Blog - Page 16 of 18 - Mableton Improvement Coalition

Buckner Crossing Hearing – Get the Facts

The Dahlhauser Group is asking for a change to the stipulations for this new shopping center currently under construction at the corner of Buckner Road and Veterans Memorial Highway. Their application asks for a new site plan and a change to the existing stipulations to allow an auto parts retail store and climate controlled self-storage.

The hearing on this application will be before the Board of Commissioners on July 17 @ 9am at 100 Cherokee Street in Marietta. Because it is not a complete rezoning, it is called an Other Business Agenda item and it is not heard by the Planning Commission. There is no need to attend the July 3 Planning Commission hearing; there will be no opportunity to speak on this issue. The Board of Commissioners will not be there and they are the decisionmakers on this application.

There has been a lot of interest in this application-which is just great!!! It’s good for our community! But there has also been a lot of confusion. If you want to have input on this application, here is what you should do:

Read the application. Attached to the application are the current zoning restrictions for the property, so you will see what is allowed now and what the applicant wants to change.
Email the Board of Commissioners with your opinion. Copy and paste these email addresses (they include county staff and the applicant): mike.boyce@cobbcounty.org, lisa.cupid@cobbcounty.org, bob.ott@cobbcounty.org, joann.birrell@cobbcounty.org, bob.weatherford@cobbcounty.org, john.pederson@cobbcounty.org, robin.presley@cobbcounty.org, mattd@dahlhausergroup.com, zoning@mableton.org.
Contact the developer, Matt Dahlhauser (phone and email on the application) if you want to know more about his plans.
Attend the hearing on July 17 at 9am at 100 Cherokee St, Marietta.
Questions: Email zoning@mableton.org. Please do not rely on our ability to follow social media! We are all volunteers and are not always on zoning duty!

MIC Adopts Old Powder Springs Road

MIC has signed the paperwork to formally adopt Old Powder Springs Road under Cobb County’s Adopt-A-Mile Program. The first clean-up will be Saturday, July 14th at 9am and we will meet at the Mableton Pentacostal Church at 1000 Old Powder Springs Road. This first clean-up will be a big job, so come out and help us make Mableton look its best! Wear sturdy shoes or boots and bring gloves if you like. We provide safety vests, latex gloves, trash bags, bottled water — and a cheerful welcome. Participants must be at least 13 years of age and those under 18 must have a signed parental consent and release of liability. We have the form if needed.

Why pick up litter? Don’t you sometimes feel like it shouldn’t be up to us to pick up after other people? The answer might be surprising to you – MIC and others pick up litter because a clean roadway is less likely to attract more litter. That’s right – litter attracts litter. According to a study by Keep America Beautiful, “Individuals are much more likely to litter into littered environments …, and they are less likely to report having littered into beautified environments… These findings strongly support the need for ongoing clean-up and beautification efforts. Indeed, posting litter prevention messages or signs in already-littered environments is likely to exacerbate the littering problem.”

Please contact Jeff Padgett if you plan to participate or if you have any questions/concerns. If we know you’re coming, we’ll keep you posted concerning rescheduling in case of inclement weather.

Zoning Meeting in Mableton – Everyone Invited!

Commissioner Lisa Cupid invites all area residents to attend her monthly Community Zoning Meeting on Wednesday, June 27th at 6pm at the South Cobb Community Center, 620 Lions Club Drive in Mableton. The meeting will focus on zoning applications that will be considered in July: Here are the zoning applications on the July agenda for Mableton:

14 townhouses on Mableton Parkway between Glore Circle and Wood Valley Way (updated site plan)
Key Auto Collision on Powell Drive,
The Mableton Center (formerly used appliances) on Mableton Parkway between Hilltop Circle and Community Drive,
Shree Mandir on Lions Club Drive,
Gursharam Parnu (granite warehouse) on Veterans Memorial Highway near Hickory Trail, and
Buckner Crossroads, LLC at Veterans Memorial Highway and Buckner Road.

Use the links to learn more about these applications and how you can participate in the zoning process. Come to the meeting! Face to face communication is effective and enlightening!

