The Milton Trails Advisory Committee took a major step forward Monday night with the City Council’s approval of its seven members.

MTAC, an acronym for the Board, originally formed in June 2019 to support elected officials and City staff in promoting pedestrian-friendly places and approaches while showcasing Milton’s natural beauty. These efforts – which focused on Crabapple, Deerfield, Birmingham Park and the Lackey Road greenspace – contributed significantly to the passage of the Milton Community Trail Prioritization Plan. (You can view that document HERE: https://www.miltonga.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/2859/637329280499070000.)

After the Council approved that document, the Trails Advisory Committee disbanded. But the 2040 Comprehensive Plan advocated for reviving it to further pedestrian and bicycle-friendly initiatives in Milton. The City Council agreed to revive MTAC in April.

And on Monday night, they formally appointed new members who offer unique perspectives when it comes to walking trails, traversing sidewalks, riding horses, bicycling, and more. They are:

• Adam Schwegman, a father of two keenly interested in hiking and biking
• Dr. Brian Maloney, a frequent City contributor – including as a past member of the Equestrian Committee, Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee and original Trails Advisory Committee
• Phil Van Gelder, the father of three active young daughters and dedicated Milton resident
• Liz Drevet, who previously served on the Milton Equestrian Committee before co-founding the Milton Land Conservancy, a non-profit dedicated to land conservation
• Marsha “Marty” Spear, a Milton resident of 20-some years who is an avid cyclist
• Tara Chambers, another longtime Milton resident who is an avid walker in the Highway 9/Deerfield area
• Suzanne Bock, a native New Yorker who enjoys spending time outdoors exploring new trails and walking in the Highway 9 area

Soon thereafter, the Council approved individual appointments to three more standing committees: Diane Wilson to the Milton Equestrian Committee, Morgan Van Gelder to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, and former City Council member Laura Bentley to the Board of Zoning Appeals.

Votes on all ten new appointments were unanimous.

INTERACTIVE GIS MAP OF MILTON DEVELOPMENTS IN THE WORKS

Prior to these, the Council approved a 12-item Consent Agenda that included:

• A prefabricated, permanent restroom to be installed at Providence Park, along with an extension to use $100,000 in grant money from the State of Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources for this project.
• A change order to account for design modifications related to a pedestrian-focused project incorporating an existing sidewalk on the south side of Mayfield Road and paving the way for a multi-use path on the north side.
• A task order for BM&K to complete negotiations for right-of-way acquisition (including appraisals) tied to the Morris Road widening project, which currently impacts 19 parcels.
• Extending the City’s relationship for another year with its youth football and cheerleading program, the North Atlanta Football League (NAFL).

Community Development Director Bob Buscemi later updated the Council on developments in his Department. For instance, he welcomed the City’s new Site Development Inspection Manager Craig Henschel and shared an update on the rebuild of Fire Station 42, where the focus now is ordering materials and doing sub-surface work so the foundation can be poured soon.

Buscemi also noted that members of his Department would soon talk to the City Council about three initiatives stemming from the 2040 Comprehensive Plan: Urban Growth Boundaries, potentially increasing minimum lot widths from 100- to 150-feet, and the possible creation of AG-5 (with 5 equating to 5 acres), AG-10 or AG-20 zoning categories.

Land Development Manager Tracie Wildes and Planner Emily Schnarre then briefed the Council about an interactive map in the works featuring details, construction photos, elevations and more related to development projects around Milton. Currently, this GIS project can only be viewed internally but the plan is for it to eventually be used by citizens. In addition, Schnarre and Wildes touted the City progress in creating a dynamic metrics dashboard and clickable map related to permitting, as well as the latest on its Highway 9 corridor data collection and beautification efforts.

OPEN HOUSES PLANNED FOR ‘UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE’

Land-use policy is a primary focus for the Community Development. On Monday, the Council heard about an initiative to clarify, simplify and package its policies into a single, consistent, user-friendly document called the Unified Development Code.

The City’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan called for the adoption of what’s known as a UDC to create a one-stop, easy-to-understand document where development-related material could be found all in one place (rather than in different parts of the City Code).

The UDC, as currently conceived, doesn’t aim for any policy changes, according to Caleb Racicot -- a Principal Planner with TSW, which is working with the City on this effort. Rather, it is more a “technical document” that adopts current regulations and explains them in ways people can more easily comprehend.

The City plans to hold two public open houses on a UDC draft, the first on July 13 and other in September. If all goes to plan, a final UDC proposal will start moving through the public meeting process in November and will be voted up on the Council in March 2023.

CITY AGREES TO PURCHASE LAND FOR NEW ACTIVE PARK

The Council later passed a revamp of Special Event permitting in the City, clarifying some language (such as what constitutes a “special event”) while incorporating several changes to policies and processes, as explained by Economic Engagement Manager Anita Jupin.

For instance, what is categorized as an Outdoor Auditorium – of which there’s only one in Milton, the Stage on Crabapple Market’s Green – can have a maximum of 12 special event permits annually, while other properties can have at most two. Food trucks will now be allowed at permitted events (whereas before they could only be at City events). And only events with more than 100 people at a time and that have a “substantial impact on the City-owned properties [and/or] require substantial public services” would need such a Special Event permit.  

In other notable developments Monday, the Council approved:

• The purchase of about 7 acres in southeast Milton, adjacent to North Park, for “active park” use. This combines three separate properties, two of which currently have houses on them.
• A revision to Mayfair Estates plat for its first construction phase, deleting three lots to allow for larger parcels.
• An extension through October 4 of a moratorium on certain new requests from a variety of businesses intending to have consumption of alcohol on premises.
• Budget amendments to update the Fiscal Year 2022 budget, accounting for recent changes as well as higher than anticipated revenue collections across numerous categories.
• Milton joining other Fulton County cities in being represented by the same law firm in all Local Option Sales Tax (L.O.S.T.) negotiations. According to the Georgia Municipal Association, L.O.S.T. is “a 1 percent sales tax activated by a local referendum and imposed on the purchase, sale, rental, storage, use, or consumption of tangible personal property and related services.”
• A moratorium through July 18 prohibiting the City of Milton’s acceptance of new building and development permissions, plats, plans or permits within a 23-acre parcel area known as the District of Mayfield. This will give City staff time to prepare, consider and potentially adopt a Historic Preservation Overlay for this area.

The City Council will next convene for a Regular Meeting on July 6, the Wednesday after Independence Day.