The Voice of a Consultant, Robert Reed
As the ECOS/Village Habitat planning team continued community engagement, we learned how attached the community was to the rural landscape, and it became evident how incompatible the current zoning allowance of 1 acre lots was with the community’s vision. The community believed the inaptly named Agriculture-1 zoning (AG-1) would protect them. The area had only seen one subdivision in 20 years thanks to South Fulton Parkway remaining unfinished. With South Fulton Parkway completion imminent, the improved access it provided would mean open land was available for conversion to discordant sub-divisions for developers needing only minimal infrastructure investments under the current development rules.
As the Chattahoochee Hill Country Alliance leadership learned more about the potential of Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) and the rural preservation potential TDRs offered, it became apparent that it was critical to broadly communicate the difference between a business-as-usual approach and a new, preferred community vision. The ECOS/Village Habitat team set about calculating build out scenarios for the planning area. The team analyzed typical AG-1 subdivisions. The health department requirements for septic tanks were the only limiting factor. Wetlands, stream buffers, forested areas and steep slopes could all be included in 1 acre lots as long as there was sufficient remaining area for a septic tank and drain field. The negative impacts on the rural character, watersheds and road infrastructure would be enormous, which is why the Nature Conservancy, and the Department of Natural Resources became involved.
The ECOS/Village Habitat team analysis recognized that conventional development could transform 75% of Chattahoochee Hills into business-as-usual subdivisions. This approach left only marginal environmental lands, existing parks and the Atlanta Regional Commission mandated buffer of the Chattahoochee River-potentially compromising 30,0000 acres to environmental degradation. Since the team was experienced in village and conservation development, they set about with an analysis of potential village development. Atlanta’s most beloved neighborhoods are developed with single family homes at 5 units to the acre. Add in Townhomes at 8-16 homes per acre and you can count on single family homes in 75% of a traditional village at 8 units per acre. Add a denser core with multifamily above retail at relatively modest 18 homes to the acre and a 640 acre village supports 6.700 units compared to 8,900 acres at AG-1.
The team set about conceptually communicating the value of what is historically beloved versus what current zoning demands using the map of Chattahoochee Hills. In the days before widespread use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) the team used the combination of CAD and graphic capability of Apple computers to generate the diagrams. The impact was significant, both on the land and the community. The community could now see that AG-1 would not protect their rural heritage and that TDRs could.
The digital original of the diagram is lost to time, so all we have today are the lower resolution .pdf copies but the value to the community engagement process is not lost. We are thankful for all the planning team members that made the Chattahoochee Hills Land Use Plan possible!