Ott, Lee to Be Sworn In This Week

The District 2 commissioner and the Cobb Commission chairman will take the oath of office for their second terms on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

East Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott will be sworn in for a second term on Wednesday. Ott, a Republican who was re-elected without opposition this year, will take the oath of office Wednesday at 4 p.m. in the office of Cobb Superior Court Judge Adele Grubbs, 70 Haynes St., Marietta. His District 2 covers most of East Cobb below Roswell Road and the Smyrna-Vinings area. In an article published in The Marietta Daily Journal on Monday, Ott pointed to his role in a number of commercial redevelopment issues as his main accomplishments, especially in the the Johnson Ferry Road and Powers Ferry Road corridors. On Thursday, Cobb Commission Chairman Tim Lee will be sworn in. Lee is an East Cobb resident who defeated former chairman Bill Byrne in the …

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'Hot' Development Pace in East Cobb

Around $450 million in new residential and commercial projects have been approved in the last two years, and more are on the way.

The development of a variety of commercial and residential projects in the East Cobb area in the last two years isn't about to slow down. Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott said at an East Cobb town hall meeting Tuesday that $450 million in new construction has been approved in that time in his District 2, which includes the Cumberland and Smyrna-Vinings areas. Ott, a Republican who was re-elected to a second term last week without opposition, said that dollar amount is more than the other three commission districts combined. He estimates that the residential/commercial split is roughly 50-50. "This part of East Cobb is particularly hot in the zoning and development area," he told around 75 citizens at Sterling Estates, a newly opened senior …

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Ott Town Hall Meeting is Tuesday

The District 2 Cobb commissioner will update constituents Tuesday at the new Sterling Estates senior complex on Lower Roswell Road.

District 2 Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott will hold a town hall meeting on Tuesday. The meeting, which begins at 7 p.m., takes place at the new Sterling Estates senior living complex at 4220 Lower Roswell Road, next to the East Cobb Government Center. His district covers portions of East Cobb and the Smyrna-Vinings area. Ott, who typically holds a quarterly town hall meeting, is participating once again in the annual Movember Worldwide initiative this month to help raise money and awareness for the Prostate Cancer Foundation. He has been among the more than a million men around the world growing mustaches during November as part of the campaign. Ott's father died of prostate cancer in 2008. Before the town hall meeting, Cobb Department of …

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Powers Ferry Rezoning Request Questioned

Citizens asked Commissioner Bob Ott this week about a proposal to convert a former restaurant into a gas station.

At his Tuesday town hall meeting in Smyrna, East Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott heard from citizens concerned about a proposed rezoning at the location of the former TGI Friday's restaurant on Powers Ferry Road for a RaceTrac gas station and convenience mart.  The commission was to have heard the formal request at its Tuesday zoning hearing. But the matter is still pending before the Cobb Planning Commission, which delayed a vote at its Sept. 6 zoning hearing. The rezoning request comes from Mountainprize Inc., for land at the northwest intersection of Powers Ferry Road and Windy Ridge Parkway. The next Planning Commission rezoning hearing is Oct. 2. What follows is a transcript of the questions posed to Ott and his answers on the subject at …

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Ott to Hold September Town Hall

The District 2 Cobb Commissioner will be meeting constituents in Smyrna on Sept. 18.

District 2 Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott will host a town hall for constituents at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 18, at Smyrna Community Center, 200 Village Green Circle, Smyrna. Ott, a Republican who lives in East Cobb, is completing his first term in office and is unopposed in this year's elections.  For more information on the town hall, call 770-528-3316 or visit cobbcounty.org/ott.

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TSPLOST Forum Set for East Cobb

Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott is the host for a town hall meeting on July 23 at Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church.

Representatives from a variety of organizations and perspectives on the upcoming TSPLOST referendum have been invited to gather in East Cobb later this month for a town hall meeting.  District 2 Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott will be the host for the July 23 event, scheduled for 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church, 4385 Lower Roswell Road. The town hall takes place the week before the July 31 referendum on the Transportation Investment Act, which will be decided by metro Atlanta voters, including those in Cobb.  Untie Atlanta, one of the leading groups in favor of the penny sales tax, will be represented by Chuck Clay, a former legislator from Cobb and a partner with the Brock Clay law firm in Marietta, and Terry Lawler, …

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Ground Broken on Cobb Parkway Bridge

The new span over the Chattahoochee River has been in the works for years.

Terrell Mill Village Is Reborn

Can the recent opening of L.A. Fitness Center spark greater community redevelopment in the Powers Ferry Road corridor?

When the Powers Ferry Road Master Plan was completed last year, L.A. Fitness wasn't on the radar.  The county-appointed committee, which included significant citizen input, targeted the largely-empty Terrell Mill Village Shopping Center as a key for the area's commercial renewal.  L.A. Fitness, which specializes in building in redeveloping areas and had a nearby location on Akers Mill Road, became the first notable major business to move into Terrell Mill Village when it opened its doors last month.  But as the grand opening celebration continues, community and business leaders are hopeful it will serve as a linchpin for further redevelopment.  "I think it can be," said East Cobb commissioner Bob Ott, who pushed for the creation of the …

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Vowing to Keep Ott in East Cobb

State Rep. Sharon Cooper says proposals to substantially redraw District 2 commission map will be done "over my dead, cold body."

East Cobb commissioner Bob Ott typically turns over the first few minutes of his town hall meetings to State Rep. Sharon Cooper for legislative updates.  On Wednesday, the veteran East Cobb lawmaker vigorously came to the defense of Ott, whose District 2 seat would lose much of its East Cobb base under one of several map proposals currently before the Georgia General Assembly.  And she couldn't be clearer about what she declares will not happen as the process has become bogged down with multiple maps and continuing machinations over Cobb commission, school board and legislative redistricting. "Over my dead, cold body will they move Bob Ott out," she said, drawing strong applause from a crowd of nearly 100 citizens at the East Cobb Library…

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Code Changes Could Boost Redevelopment

Commissioner Bob Ott's proposals also aim to avoid additional expenses for the county.

The Cobb County commissioners have before them today a proposal that could help redevelopment efforts in the county. The Cobb County Development Standards code has been written through the years for new development, said Commissioner Bob Ott. He explained at last week's District 2 Town Hall Meeting in Smyrna that these measures were originally intended to protect undeveloped land and that when the code was being written officials hadn’t considered redevelopment. Over time he said it became more expensive for developers to redevelop an old site than it would be to construct a new one. “So what happens is that’s really why you see a lot of green field development and we’re leaving this trail behind us of worn down, worn out shopping centers …

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