A 3-2 vote by the Democrats controlling the Cobb County Commission approved a condominium complex location will hurt one of Georgia’s prized military assets: the Dobbins Air Reserve Base. InsiderAdvantage has learned that state Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, R-Marietta, wrote a letter to commissioners requesting they revisit a zoning case on property about 1.5 miles from the Dobbins runway. And state Sen. Michael Rhett, D-Marietta, also sent a concerned letter to commissioners.
The proposed development, which seeks to build condos on a vacant lot, has been opposed by Dobbins since its consideration at a county planning commission last spring. The Marietta Daily Journal reported that the property narrowly lies within the base’s “Accident Potential Zone, ” which extends southeast from the runway where crashes during takeoff and landing are most likely to occur. Department of Defense guidelines, the newspaper quoted Dobbins spokesman Jay Thomas, recommends that no residences be built within the zone. Thomas also warned new construction in the APZ could jeopardize the base’s future during the Base Realignment and Closure process.
The Cobb County Chamber has also sent a letter supporting Dobbins concerns. And the Cobb County Planning Commission also voted unanimously to recommend denial of the project, backed by developer Venture Communities.
However, last week the County Commission majority moved ahead to approve the condos. The Marietta paper reported “then came the redoubled opposition, beginning over the weekend.” Kirkpatrick said her concerns included “the potential impact not just on Dobbins, but on that whole campus.” (Both Rhett and Kirkpatrick serve on the State Senate’s Veterans, Military and Homeland Security Committee.)
In addition to the roughly 2,000 service members who work on the base, the Marietta paper says Lockheed Martin’s plant that neighbors Dobbins employs another 4,700 employees. Lockheed shares a runway with the base, and the two longtime neighbors comprise the entire aerospace campus.
“Although there are properties that have been in the ‘accident’ area for many years, ” Kirkpatrick wrote, referring to the developer’s argument that the area between the property and the runway was already heavily developed, “adding ‘just one more’ seems unwise and could create the impression that the county is ignoring the public safety recommendations of the Department of Defense.”
By the way, the only avenue to overturn the anti-Dobbins ruling is for a county commissioner who voted for the proposal to reverse course and introduce a “motion to reconsider” the item. The zoning case then would be brought back up for another vote, which would nullify the first vote for the condos.
