It’s rare when a Richmond Hill mayor vetoes a vote by city council.
Richmond Hill Mayor Russ Carpenter did it three times Tuesday night, vetoing council’s 3-1 approval of petitions by a developer to rezone three parcels of land totaling about 29 acres off Camellia Street, not far from I-95 and the Highway 144.
Carpenter said Wednesday in an emailed statement he vetoed the council’s votes because of a recommendation by the city’s planning commission, which in May voted unanimously to disapprove the petition from Simcoe Investment Group, LLC.
“After much consideration, I vetoed the rezoning request that the council passed. Our Planning and Zoning (P& Z) board had voted against the request 4-0. I didn’t think it wise, with the development plan as it was proposed, to disregard the findings of P& Z, which we have empowered to make these types of decisions. City Council can, of course, override the veto at our August meeting.”
Councilwoman Kristi Cox issued the lone vote against the request. Under the city’s ordinance, the mayor has four days to give his reasons for the vetoes in writing, and the only way the council can override a mayor’s veto is by a 4-0 vote.
Minutes from a May 10 P& Z public hearing show Simcoe representatives requested the city rezone a 13.69 acre parcel from R-2, low density single family housing to R-3, moderate density residential; a .86 acre plot from R-2 to R-3 and a 14.83 acre plot from C-3, interchange commercial to R-3. The land would then be combined into a single tract after the rezoning.
The minutes show planning commissioners were concerned about the loss of commercial property, the higher density residential development and its impact on traffic, with one commissioner saying the request should wait until the Georgia Department of Transportation finishes the roundabouts at the interchange at Highway 144 and I-95 is complete.
Developers said wetlands on the property made it economically necessary to build higher density residences and the planned town homes would improve the area, the meeting minutes said, while also noting one resident had questions about traffic on Camellia Street and another said he had no problem with the proposal. Also at Tuesday’s meeting the council tabled a vote on a preliminary plat for the proposed development.
Editor’s note: The first public hearing on a proposed adoption on a redevelopment plan and a tax allocation district was also held Tuesday. Look for more in an upcoming issue.