Milton Considers Moratorium In Growing Crabapple

By DOUG NURSEThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution www.ajc.com

Milton City Council is contemplating a 6-month moratorium on development in the booming Crabapple area in the southern part of the city.

The council is concerned that new projects may be proposed that will conflict with the comprehensive land-use plan currently being developed. The delay would give the city time to craft and approve a comprehensive plan that would govern and set standards for new development citywide, including Crabapple.

Community Development Director Tom Wilson said there are no new pending projects for Crabapple. The current development going on is the product of Fulton County Commission approvals before Milton became a city, Dec. 1, 2006, he said.

Crabapple used to be a sleeply crossroads, but John Weiland homes is building more than 100 residences plus some retail projects. Lodgestone Development is building about 20,000 square feet of retail and office space. About 10 recently finished buildings are now leasing to restaurants and shops.

For a moratorium to be enacted in a specific area, the city would need quantifiable evidence that proves an untenable situation exists, said City Attorney Angie Davis."Saying, 'There's a lot of traffic out there' isn't going to be good enough," she said at a council work session Monday. "It needs to be something like, 'There aren't any water lines.'"

The idea of a moratorium was first broached at a planning commission meeting last month.
At a Monday work session the City Council decided to hold off on a decision so the city attorney can research whether the city can focus the moratorium on Crabapple, or if it must apply the freeze across the board.

If the moratorium is enacted, but six months isn't long enough, the City Council could extend it, Davis said. The comprehensive plan should be finished by the end of the year.