The Cobb County Planning Commission held (delayed) making a recommendation on a request that would have allowed the construction of a QuickTrip gas station and convenience store at the intersection of Canton and Jamerson roads.

The applicant was represented by attorney Kevin Moore.

Opposition was presented by Carol Brown of Canton Road Neighbors (CRN) and the owners of the adjacent property, Mohammed “Mike” Nowroozzadeh and his nephew Reza Atlaschi.

Moore said, “The property is currently zoned general commercial GC and you can see that with the red coloring is denoted on your screen as well.”

“You can see there’s a good number of GC zoned properties at this intersection and in this particular area,” Moore said. “The area itself however, is within a neighborhood activity center (NAC) and as such, any future development or redevelopment of the site does require a rezoning and per your ordinance requires a rezoning consistent with the future land use plan.”

“QuickTrip’s application is to rezone the property to NRC which is consistent with the neighborhood activity center future land use designation and that’s also reflected in your professional staff’s recommendation for approval.”

Brown said she was at the hearing on behalf of three long-standing businesses on property contiguous to the proposed QuickTrip.

“Canton Road Neighbors isn’t going to issue an opinion on the merits of this case,” she said. “Clearly, NRC is the appropriate zoning and QuikTrip is allowed in that land use, but we have other issues”

“I think the key question here is impact and whether that’s being adequately considered. It seems to me that there is a rush, and I will come to the punch line.”

“First we’re going to ask that this be heard and then held in order to give the two long standing business owners of three very successful businesses time to hire counsel and review the easement and try to negotiate with Mr. Moore and come to some sort of an equitable compromise,” Brown said.

Mohammed “Mike” Nowroozzadeh said “We are not here to fight with GT. We like them. We use them every day.”

He said he operates Vespucci’s Italian Kitchen with his nephew, and his main concerns are the disruptive effect of traffic turning in from Canton Road, and the status of a shared parking agreement the restaurant had with the previous owner, Rite Aid.

He said that because of a median on Jamerson Road, most traffic will be entering in front of the restaurant.

His nephew, Reza Atlaschi, repeated the concern about the traffic from Canton Road into the QT discouraging customers to the restaurant, and added that the fumes from the pumps would also have a detrimental effect on the business.

Since the property is in Cobb District 3, Deborah Dance led the discussion.

She asked Ligia Florim from the Cobb Department of Transportation whether a traffic study was required, and whether it had been completed.

Florim said one was required, but the Cobb DOT had not received it yet.

Dance asked Moore what the time frame on the study was.  Moore said the traffic counts had been taken, and the report was being prepared, and that the delay was because the count needed to be done after the school year began.

She asked if the applicant would be amenable to meetings with the adjacent property owners.  Moore said the applicants would be fine with meetings.

Dance made a motion that the case be held for 30 days pending receipt of the traffic study by the Cobb DOT, and further communications between the applicant and the adjacent property owners.

The motion passed 5-0.

About the Planning Commission

The Planning Commission hearings and recommendations have some of the highest impacts on quality of life in the county of any public body.

Their job is to make recommendations on rezoning requests, special land use request, and other business, and to send those recommendations to the Cobb County Board of Commissioners, who make the final decision.

The Planning Commission is described on the Cobb County website as follows:

Established as an advisory Commission to assist the governing authority (BOC) in the administration and enforcement of the Zoning and Planning Act and to prescribe the duties and functions of such commission.

The full duties and functions of this Commission are contained in the Cobb County Zoning Ordinance, Section 3-28-9 134-61.

Members are appointed for terms which run concurrently with those of the appointing commissioner and are subject to removal with or without cause and without regard to any unexpired term. The Commission Chair is compensated $275.00 per month, the Secretary is compensated $275.00 per month with all other members compensated $250.00 per month.

Member	Appointed By	Term
Steven Vault	Chairwoman Cupid	12/31/2024
Fred Beloin	Commissioner Gambrill	12/31/2022
David Anderson	Commissioner Richardson	12/31/2024
Deborah Dance	Commissioner Birrell	12/31/2022
Michael Hughes	Commissioner Sheffield	12/31/2024