City Of Milton Notice.

Media contact:

Lisa Maggart
678-242-2492 O 404-414-3301 C
lisa.maggart@cityofmiltonga.us

Community Development contact:
Mike Tuller
678-242-2538 O
mike.tuller@cityofmiltonga.us


First of Three Meetings Set for November 19 to Discuss
Update of the Crabapple Crossroads Community Plan

MILTON, Ga., November 7, 2007 --The Public is invited to attend a meeting to discuss updating the Crabapple Crossroads Community Plan between 7:00 and 8:30 PM on November 19, 2007 in the Social Hall of the Alpharetta Crabapple Government Center. This is the first of three meetings sponsored by the City of Milton Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee to discuss issues related to the Crabapple Crossroads Community Plan. The meeting is intended to provide an opportunity for citizens to meet with the consultants preparing the City of Milton's Comprehensive Plan and to help identify major issues and concerns regarding the Community Plan adopted by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners and now a responsibility of the City of Milton.

Additional meetings are scheduled for December 3, 2007 and January 7, 2008 to refine the issues and opportunities and to determine what measures and priorities should be considered to address these issues in an interim update to the adopted Community Plan.

In March 2004, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners adopted an amendment to the County's zoning resolution to create the Crabapple Crossroads Overlay within the Northwest Fulton Overlay District to delineate approximately 511 acres containing the historic mixed-use center of Crabapple and the land surrounding it, and to establish standards for the Crabapple Crossroads Overlay area. The Northwest Fulton Overlay Design Review Board was given the responsibility for reviewing development plans and making recommendations regarding the approval of a Land Disturbance Permit, Building Permit, Sign Permit, or Primary Variance in the Overlay area. The Commission adopted the Crabapple Crossroads Plan of June 4, 2003 as the basis for regulating development in such a way that it would be consistent with Crabapple's historic and rural village character, preserve 20% of the area as open space, and create an interconnected transportation network to implement a pedestrian-oriented core with surrounding residential uses.

Since the adoption of the Overlay District, the Crabapple Crossroads Community has seen significant changes, including the incorporation of the City of Milton, the construction of the new Milton High School, and substantial development in the southwest quadrant of the community. To the northwest, a large expanse of property has been cleared, exposing a red scar of graded earth and changes to the topography, and degrading the rolling rural landscape that was part of Crabapple's character. Significant changes have not occurred on the eastern side of Birmingham Highway, but what can the community expect given the development to the west? How can the Overlay District manage growth more effectively to preserve the intent of the Community Plan?

The City of Milton has inherited the Crabapple Crossroads Overlay District and the Overlay Design Review Board, and is committed to addressing these issues by updating the Community Plan as part of the City's Comprehensive Plan process. Due to the extreme interest in the Crabapple Crossroads Community Plan, an interim update of the Community Plan is being prepared during the initial stage of the Comprehensive Plan process. Recommendations from the interim Community Plan update will be folded into the Comprehensive Plan recommendations when they are prepared next spring.

The Marietta office of BRPH, Inc., a full service planning and design firm with projects ranging from the preservation of a pre-Civil War post office in Gwinnett County to the design of the next generation of NASA launch facilities at the Kennedy Space Center, is providing planning services to update both plans.

Incorporated on December 1, 2006, the City of Milton is a distinctive community that embraces small-town life and heritage while preserving and enhancing the city's rural character. The City of Milton is committed to maintaining the unique quality of life for its constituents while efficiently delivering essential services to residents and businesses in an interactive community environment. For more information, visit http://www.cityofmiltonga.us/ call 678-242-2500.