Politics & Government

Downtown Alpharetta Church's Stream Piping Request Tabled

Alpharetta First United Methodist Church must bring more mitigation ideas to city staff before City Council will make its decision on a plan to pipe a stream so more parking can be added.

A downtown Alpharetta church will have at least a few more weeks to work with city staff on its request to pipe a stream on its property so more parking spaces can be added.

wants to pipe 280 linear feet of a Big Creek tributary that runs through the property, which is off North Main and Cumming streets. The purpose is to add parking spaces and to upgrade the property's storm water management.

Steve Rowe of AEC represented the church, saying that upgrading the stormwater detention system, including the existing pond, would improve water quality even beyond what is required, and storm water detention to minimize flooding downstream.

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Jill Bazinet of the city's Engineering and Public Works Department didn't agree with Rowe's assessment. As the city's storm water and flood plain expert, Councilman Mike Kennedy asked for her opinion on the proposal

"You are not going to find me to say yes, pipe streams for parking lots," Bazinet said.

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"If you allow piping of any streams, make sure the city gets something back with additional mitigation."

Richard Debban, a downtown Alpharetta architect, didn't like the idea of cutting down eight specimen trees to provide parking for a two-hour period on Sundays.

He wants the church to consider off-site parking, such as providing a shuttle from the city's planned parking deck at City Center.

"I agree with Jill saying ... there is nothing better than the natural stream to mitigate that water quality," Debban said.

Councilman Chris Owens, an engineer himself, asked Rowe if the church had discussed mitigation measures with city staff before the meeting.

Rowe said preliminary discussions about holding education programs for the Boy Scout Troop at the church, and installing educational signs on site as well.

The situation was too unformed for Owens' liking to make a decision at the meeting.

"There's too much potential for communication between the church and the city before I make up my mind," he said.

He wanted the church and staff to come up with more mitigation measures. So he made the motion to table the stream buffer variance request.


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