City Council on Wednesday directed staff to pursue outside expertise to conduct environmental assessments to determine whether all or parts of Milton greenspaces should be designated for conservation or for other land uses.

Public Works Director Sara Leaders had presented this as the middle of three options – in terms of total added cost and time – for Mayor Peyton Jamison and City Councilmembers’ consideration of what happens next for the Greenprint. The Greenprint is an in-the-works comprehensive strategy charting a future for over 400 acres purchased through the City’s voter-approved greenspace bond; you can learn more about this project at www.miltonga.gov/Greenprint.

A consultant would not lead the creation of this master plan; rather, they would contribute valuable information that could feed into it. Specifically, this expert’s environmental assessments of four Milton greenspaces with water features would define natural areas, examine wildlife habitats, and explore the feasibility for potential mitigation credits for stream buffers and wetlands (the latter of which could help the City financially).

Leaders explained that these assessments should take weeks (and not months). After back-and-forth with Councilmembers, she said that the consultant taking some community feedback could be part of the scope of the prospective professional services agreement.

Councilmember Jan Jacobus favored bringing in outside experts, saying they can provide citizens with “more information to work with” as they make recommendations for future uses.

Mayor Jamison agreed, noting that it could prevent the City from taking action that it might have to reverse later for environmental reasons.

“Taxpayers spent a lot of money to buy these properties,” the Mayor said. “And we want to make sure we do it right.”

ZONING LANGUAGE RELATED TO CRABAPPLE PARKING CHANGED BACK

This discussion occurred on an evening that began with an invocation from Pastor Billy Lowe of City Church.

The Council then approved a brief Consent Agenda that featured an agreement with the Milton Veterans Memorial Markers, Inc. This will allow the non-profit -- which twice a year places hundreds of custom-made markers around the city honoring late military members – to store materials, free of charge, at a City property off Bethany Bend Road.

Like the Consent Agenda, the Council’s next two votes were unanimous.

The first was what Zoning Manager Robyn MacDonald described as a “housekeeping” matter to address an issue in the recently adopted Unified Development Code (UDC) related to parking in areas covered under the Crabapple Form-Based Code.

This part of the UDC was amended so that developers wishing to increase building units for each parking space within a parking structure must meet one of several criteria – rather than meet all the stated criteria – to do so. This vote changes City policy back to what it had been for years prior to the UDC’s 2024 adoption.

As MacDonald explained, this should “further encourage structured parking to be built by developers.”

The other vote was to set qualifying fees for those appearing on the ballot in the City of Milton’s November 4, 2025, non-partisan general election. Per State law – and in accordance with this approved resolution – the qualifying dates will be from August 18 to 22 later this year. Mayor and three City Council seats will be on the ballot.

RESOLUTION ‘FIRST STEP’ IN HOPEWELL PROPERTY’S SALE

The January 22 meeting agenda’s final item was a resolution directing the sale of just under 39 acres of City-owned property off Hopewell Road, south of Bethany Bend with a portion bordering Providence Park.

City Attorney Ken Jarrard described this resolution as a “first step in the disposition of public property” in accordance with State law. It authorizes his office and City staff to commence a public sealed process that will last 90 days, a period that begins once the legal advertisement appears in the Milton Herald.

The resolution sets a “reserve price” of $5.159 million, meaning any winning bid cannot be lower than that amount. That figure equates to the property’s appraised price (which is higher than what the City paid for it).

To ensure “serious-minded” buyers, bidders must put $50,000 in escrow and there are no financing contingencies. The resolution also authorizes the City to conduct a soil study, the results of which can be accessed by bidders (though that study does not come with guarantees or prevent independent assessments).

This resolution was approved unanimously.

The Council is next set to convene February 3 for another Regular Meeting.