By Jonathan Copsey / STAFF

It’s a strange day when a city in dire need of park space turns down a proposal for a new park, but that’s exactly what Johns Creek did at Monday’s council meeting, where the council unanimously rebuffed a local developer.

Bob Cheeley owns a portion of property along Rogers Bridge Rd, which he bought in 2007 with the hopes of turning it into a park that all of east Johns Creek could use. His plans came to a head when he proposed a six-field athletic park complete with indoor practice fields, concession stands and 300 car parking lot.

“We presented what we thought was an ideal use for this property,” said Cheeley. This property is awkwardly shaped and is abutted on one side by the Chattahoochee River, on another by a cattle pasture, the Cauley Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant on a third side and part of the mostly defunct Olde Taylor Farms subdivision on the fourth side. It is zoned, according to the city’s comprehensive plan, as requiring residential or passive uses. A park should fit that bill, right? Not so fast, said Council members.

“When I look at a project that calls for 6 athletic fields, two of which are lighted, 300 car parking lot, indoor training center, restroom facilities, a concession stand, 50 car parking lot for the greenway. I look at that and say ‘what is the intensity of that use? Are they really recreation fields?’ This is a pay-for-use. So I sit here and say, ‘does that fit into the character of Character Area 8?’ To me it does not. It screamed a commercial enterprise,” said Councilwoman Bev Miller, who voted against the proposal.

“This was not a city park,” she added. “I think that’s where the confusion was. We got a lot of emails saying we need this park. But this wasn’t ours. This was a commercial venture.”

“We need all the field space we can get,” said Jim Westbrook, a local lacrosse and football coach. “If my kids want to practice, they need to go [outside of Johns Creek]. There’s just no room in the city for sports.” Westbrook was one of the nearly 150 residents who turned out in support of Cheeley and his park.

“We were stunned to be met with such hostility [from council],” said Cheeley.

The lack of sports fields is a recognized problem within the city. A report is due sometime in the next month detailing just how much field space is needed to adequately serve the community. However, despite this evident need, Cheeley’s project as rejected clear along the approval process. City staff denied it, the planning commission denied it and, finally, council denied it.

“A case that comes before council with a double approval or a double denial, has the greatest likelihood of leaving the council with that same opinion,” explained Mayor Mike Bodker. “It’s a pretty tough road to hoe to overcome that.”

He and the council members present (Councilman Randall Johnson was absent) followed the suggestions of staff and the planning commission that the proposal be denied simply because it did not fit the use given in the comprehensive plan.

Cheeley plans to investigate legal options he may have in response to their actions, which he says are denying the citizens of Johns Creek of a valuable and needed asset. 

“The members of council would rather see cows grazing than children playing,” Cheeley said. “I’m just shocked.”