.org

Kelly Kautz, 770-972-7441, kkautz[AT]snellville.org

Warren Auld, 770-972-3693 wauld[AT]snellville.org (corrected 27 October 2007)

MEETINGS:

The Planning Commission discusses zoning matters at 7:30 p.m. the fourth Tuesday of each month.

After the commission makes a recommendation, a public hearing is held by the mayor and City Council for final action. Those hearings are at 7 p.m. the fourth Monday of the month, unless alternative dates and times are necessary. Meetings are held in the City Hall council chambers at 2342 Oak Road.

AGENDAS: Agendas are generally available two weeks before the meeting. To view an agenda, visit the city's Web site, www.snellville.org, or go to City Hall. To automatically receive agendas and other planning and zoning information, sign up for the city's e-mail distribution list available to any resident. E-mail Planning Director Jessica Roth at jroth[AT]snellville.org.

NOTE : Jessica Roth has resigned her position.

Acting Planning Director Jason Thompson can be reached by email at
jthompson[AT]snellville.org (corrected/added 27 October 2007)

IF YOU'D LIKE TO COMMENT: Public comment is allowed at Planning Commission meetings after presentations from the planning staff and applicant. You must give your name and address for the record. The process may be a little different when the mayor and council allow for public comment. If it's a big case, the mayor will allow each side to speak for 30 minutes, which encourages residents to get together and make a more formal presentation. Written comments are accepted and can be sent via e-mail to jroth[AT]snellville.org or to City Hall, 2342 Oak Road, Snellville, GA 30078.

ON THE WEB: The city's Web site, www.snellville.org, provides blank zoning applications, staff reports, maps that show the location of the property in question as well as meeting minutes and agendas.

NOTE : If you have Firefox, you will find that the city of Snellville's website doesn't seem to like it, so the site is best viewed in Internet Explorer.

AT CITY HALL: At the Planning Department at Snellville's City Hall, 2342 Oak Road, you can view zoning applications. You'll need to provide the general location of the land in question. Copying fees are 25 cents per page.

Many thanks to Tod Warner for the corrections dated 27 October 2007