City Of Milton: Council Streamlines, Clarifies Regulations Related To Milton Fences

Press release from the City of Milton:

02/08/2022 12:21 PM

Milton’s City Council voted Monday night to amend certain fencing requirements, moves intended to streamline regulations, eliminate inconsistencies, and allow for a uniquely Milton-esque look across the city.

The proposed changes affect fences throughout the city, with some special requirements for those along and visible from public roads. Notably, too, they do not force people to put up fences or affect existing ones; rather, these changes impact anyone wishing to erect a new fence. One of the main goals is to create a more standardized look that’s appealing for those driving by, suitable for property owners (including those who own horses), and in line with Milton’s brand.

The first text amendment approved was among the most wide-ranging, including alterations to:

• Require an intercom/keypad outside a private gate to be at least 15 feet from the “right of way.” While the City had required gates to be at least 20 feet away, nothing had been specified for intercoms. This addressed potential safety and traffic issues to prevent vehicles at keypads from jutting into a main road.
• Prohibit chain link fencing around stormwater facilities.
• Have fence heights be the same across zoning districts.

The City Council also approved requirements on the look and location of “equestrian fences.” In doing so, they also addressed opaque fences (meaning a fence that blocks light from going through). New opaque fences would be allowed if they’re outside the 60-foot rural viewshed so long as they’re not visible from main, public roads at any time of year.

The Council also discussed the definition of an equestrian fence, especially those with galvanized welded wire added. They voted that such wire could be placed on either side of the equestrian fence (so on the side facing toward the fence-owner’s property or the side facing away from it.) The galvanized wire would either be unpainted or painted the same color as the rest of the fence.

The Council also discussed, and voted upon, four other proposed text amendments related to what’s being called an “indoor auditorium” or “assembly hall.” Unlike fences, these aren’t something common now in Milton – in fact, there are none currently in operation – and only applies to the defined Crabapple and Deerfield districts of Milton.

The first step is to state what an “indoor auditorium” or “assembly hall” is in Milton. The Council voted to define it as “a building or portion of a building, for public rental for the purpose of private events … where access by the general public is restricted.” It cannot include a restaurant, though food and alcoholic beverages can be provided by a permitted caterer.

With Monday’s vote, any potential proprietor wishing to have an “indoor auditorium” – whether it’s to host Bible studies, business meetings, or wedding receptions – would need to go through the City’s public hearing process to obtain a use permit. No such process had existed yet for Crabapple, while indoor auditoriums in the Deerfield area had – until now – been allowed “by right” without need for a permit. (Now, the process is the same in Deerfield as it is in Crabapple.)

One small change from what had been proposed were to change the allowed (without needing a variance) starting operating hours from 9 a.m. to 7 a.m., at the suggestion of Council member Jan Jacobus. This aimed to more easily make possible breakfast meetings and the like.

Before those discussions and votes, Mayor Peyton Jamison and Council members approved (in a customary single vote encompassing all items) the meeting’s Consent Agenda. This included the following:

• A contract to inspect the roof and test the air quality at Fire Station 41 off Arnold Mill Road/New Providence Road, which was closed late last year to address a mold issue. Mold remediation and other improvements have been made since then.
• An agreement for an outside company to create a “concept design” for a possible new road connecting Broadwell Road and Charlotte Drive. This is the first step in a multi-step process to better visualize and understand how such a road might work.
• A plat revision that would divide more than 12 acres by Champions Club Drive and Thompson Road into four lots – a large-lot subdivision that has been named Ansley Park.
• Extending Milton Police’s relationship with Flock Safety with the addition of nine security cameras (along with one Flock camera that Milton currently has) that can capture and share data/video at certain locations as a crime-fighting and investigating tool.
• An agreement for Practical Design Partners to analyze two intersection improvement alternatives being considered for the intersection of Green Road and State Route 140/Arnold Mill Road.

The Council voted, too, to approve two alcohol beverage licenses for new proprietors. One was for the convenience store at the Shell station in downtown Crabapple. A bit south down Crabapple Road, they OK’d a license for the restaurant space that had been Cans and Tierra Y Mar and is now set to renamed Tres Lunas.

A proposal to allow a license for a new butcher and wine shop, also in Crabapple, was deferred to the Council’s next meeting on Feb. 23. This was done to allow the proprietor of that new establishment to appear before and answer Council members’ questions.

In other news, the Council voted in favor of the City’s Fire-Rescue Department having an automatic aid agreement with all North Fulton County cities. This means that members of each cities’ departments can respond automatically to incidents in neighboring communities; by extension, the departments can have better access (in some form) to each others’ specialized equipment and even training regimens.

As Fire Chief Gabe Benmoussa explained, there are “good partnerships and savings for each city.” This kind of agreement, too, should allow residents to get the help they need as soon as possible.

Also on Monday, Mayor Jamison read a proclamation declaring February 18 to be Arbor Day and urging all “citizens … to support efforts to protect our trees and woodlands to make Milton an even greater place to live, work and raise a family.”

Recently, Milton earned a Tree City USA distinction for the 13th consecutive year in recognition of its effort to promote, save, and educate about trees.

City Arborist Sandra Dewitt subsequently unveiled a new outreach effort intended to engage, educate and encourage residents to do what they can to plant trees and keep Milton green.

The initiative, known as Plant! Milton, grew out of the City Council’s 2020 passage of the Tree Canopy Conservation Ordinance. Several elements have already rolled out including an “Ask the Arborist” feature in which citizens can email askthearborist@cityofmiltonga.us to ask Dewitt tree-related questions and a new webpage, www.cityofmiltonga.us/PlantMilton containing pertinent information on trees and this program.

And on February 18 starting at 10 a.m., the public can attend the City’s Arbor Day event at Providence Park where three blackgum trees (donated by Tri Scapes) will be planted and up to 200 Northern Red Oak seedlings will be given out. Any Milton resident who can present proof of planting those seedlings or another tree can get a free water bottle. (They can email their proof to askthearborist@cityofmiltonga.us.)

The City Council is next scheduled to convene on Monday, February 14, for a Work Session. Members will not cast votes during this meeting, but they can offer direction to City staff.

This press release was produced by the City of Milton. The views expressed here are the author’s own.