The request comes from Sweet Apple Development, LLC, which wants to place a planned “suburban village” development called “Auburn Station” on the property at 1786 Atlanta Highway.
The project would be a combination of around 600 apartment and townhouse dwellings and upscale businesses and restaurants.
The project would require a new zoning classification to be added to the city’s land use plan. The current plan does not contain a mixed-use category.
City planner Larry Lucas presented the proposal to the council during its Thursday night’s meeting.
OTHER BUSINESS
Also at Thursday night’s meeting, Lucas asked the council to consider reinstating the lack of a valid license plate as being a condition of defining junk automobiles. The condition was deleted by the council at its June 27, 2002, meeting.
Lucas said the presence of a current tag would make enforcement of the codes easier and that special situations would be considered by the board of appeals.
Some argued, however, that a lack of a tag doesn’t mean a car has been junked and that other signs can be used to determine that status of the car rather than reinstating the tag requirement.
The council also heard from city clerk, Rafael Avalos that garbage rates are being increased by Robertson Sanitation by 54 cents for each resident and 43 cents for each senior resident.
The council is expected to vote at its next meeting to approve the process of soliciting bids for a new residential waste contract rather than renewing with Robertson Sanitation. The current contract with Robertson expires on February 28, 2009. The new rates are expected to go into effect on August 1.
In other business:
• Mayor Linda Blechinger said a concerned city resident had requested the city adopt an ordinance restricting the chaining or tethering of animals. Blechinger said that because Barrow County animal control does not have such an ordinance, the county would not be able to enforce the ordinance if the city adopts it. Barrow County is currently drafting an ordinance that deals with the issue and it’s expected to be approved in the fall, Blechinger said.
• Public works director David Hawthorne said a request had come in for the installation of new streetlights at Mt. Moriah Road, Hunters Cove, and Browns Bridge Road at Bradford Park.
•The council heard an update on the costs of renting picnic pavilions at Shackelford Park. At this time, the Lark pavilion rents for $20 and the small pavilion for $20 on a first come, first serve basis. While the rates will stay the same, the council asked that blocks of time be added to the costs.
•The council was presented with a new contract for Prison Labor from the Georgia Department of Correction. The contract this year increased the costs from $37,500 to $39,500.
