1 - Ivan Allen, Jr. Digital Collection - Georgia Institute of Technology

ICOl'tUllTTEE VOTEMayor Backed on ZoningBy JIM MERRINERA City Council eonunittee Wednesday\'oled overwhelmingly in favor of an ordinancethat would give Mayor Maynard Jack·son unprecedented power over zoning inAtlanta."And 1 am not supinely acquiescent tothe ma),or," asserted CoWlcUman GregoryGriggs.They were alluding to recent criticismthat coWlcil has been a rubber stamp forJackson's programs.At issue Wednesday was an amendmentoffered by Councilwoman Panke Bradley togive the council power to appoint six of ninemembers of a newly created ZIJ(ling reviewbOOnI.SUdden lobbying by JacksOn Marcb 18resulted in a nine-man zoning review panel,WLth all memberS to be appointed by themayor. 'The original ordinance created aseven-man board to be filled by council.In wednesday's Development ())mmit·tee m~ting. only Mrs. Bradley voted for heramendment, which woo1d have restoredpower to council. Griggs, Calhoun, JamesHoward and Carl Ware voted against it andChairman Richard Guthman abstained.Meanwhile, a Georgia Municipal Association(GMA) official said JackSOn's vastzoning and planning powers "'ould be ~prccedented in the state.And an Atlanta Charter Commissionorficial charged that Jackson's move seelmto violate the intent of the new city charter.The zoning review board ordinance goes\Jto the {ull council for consideration Monday.Until an ordmance creating the board isSee ZONING, Page 14-A'THE VOTE-AFTER THE DISCUSSION-WAS FlVE-TO-ONElrR: WUiiamson, Mayor Jacltson, BradJey and GuthmanCOIlI1Cii l.~~!.' .. =~...:,~,.=,,~,,~-:::_---Zoning----Board members may not be governmentofficials or employes and wilo serve stagger-ed two-year terms. The board will hOld nightmeetings abOut once a month to considerzoning applications.The board will write up "findings offacts and conclusions" and submit itsrecoll\lTCndations to the coundl, Any rtzoningordinance must be approved by the c0uncilon a majority vote,A majority vote would also be needed toconfirm JacksOn'S appointments to thebOard.Jackson pOinted out Wednesday nightthat the Atlanta Chamber of CommerceBoard of Directors on March 13 aPPrOved aresolution supporting "the adoption of aZOning Review Board composed of nirK'members who are nominated by thf' mavorand elected by the majority vote of the CityCouncil."Five members shOUld be from professiOnSrelating to community planning, thechamber Suggu;Ied. and the remaining fourshould be residents named from variouSneighborhood and'or CQIlU1lUnity organizations,Meanwhile Wednesday, Oluncilman Q.V. WiUiamson tried to insist that the councilcould rezooe some Vine City property Mon·day, but AssocIate- City Attorney Ralph Wittkept saying otherwise.Councilman Guthman said the ctty'szoning matters are caught in a legal "treadmil1."williamson said some Vine City landneeds 10 be rezoned from residefltial Uapartments in order to qualify for federalgrants to build about 145 new housing units.If the land is not rezoned soon, tgrants will be lost. he said.Witt said that because the city wouldenacted, the city has no legal procedure {orrt'LOnlng land.The present zoning moratorium resultedfrom the chan!l;eO\'er to a new city charteT.Because the charter already gives themayor complete authOrity over city planning,somc councilmen argued the zoningappointment powers would amount to virtualone-ma n rule over bOth zoning and planning.Joe Harris, a lawyer for the GMA, saidw~ay, "\ would say under generalstale law that the power to create a zoningboard is vested in the council rather than inone man."Harris said he \cneW of 00 other OCOrgiacity giving the mayor such broad powersover zoning and planning.Milt Lefkoff, general counscl to the cOnsultingfinn for the charter cOmmission,said the charter "fairly dearly makes thecolmCil the appointmCflt body for boards andcommissions."He said the council has the authority togive the mayor the appointment powers forthe zoning board, HO\It-ever, Lefltoff said, thecharter commission had drawn up a proposedordinance that stipulated that theoouncll make appomtmenu to the board.That proposed ordinance apparentlysignified the mtent of the charter cOmmissionthat the council, not the mayor, wouldname the people to hold pUblic hearings onzoning matters.A member of the commission subcommitteethat drafted the zoning review boardsection has said that Jackson's action"clearly" violates the spirit of the charter.Ho .... ever, the person asked not to be identifiedbecause his relations v .. ith the cityadministration might be impaired.Jackson has argued that having thecouncil rather than the mayor name thezoning review board could result in a politicallyunbalanced board.Marora1 appointments will insure repre­S{'ntation of \arious neighborhood groupsand relevant profe!\Sions, he said.Thp ~'ilt oniinance says tbat threemembers,shall be. named from the profes­SIOns of city plaruung, law and architecture.One member will be appointed from each of&be ill at-large council posts., ,have no zoning review board Monday, itwould have no ~al authority to enact ar~zonl~.\William!;(l(1 as.~ed the council couldenact the ordinance Mnnday in a momentary"interim" bc'twet'fl the city'S falling undertwo different stille laws auU\orizina: Ifunici·pal zoning.He said "red tape" is a big re8jOl1 forpublic distrust of government and he maytry the actiOn Monday despite Witts warnings,_.­-_.......•............,.11"'---·". ......... _­,..--fA-....... ·....OIlia ~.' ,".~~~.-.-­t:ua-•..,.,,.......,..-'Co-4 .. ... -..... ..,.,...._.'-_":L=..""""""- -....dc--t-;~_-....... 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