by Caleb Groves

On Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, the Cobb County Planning Commission recommended approval for an insurance office off Mableton Parkway.

The applicant, Mirna Aracely Torres Castro, requested to rezone the property on the east side of Mableton Parkway and on the north side of Community Road from residential housing and planned shopping center zoning to limited retail commercial zoning.

Darrell Johnson, representing the applicant, presented the updated site plan to the board to meet comments and recommendations from stormwater management and the Cobb Department of Transportation.

Robin Meyer of the Mableton Improvement Coalition recommended approval of the plan with additional input.

[Correction: an earlier version of this article stated that MIC opposed the rezoning. We regret the error]

Meyer recommended an architectural review committee to evaluate whether it complies with Mableton Parkway design guidelines. As well as a landscape review committee to buffer the undeveloped residential property nearby.

Meyer recommended prohibiting the use of daycares on this land plot due to the limited amount of parking that could potentially create traffic issues.

The limited retail commercial zoning will strictly be utilized for office space, Commissioner Michael Hughes said.

The insurance company’s hours are proposed to operate from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. However, he did not want to implement stipulations to limit the hours and days of operation.

“I’d never like to handcuff a business, but if that’s the stipulation that needs to be done then that’s fine. It’s such a low use, I don’t know why there would even be one,” Johnson said.

The Planning Commission voted 3-0 to recommend approval for the project with a few stipulations, including professional office use only, compliance with the Mableton Parkway guidelines and staff recomendations. Chairman Steven Vault and Commissioner Deborah Dance were absent.

For the final approval, the applicant must return to the Board of Commissioners zoning hearing on Feb. 20, 2024.

Caleb Groves is a Journalism student at Kennesaw State University, where he is a junior.

Originally from Minnesota, Caleb moved to Georgia with his family, where he now lives in Woodstock with his Father, Stepmom and numerous pets.

When he is not in writing, in class or coaching rock climbing, he spends his time listening to music and rock climbing both indoors and out