 |
| The sturdy home was cut into six pieces before its move (Civil War Picket photo) |
RaceTrac’s desire
to build a gas station and convenience store on a piece of North Georgia property that until recently contained
a home caught up in Civil War cavalry clashes suffered a significant setback this week.
The Cobb County Planning Commission in suburban Atlanta voted Tuesday to recommend
rezoning the former Robert and Eliza McAfee property but added conditions that
would not allow gasoline sales.
The 4-1 vote
is not the final say. The Cobb County Board of Commissioners will take up the
matter on Nov. 18 and make the final decision (the case was originally supposed to be heard Oct. 21).
The home -- which briefly served as the headquarters for a Union general and was in the middle of cavalry movements and clashes in summer 1864 – this spring was moved to adjoining Cherokee County after a long effort to save it from destruction.
The planning
commission vote – following spirited discussion -- backs a change to the
requested Neighborhood Retail Commercial (NRC) zoning. But it would prohibit
fuel sales, drive-throughs and alcohol, tobacco and vape sales at the site.
“This recommendation would not permit a RaceTrac at this location,”
said attorney Kevin Moore, who represents RaceTrac and the property owner, in an email to the Civil War Picket
following the vote.
“At this point, the application proceeds to the Board of
Commissioners for their full consideration and final vote.”
 |
| Commercial development in area; day care above house site, elementary school to its right |
John Pederson, the county’s zoning division manager, said if
the county commission follows the planning commission’s lead, small retail,
offices or a restaurant would be permitted.
The planning commission recommendation is at least a
short-term victory for the Bells Ferry Civic Association -- made up of area
residents -- which opposes the proposed RaceTrac location at Bells Ferry Road
and Ernest Barrett Parkway.
The McAfee
House dated to the 1840s, and the sprawling farm was a fixture in the Noonday
Creek area. The property owner wants to sell the remaining two acres to
RaceTrac.
RaceTrac argued a 24/7 store at the busy corner was appropriate
and compatible with commercial development nearby. Opponents raised a list of concerns, from
traffic congestion and storm water runoff to the possible impact of alcohol
sales and gas vapors on a nearby elementary school and day care center.
The planning
commission’s stipulations came despite an endorsement of the project by county
planning staff and a traffic study that found the large gas station acceptable
if measures were taken to mitigate congestion.(At right, the house in the 1940s; Digital Library of Georgia)
RaceTrac this
summer held a public meeting with neighborhoods concerned about the plan. Erick
Allen, the Cobb County commissioner who represents the area, was among those
attending.
After this
week’s vote, Allen said he will take neighborhood comments into account when
the project is taken up by the county commission.
“Based on the action take on yesterday I
would assume that even if the proposed development does not move forward you
would want the same stipulations of any development that would occur on this
historic site,” he told the Picket in an email Wednesday.
If station is built, an archaeological survey first
Although observers were pleased the McAfee House was not destroyed, many decried Cobb County's loss of history with its move to an adjoining county.
The
nonprofit Cobb Landmarks, the Bells Ferry Civic Association
and the county’s historic preservation staff all recommend an archaeological
survey of the site if the rezoning is ultimately approved.
Any artifacts
discovered during the survey should be donated to an appropriate museum, the
preservation staff recommends. RaceTrac has vowed to comply with any county
requirements about safeguarding artifacts.
The McAfee
House served a few weeks in June and early July 1864 as the
headquarters for Brig. Gen. Kenner Garrard and his three brigades during the
Atlanta Campaign.
After the
seizure of Big Shanty (Kennesaw) by Federal forces on June 9, Garrard’s cavalry
division was posted on the left flank during operations on the Kennesaw
Mountain front.
The Federal
troopers clashed almost daily near Noonday Creek with Confederates led by Maj.
Gen. Joseph Wheeler. (At left, a map showing troop positions in June-July 1864; note McAfee House / Library of Congress)
The McAfee farm was believed to have been occupied by
Confederates, too, during the action around Kennesaw Mountain. The house is said to have been used as a field
hospital.
Sturdy residence was moved to adjoining county
The house itself had no designated historic protection
because the owners did not seek it, according to Cobb County officials, and is
not on the National Register of Historic Places.
The owner has tried for years to sell the two acres for
commercial development. A real estate agent representing the seller did not
reply to a Picket request for comment.
 |
| The Robert and Eliza McAfee House before its move (Cobb Landmarks) |
Cobb
Landmarks had worked to find someone to move the home, including when a car
wash was proposed. That idea was eventually withdrawn.
The house was
empty for several years, and preservationists worried it would fall to the
wrecking ball. Eventually, the owner donated the house to Cobb Landmarks so it
could find someone to move it before a development could be built at the intersection.
Cobb
Landmarks earlier this year sold the house for $1 to entrepreneurs Lee and Brittani Lusk, with the main requirement it be
moved and restored. The couple moved the sturdy residence to near their home in
Ball Ground. Setting a foundation for the structure has proved a challenge, but
brick masons are at work around the home as part of that effort, Brittani Lusk
said this week.
The Lusks are
still deciding on the house’s future use.
Cases for and against service station at corner
Tuesday
morning’s hearing began with remarks by Moore, who argued a RaceTrac at the
corner is consistent with land use plans and is in an area already full of
commercial businesses. He said the company agreed to move the station’s
convenience store away from the elementary school.
 |
| McAfee House in Ball Ground a couple months after its move (Civil War Picket photo) |
Moore
reiterated the company would adequately control gas fumes and storm water
runoff. He said the station would employ strong security measures. Further, Moore
said, a deceleration lane and new turning lanes would mitigate impact on
traffic.
RaceTrac,
headquartered in Cobb County, would partner with Bells Ferry Elementary School,
the attorney told the planning commission.
“RaceTrac’s DNA is to support and be impactful
in a positive way in their community,” said Moore.
Cherie
Beasley, who lives in the Piedmont Hills subdivision, told the planning
commission increased traffic from the station would bring “massive
congestion” at the intersection.
Another speaker
with the Bells Ferry Civic Association said the group is not against commercial
development but favors a business that has less impact than a gas station and
is compatible with nearby businesses, including a Barnes & Noble and
Hallmark store. He reiterated neighborhood concerns about public safety.
Commissioners call lot a 'challenged location'
Following the
comments section, the planning commissioners discussed concerns about the
proximity of the station to the school (About 100-150 feet from the playground) -- from both a traffic perspective and possible impact on health and environment. (Rezoning notice posted after house move, Picket photo)
Travis McComb
with the Cobb County School District said further congestion would hinder
access to and from the elementary school. Moore countered, saying the favorable
traffic study took all factors into account.
Commissioner
David Anderson said he wished the county was more explicit in its code
regarding the proximity of gas stations to schools and day cares. “I do see
this site as having a lot of conflicts in terms of uses,” he said. “It is just
a challenged location in the traffic interactions.”
Fuel sales, Commissioner
Fred Beloin said, are not good near schools.
A famous song
by the Beatles came up shortly before the vote. Beloin cited “Hey Jude,” saying
a gas station would make for the opposite of the song’s intention.
The result, Beloin
said, is to “make a bad road and make it far, far worse.”
The home --
which briefly served as the headquarters for a Union general and was in the
middle of cavalry movements and clashes in summer 1864 – last spring was moved to Ball Ground, adjoining
Cherokee County after a long effort to save it from destruction.