Questions? MIC’s Zoning Committee will be there and always welcomes your questions and comments. Get in touch!

Cobb County Budget Decision Time

Numbers and budgets are not everyone’s “cup of tea,” but if you live or do business in Cobb County, it’s time to take a minute and study this issue. First, click here to understand the current situation – how we got here and what the facts are. At issue right now is the County Government portion of your tax bill, which is less than half of your total tax bill, excluding the school portion.

Now it’s time to think about the essential services that your taxes pay for, such as police, fire, EMS, emergency road repair, the court system, and required government services like zoning, inspections, and mapping. Then there are the remainder of the services that we have come to expect, like parks and recreation, libraries, senior center centers, arts centers, roadside mowing, road repairs, Cobb LINC bus system, and Keep Cobb Beautiful, among others.

So what’s next?

Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce is seeking your input on the next Cobb budget through a series of Town Halls around the county. The Mableton Town Hall will be on June 28th at 7pm at the South Cobb Community Center, 620 Lions Club Drive.

The Chairman’s budget calls for a 1.7 mil increase in property taxes, which would generate enough money to keep all of Cobb’s parks, libraries, senior centers and animal services open and allow for an increase in public safety resources. Also in the budget proposal would be hiring additional police officers and purchasing body cameras, restoring eliminated DOT maintenance positions, increasing right-of-way mowing contracts, and a phasing in of restored library hours, including Sunday hours at regional libraries.

It is important for Mableton and South Cobb residents to show up and be counted at this meeting! We have different needs and maybe different opinions than other parts of the County. Help your elected officials – the County Commission – understand how to deal with this budget problem. Their decision will shape our future.

Restaurant Spotlight – Star East

One of the most talked-about subjects in our Facebook group is restaurants. MIC’s Economic Development Committee decided to visit Mableton restaurants periodically, and provide some basic information about them — or in other words, “shine a spotlight” on the restaurants in our community. MIC does not endorse the restaurants; the Spotlight exists simply to introduce Mabletonians to restaurants in Mableton.

Today’s spotlight is Star East:

When we went: Thursday, May 31, 2018, 12:30pm
Type of food: Chinese (Beef & Broccoli, Hot & Sour Soup, Fried Cabbage Egg Roll, Sweet & Sour Pork)
Delivery/Takeout: Dine-in or call-in available for takeout via stareastga.com or www.doordash.com
Service: order & pay at back counter (Visa, Master Card, cash), meals brought to your table
Location: Suite 1674, 5015 Floyd Road, Mableton GA 30126 in the Mableton Walk Shopping Center (Publix)
Phone: 770.948.7722
Food Safety Score: 98 (3.16.17) (no grade level listed)
Ambience: Straight-up! Walls lined with tables/chairs, nice lighting, little décor, VERY clean.
Wifi: Not listed as available (cell phone use was fine)
Parking: plentiful
Website: stareastga.com
Notes about experience: Service was quick, food served piping hot; huge menu with lunch specials (plenty of food, even the soup portion), Sweet & Sour Pork was actual (breaded) chunks of pork, not ground… free plate of fried wontons. Only “sweet tea” available (no unsweet), great sticky rice. We were the only customers upon arrival, but soon Star East tables were filling up, and as well, a steady stream of takeout pickups!

Zoning Application – Mableton Center at 6145 Mableton Parkway

A zoning application for 6145 Mableton Parkway has been filed and the first public hearing is planned for July 3 at 9am before the Planning Commission. The applicant is planning to use the front building for retail or office space and the rear building for a church. Now the 2.3 acre property is zoned GC (General Commercial) and R-20 (residential, 1/2 acre lots). The request is to zone the entire property NRC (Neighborhood Retail Commercial). Click here to read the preliminary application, which includes a site plan for the property.

The MIC Zoning Committee would like to hear from neighbors adjacent to this property. If approved, the request would change the zoning at the rear of the property from residential to commercial, which could impact homes on Community Drive.

MIC has reached out to the attorney for the applicant and is waiting to hear back and learn more about the plans for this property, located between Fanatics Sports Bar and the Valero gas station.

