Milton’s City Council on Monday evening supported several recommendations aimed at giving property owners more reason to maintain or even grow the size of their large lots, even as there’s more work to be done before anything becomes official.

City leaders have identified large lots – defined as parcels that are three acres or bigger – as valuable in helping safeguard Milton’s rural heritage, scenic viewsheds, and unique look and feel. Over the last nine months, City staff have been working closely on this project in collaboration with the Milton Equestrian Committee (MEC) and community members.

On Monday, Interim Community Development Director Diana Wheeler outlined ten large lot incentives originally under consideration. Some of those were not recommended, such as allowing short-term rentals or accessory buildings in front yards “by right.” Wheeler dove deep into six proposals that could move forward, seeking the Council’s feedback on each.

For some, the Mayor and Council sought more detail before weighing in one way or another – like whether to allow covered riding arenas on 10-plus acre lots by an administrative Use Permit rather than having to go through the multi-committee Public Hearing process.

The Council was more supportive of other ideas. Examples included giving large lot landowners more options when it came to stormwater improvements, waiving business license fees for them, and looking more closely at the Agricultural Exemption process. They also described as “creative” a suggestion to require a vegetative buffer in certain cases when multiple parcels of a new multi-home development border a large lot.

Overall, the sentiment appeared to be that the suggestions were, as Councilmember Carol Cookerly said in a few instances, in the “right direction.”

The next step will be fine-tuning potential text amendments and seeking input from Milton’s Planning Commission. Wheeler also said the City Council would have another opportunity to share their feedback before they’d take official votes on this matter.

JUNIOR EAGLES VOLLEYBALL EARNS PROCLAMATION, APPLAUSE

This discussion came well into a meeting that began with three general public comments, followed by the City Council’s unanimous approval of the meeting’s Consent Agenda. This Consent Agenda included City agreements with:

• Interdev to temporarily prolong the City’s partnership with InterDev for information technology and GIS Services through the end of 2025
• NeoGov for the Milton Police to utilize its software to manage the Department’s policies, procedures, and other written directives, as well as information regarding internal affairs, vehicle pursuits, use of force incidents, and other state and federally mandated police reports
• Pond & Company for its professional services to design a new roundabout where Cox Road intersects with Etris and Ebenezer roads in southwestern Milton
• Vertosoft for the Milton Police and Public Works team members’ use of UrbanSDK software to access real-time traffic data and analytics on city roads

Mayor Peyton Jamison then read two proclamations. The first recognized Fire Prevention Week, an annual national campaign to spread the word about what everyone can do to protect themselves, their families, and their properties from fire.  Sparky – the National Fire Protection Association’s official mascot dog – even joined Milton firefighters and the City Council for a picture afterward.

The other proclamation went to the Milton High Junior Eagles girls volleyball team. This team recently finished their season with a remarkable 26-0 record that included numerous championships, accomplishments that rightfully elicited applause Monday in Council Chambers.

FEEDBACK ON POSSIBLE BIRMINGHAM PARK CONSERVATION EASEMENT

At the behest of elected officials, City staff have been exploring the idea of a conservation easement for Birmingham Park, the 200-plus acre natural haven in northwest Milton. On Monday, that effort took a step forward with the City Council offering valuable feedback as well as a related vote.

Public Works Director Sara Leaders presented a proposal for 185 acres of Birmingham Park to be under a conservation easement. Twenty-two acres – which include what’s used now for Fire Station 43 and the Public Works Yard, allowing room for possible future City needs – that connect with Hickory Flat Road would not. A conservation easement agreement would limit what activities can happen within its boundaries, plus what (if anything) can be built.

City Councilmembers signaled support for incorporating language that only natural surface trails (rather than paved ones, for instance) be permitted in the easement area. There was also a preference for limiting the total number of miles of trail that can be added; the exact number, which may take into account what was proposed in the Milton Trails Prioritization Plan, is yet to be determined.

The other discussion point related to structures that can be part of Birmingham Park. The Council seemed good with smaller structures (less than 250 square feet) such as benches, kiosks, picnic tables, and trash cans, many of which already exist. There was more back-and-forth on larger structures, with some openness to a potential parking lot expansion and a restroom but opposition to adding a dog park at a facility frequented by horses. Councilmember Phil Cranmer suggested getting input from the Equestrian Committee on this and other points. 

At the end of this fruitful discussion, Leaders said that City staff would come back before Council at least one more time before a conservation easement agreement is put up for a vote.

Later in the meeting, though, the Council did vote on a procedural first step in this process – to abandon the right-of-way along the portion of Old Bull Pen Road inside the proposed conservation easement area. This part of Old Bull Pen Road is already part of Birmingham Park’s trail system. Abandoning this right-of-way is needed for the conservation easement.

FEMA GRANT TO HELP PAY FOR FIRE STATION'S GENERATOR

The City Council took a number of other votes on Monday, including approving alcohol beverage licenses for the proprietors of three new Crabapple restaurants.

Two of them, Yum Thai as well as Niku BBQ & Hotpot, are together in the Market District development off Heritage Walk. The other, B&B Tavern, sits along Crabapple Road at the intersection with Itaska Walk and is part of Crabapple Market.

Council also voted to remove fees and line-item costs related to permits and applications from certain sections of Milton’s Unified Development Code and from Appendix A of the City Code. Instead – rather than a more involved ordinance amendment – such fees and costs can be instituted via a Council resolution.

Later in the same meeting, the Council approved just such a resolution that establishes the same fee schedule. Leaders said City staff will review what other local governments do as well as current market conditions before coming back before Council with potentially revised figures. 

The City gave its blessing to more properties being covered by True North 400 (formerly the North Fulton Community Improvement District), a necessary step even though no Milton properties are part of this expansion. The City Council also adopted the 2025 Capital Improvements Element (CIE) Annual Update, as is required to continue the City’s impact fee program. Impact fees are collected from developers to help pay for certain upgrades, such as for roads and bridges, public safety, parks, and government buildings.

And, after a Council’s vote to accept a FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant, the City will save more than $60,000 to purchase a new, needed emergency generator for Fire Station 43 to replace an outdated one.

The Council’s next Regular Meeting is scheduled for October 20.