The Long, Winding Road to Development in Milton

publication date: Dec 10, 2007

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author/source: Al Levine / STAFF

Sembler's Brian Snelling, right, and attorney Pete Hendricks prepare to review the details of a proposed shopping center at the Milton City Council meeting.

It would surprise no one in Milton if the city’s new shopping center featuring a Kohl’s department store is built faster than it took the town to approve it.

The Sembler Company won approval of phase two of its development, Deerfield Place, last week after six months – including three months just to navigate the zoning process — and one final two-hour haggling session with the Milton City Council.

It was part of a 4 hour, 29-minute council session which once again hammered the ratings of Grey’s Anatomy in Milton.

Sembler had sought a couple of zoning variances to help place the Kohl’s on its land at Deerfield Parkway and Highway 9, requests that had been deferred from Nov. 15 to last Thursday’s council scrum.

The council was methodically tedious in stressing out over the appearance of a fence, the height of the buildings, the design of the sidewalk, how ornate the light poles would be, how many drive-through lanes it would allow for a potential bank.

And what about the possibility of billboards? And could Sembler guarantee there would never be the opportunity for businesses like an adult book store or a gas station within the development?

And this was two weeks after one council member, concerned that the Kohl’s was too big for the parking lot, actually wanted the chain to design a smaller store specifically for Milton.

That idea died somewhere in a back room.

After proposals and amendments had passed at 9:21 p.m. at the meeting that started at 7, Mayor Joe Lockwood looked at the representatives with a smile and said, “You guys want to talk about anything else?”

Everyone seemed too exhausted to laugh.

Sembler has an impressive record for developing showcase retail areas, including Perimeter Place, Cumming Town Center, TOWN/Brookhaven and the renovation of the Prado in Sandy Springs.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle named the company “Atlanta’s Top Commercial Retail Developer.” Sembler probably has had an easier time getting its developments approved in other cities, but no one from the organization would criticize the hurdles Milton presented.

“Any time you’ve got approval, that’s a good thing,” Sembler Development Manager Brian Snelling said.

But Milton resident and landowner Adam D. Orkin said the city’s approach is going to cost it business in the long run.

“When you have good quality development, support it,” he said. “When you have good quality businesses, support it. When you have good quality people, support them. When you have bad development, bad businesses, deny them.

“But what I don’t see here is that reaching out and supporting businesses and quality development by the city of Milton.”

He said Milton’s attitude will probably deter other major businesses from locating in the city. 

“All your major headquarters, all your major businesses, are going to go to Alpharetta, they’re going to go to Roswell, they’re going to jump over Milton and go to Johns Creek, they’re going to go to Forsyth County,” Orkin said.

And growth will still be inevitable, he said.

“You’ve got one of the major growth corridors anywhere in the southeastern United States, Highway 400. You’ll have 2.5 million people moving to the Atlanta metro area between now and 2030. They’re focused between I-75 and I-85 and no matter if we want it or not, they’re looking up Ga. 400. It’s a good quality of life. And we have to have that good quality development. We have to have good, smart growth standards.”

But the way Milton embraces business, at arm’s length, will give other developers pause, Orkin believes.

“If I was back in my brokerage days and I was representing a major center,” Orkin said, “I would say, ‘Hey guys, we’re going to look everywhere but cities that don’t want us.’ ”