Get in touch with the MIC Zoning Committee via email at zoning@mableton.org.

MIC Farmers Market Opens June 7th

The Mableton Farmers Market will open June 7th and will run every Thursday, 8:30am until 12:30pm through August 23rd at the Mable House Complex, 5239 Floyd Road. Along with a wide variety of tasty fresh-grown good-for-you produce grown by local small farmers, there will be fresh eggs from local hens, fresh-baked items, signature spices and salts, local honey, handmade soaps and handmade personal care items. Cooking demonstrations will show visitors quick and easy ways to prepare “summertime” dishes using fresh produce the Market has to offer…and there will be free samples! Cobb & Douglas Public Health will be at the Market again to promote healthy lifestyles programs for families.

The Market is looking especially for small farm producers to join up. It’s not too late. If you are interested in selling at the Market, check it out here. All application submissions must be accompanied by a signed Hold Harmless agreement and copies of any licenses, registrations and certificates for your products as required by state and Cobb County statutes and regulations. Scan and email or mail all necessary forms as indicated on the application forms.

The Market is a U.S. Department of Agriculture-approved Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps) retailer. The Market welcomes SNAP customers to shop for eligible food items. Along with that, MIC has renewed a partnership agreement with Wholesome Wave Georgia (WWG), a non-profit organization whose mission is to help increase access to nutritious food while supporting local small farmers. This partnership enables SNAP customers to double their EBT card purchases of up to $100 per Market day ($50 SNAP plus a $50 partnership match). If you do not have a SNAP EBT card and think you might be eligible, WWG offers assistance in applying. For more information, visit the WWG website. If you are able, consider making a tax-deductible donation to this very worthy charitable organization.

The Mableton Farmers Market is made possible this season largely by a generous sponsorship donation from John Thornton Chevrolet in Lithia Springs.

House Bill 410

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Restaurant Spotlight – Mr. Beale’s Texas BBQ

Today’s spotlight is Mr. Beale’s Texas BBQ.

When we went: Thursday, April 19^th, 12:15pm

Chef: Mr. Beale!

Our meals: Baby Back Ribs, green beans, baked sweet potato / Chopped Beef Brisket sandwich on potato roll, green beans

Delivery/Takeout: Call-in available for takeout or home delivery via doordash.com, grubhub.com, and seamless.com

Location: Publix shopping center, 5015 Floyd Road SW, #620, Mableton GA 30126

Phone: 678-742-7979

Hours: Su 1pm-6pm, Mo-Th 11am-8pm, Fr-Sa 11am-9pm

Food Safety Score: 99/A – 11.1.17

Ambience: very basic; décor appears to represent the owner’s interests and history (Atlanta Falcons, UGA Football, military service)

Wifi: not detected

Parking info: plenty

Website: mrbealetexasbbq.com

Experience: food is ordered at the back counter, meal is served at your table or booth in a Styrofoam container. BBQ sauce is served on the side, and there are many other optional sauces at the counter. Portions not overly large, but rather, reasonable in size and price. Both the brisket and ribs had the requisite “smoke ring”, very tender. Sides were very tasty, seasoned well, and very fresh. When Mr. Beale came in while we were there, he was very cordial in saying a welcoming hello as he walked in the door, and the young lady serving us provided very quick customer service.

Mableton Volunteers Recognized for Work in Cobb County Schools

The Cobb Schools Foundation recently recognized the Volunteer of the Year at all Cobb County Schools. These volunteers have dedicated countless hours to our students and our schools. Please join MIC in congratulating them and thanking them for their work for our children and community. Here are the Volunteers for the Year for Mableton area schools:

Bryant Elementary School – Leroy “Tre” Hutchins

Clay Elementary School – Laura Zhiss

Harmony Leland Elementary School – Ericka Santiago

Mableton Elementary School – Maryra Recinos

Riverside Intermediate School – Perry Paul

Riverside Primary School – Alondra Reyes

Floyd Middle School – Jennifer Smith

Lindley 6^th Grade Academy – Toni Russell

Pebblebrook High School – Mickie McDaniel

South Cobb High School – Felicia Dennis