Milton’s City Council paved the way Monday for the first mixed-use redevelopment since the community drove a year-long effort to envision Deerfield as a dynamic destination – a project that promises revitalized office, residential, retail, and civic space, as well as public amenities.

City staff gave a detailed presentation on the proposal for the site, which is now home to a pair of largely vacant office buildings near where Morris Road, Webb Road, and Deerfield Parkway meet. Members of the B Developments team also attended the February 2 meeting at City Hall, sharing information and answering questions. No one from the public spoke in opposition to the proposal.

The redevelopment is in the spirit of Destination Deerfield, a multi-faceted initiative aimed at making this critical area in southeastern Milton more walkable, welcoming, and vibrant. It aims to promote great places where people can live, work, and play – with a special focus on breathing new life into several largely dormant office complexes. You can learn more at www.miltonga.gov/Deerfield. 

“This is the first application before you, but it’s really one piece of a big puzzle,” Special Projects Director Bob Buscemi, who spearheaded the Destination Deerfield initiative, told the Council. “All are interdependent on one another.”

City staff explained this specific redevelopment should not negatively impact police, fire, or water services. Public schools that are districted for this area would remain under capacity, while traffic studies indicate nearby roads should be able to handle related traffic. This also holds true if the entirety of Deerfield is built-out as envisioned, based on an extensive analysis. (For more, visit https://www.miltonga.gov/home/showdocument?id=9069.)    

This development will feature several amenities for the general public, whether or not they live or work on this property.  Those include new multi-use trails, a boardwalk connecting to the Verizon campus site, a building with a bathroom for the community’s use, and 6.15 acres of civic space (which is 24% of the overall property). Ethan Underwood, an attorney, noted the property’s development team is “most proud of” the fact the overall tree canopy (including numerous retained trees) should be about 40 percent – four times more than the 10% requirement. And this is all in addition to restaurants, stores, and other public spaces.

COUNCILMEMBER: THIS IS INTENTIONAL, WHAT CITIZENS WANT

Much of what the developer plans for the Deerfield Corporate Center site is allowed by right. But the Council had to weigh in Monday to vote on a Use Permit to allow multi-family residential units along with a concurrent variance related to parking.

The ultimately approved Use Permit was paired with numerous conditions, such as:

• The two multi-family buildings fronting Morris Road can be no higher than three stories
• A maximum of 84 one-bedroom and 56 two-bedroom units are allowed
• No exterior or open staircases
• The developer being responsible for building and maintaining trails, boardwalks, internal sidewalks, public restrooms, and lighting
• The developer leasing a civic building to the City at a nominal rate of $1
• The 6.15 acres of civic space
• The creation of a minimum of 23 parking spaces along Morris Road within the right-of-way

Guido Barbagallo, from B Developments, also said the lobbies, landings, and other elements of the two existing office buildings would be renovated. Residents can also utilize features like a pool, gym, and co-working spaces by a lake. There should be four drivable access points – two with Morris Road, one with Webb Road, and a fourth with Deerfield Parkway. Barbagallo estimated the land development process will take 12 months, followed by at least 24 months for construction.

“This is something we truly believe will fit in Milton and that everyone will be proud of,” he said.

Prior to the vote, Zoning Manager Robyn MacDonald briefed the Council on four public meetings when this specific proposal was discussed over the last two months. Members of both the Design Review Board and Planning Commission considered and offered favorable opinions, with the Planning Commission recommending the Use Permit’s approval. She also noted that the City expects it would collect just under $2 million in impact fees from this development, which can fund qualified parks, police, fire, and transportation projects.

Reflecting back on a process that began not long after he joined the City Council two years later, Councilmember Phil Cranmer called what’s transpiring the proud “product of our own doing.”

“We set into motion Destination Deerfield. We built the Design Manual. We gave the developers direction,” Cranmer said. “This is intentional. We listened to all of the citizens through the various input sessions. And I truly believe what [B Developments] presented is a product of what the citizens want.”

MORATORIUM RELATED TO AG-1 EXTENDED 3 MORE DAYS

This discussion highlighted a meeting that began with the Council’s unanimously approval of the Consent Agenda that included a pair of agreements with the City.

One is for Guardian to offer dental benefits – including related administrative services such as processing claims and providing support – to City of Milton employees and their dependents. The other is for RGC Construction to add a pool patio cover at Milton City Park and Preserve that spans the west side of the Community Center building, offering a shaded area for City Pool patrons and replacing the temporary structure that has been used in the past. 

Later, the Council approved a conflict waiver to allow Jarrard & Davis to represent the cities of Milton as well as Alpharetta in its upcoming Strategic Delivery Service negotiations with Fulton County. Angela Davis, from Jarrard & Davis, explained that typically cities “are very much aligned” in such negotiations and, in fact, are often represented by the same legal counsel. 

The meeting concluded with the 3-day extension of a moratorium on the City’s acceptance of minor plats within the AG-1 zoning district that propose subdividing land into three parcels or fewer, with lot sizes between 1 and 3 acres. An existing moratorium was set to expire on February 7. By pushing that date to February 10, the City Council can discuss – and cast a conclusive vote on – potentially further extending the moratorium when it meets next on February 9.