The Arnold Mill area will be a chief focus, two times over, when Milton’s Planning Commission convenes on Wednesday evening.

The March 26 meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in City Hall’s Council Chambers (2006 Heritage Walk). People can attend in-person or watch the meeting virtually at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc2xnPLWX-E.

The Planning Commission evaluates and recommends changes to zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, zoning maps, and overall planning processes. The 7-member committee also weighs in on variance requests and is part of the City’s public hearing process, meaning other City boards discuss and share their thoughts on some of the same agenda items.

Wednesday evening will begin with the Planning Commission selecting its Chairperson and Vice Chairperson for the rest of the year. Then, after votes on approving the agenda for this meeting and the minutes (or official written record) from its last one, the board will dive into business.

That starts with considering a request for a Use Permit for a Rural Event Facility at 12900 Arnold Mill Road, which is the address of Ebenezer Methodist Church and its newly constructed Pardue Family Center. The latter facility (at the intersection of State Route 140 and Cox Road) features a large hall, stage, conference/meeting rooms, commercial and warming kitchens, as well as an outdoor pavilion, stage, and amphitheater seating.

If the “rural event facility” use permit is granted, the applicant could hold certain events with no more than 300 attendees at this facility. These might include weddings and receptions, concerts and plays, community and company gatherings, and classes.

That property sits within the Arnold Mill character area in southwest Milton. The City has worked for months to develop a “Arnold Mill Small Area Plan”  articulating a cohesive, community-driven vision for this corridor and its surroundings. You can learn more about this project at www.miltonga.gov/ArnoldMill.

The Planning Commission on Wednesday will consider a proposed text amendment to the Unified Development Code that corresponds to this Arnold Mill Small Area Plan. If approved, it would establish an Arnold Mill Hamlet Overlay (which is within the current Rural Milton Overlay) that touches on site and building design as well as streetscaping requirements. (It would not change  zoning or density.) The proposed text amendment incorporates suggestions related to signage made during a joint February 4 meeting of the Planning Commission and Design Review Board.

The next proposed text amendment on the Planning Commission’s agenda would allow the City to publish details about CZIMs (Community Information Zoning Meetings) on the City’s website rather than the Milton Herald (the City’s official “legal organ”) ten days before such meetings. Another possible change would reduce from 30 days to 15 days the advanced public notice (as published in the Milton Herald) required before requested demolitions can be considered by Milton’s Design Review Board. This revised timetable would be in accordance with local Zoning Procedures Law.

The final text amendment up for consideration Wednesday, if approved, applies to commercial vehicles. It includes new language stating that commercial vehicles can be parked/stored in single-family residential and agricultural districts for sustained periods only if related to an active building permit. (This wouldn’t apply to commercial vehicles owned by whomever lives at that property; so a plumber could park his work truck outside his house, for example.)

Wednesday’s meeting will end with a discussion that’s been a City priority for some time – the future of Deerfield. Members of Milton’s project team will share an update on the Deerfield Implementation Plan project, which outlines a vision for the look, feel, and features for this important section of Milton. (For more context, check out www.miltonga.gov/Deerfield.) Several potential City Code text amendments have been crafted and have begun working their way through the public meeting process before a conclusive vote on adoption. 

After Wednesday’s meeting, the Planning Commission is next set to convene on April 23.