Rockdale Citizen

Photo by Amelia Cerling

CONYERS -- No more apartments.

That's Conyers City Councilman Marty Jones' goal. It's not a reality yet, but a six-month moratorium on any applications to rezone property to multifamily or townhouse residential is a step in the right direction, he said.

"I'm happy that we've gotten this far. I'm happy there is a deadline at the end. I happy we're doing this," Jones said just prior to a unanimous vote of the City Council on Wednesday approving the moratorium.

The interim development control will prohibit rezoning to Residential Multi-Family (RM) and Townhouse Residential (TH) while city officials review city ordinances and look at amending language in its zoning code. The moratorium is in place for six months or until the zoning changes are adopted.

According to the ordinance imposing the interim development control, the moratorium is important "so that inappropriate development inconsistent with the city's existing comprehensive land use plan and existing zoning regulations is prevented."

Jones said he expressed a desire more than six months ago that he did not want any more garden-style apartments in the city.

"My goal is to get rid of them entirely," he said.

Jones said over the years the city has approved rezoning applications for what were supposed to be townhouse developments, but in reality ended up constructed as apartments or else were later renovated to be apartments.

"You may trick us once, but you're not going to trick us again," he said.

In other news, the Conyers Council recently approved changes to its sign ordinance.

According to Planning and Inspection Director Marvin Flanigan, the ordinance tightens some of the regulations for commercial signage. For instance, individual commercial buildings and shopping centers must adhere to the same standards, he said.

Whereas individual commercial buildings were permitted to have a 35-foot-high sign and shopping centers could have a 40-foot-high sign, now they both can only have 20-foot signs. Businesses fronting the interstate, however, are still permitted 80-foot-high signs, according to the ordinance.

Flanigan said building size now determines the size of signs instead of the amount of road frontage.

He said the language in the amended ordinance is clearer than the original one.

"It's a little stricter, but it's easier to understand," Flanigan said. "We also reorganized it so it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out."

The City Council approved on Wednesday three appointments to the Conyers-Rockdale Planning Commission:

• Brandon Mitchell will fill the unexpired term of Ashley Frey. He is appointed to serve the four-year term until Dec. 31, 2014;

• Linda Carter was reappointed to serve a second four-year term. She will serve until July 1, 2015; and

• Max McFarland will serve a three-year term until July 1, 2014.