InTucker Magazine

City Council Update – November 2018

The Mayor and City Council met twice in October, overseeing agendas that were dominated by transportation.

At their meeting on October 8, City Engineer Ken Hildebrandt provided Council with an update on the City’s SPLOST-funded resurfacing projects, as well as the Intersection Safety Analysis conducted for the City. Twenty-three of Tucker’s worst-conditioned streets are scheduled for resurfacing before the end of the year, including Mountain Industrial Boulevard, which is midway through its resurfacing.

Hildebrandt also briefed Council on the City’s plans to address complaints about the traffic conditions at the intersection of Fellowship Road and Lawrenceville Highway. Following a SPLOST-funded resurfacing, the City will reverse one lane of Fellowship northbound to create an additional southbound lane. This will help traffic to move more smoothly by creating dedicated left and right turn lanes, as well as a straight lane to carry traffic across Fellowship toward Idlewood Road.

Council then voted to authorize City staff to apply to GDOT to make Mountain Industrial Boulevard a state route and Hugh Howell Road a local route. The swap would open Mountain Industrial to additional grant money and potentially increase the beautification and traffic flow throughout that corridor. It would also aim to reduce congestion and pass-through traffic on the Smoke Rise portion of Hugh Howell Road.

At the meeting on October 22, Council voted on a pair of land use cases. The first case was a City-initiated rezoning that will change the zoning of 2825 Mountain Industrial Boulevard. The property, which is currently a Georgia Power substation, goes from a Medium Density Residential-2 (MR-2) zoning to a Local Commercial (C-1) zoning. The other case involves 2291 Wender Drive, a largely undeveloped property at the back of the Winding Woods neighborhood. The rezoning takes the property from Small Lot Residential (RSM) to Residential Medium Lot-85 (R-85). After holding public hearings, Council voted 6-0 to approve both rezonings. There is no proposed change in use and no proposed development of either property, the rezonings merely follow the recommendations of the City’s Comprehensive Plan.

Council also held a first read on changes to the City’s alcohol ordinance. The new ordinance would move the permissible start time for Sunday alcohol sales from 12:30 p.m. to 11 a.m. The change would only apply to on-premises consumption at places like eateries and wineries. A final vote by Council on the ordinance would only happen if Tucker voters approve the change in a November 6 referendum.

The next scheduled City Council meeting will be Tuesday November 13 at 7 p.m. at the City Hall Annex (4228 First Avenue).