<<recipient address>><<date>>Dear NAME:We would like to bring to your attention something which is not very well publicized: a zoning request within Sandy Springs by Scientology. While you may or may not care what they do, that is not what I am writing about. We would rather address the issues of traffic and parking at their location. We would like to request as many Sandy Springs residents to be at the remaining meetings, and give their opinions on this situation.Last year, Deb Danos was quoted in an article stating the following: "We have about 600 active members, 200 that are regular attendees, and then on our rolls there have been literally thousands," Danos said. "I would say pretty close to 10,000 that have joined since the inception of the organization in Atlanta." ( http://tinyurl.com/djreg8 [1]) And the group only plans to grow.The building which is in question, located at 5395 Roswell Road, has 83 total parking spaces for their members. The location, the corner of Roswell Rd. and Glenridge, is a very busy intersection already. An additional 200 cars pouring out of the 11am Sunday service would wreak havoc on traffic. Besides this, where will so many people park? Additionally, in the previous City Council meeting, it was stated that the building is expected to be frequented by many of their members during their very long business hours; the parking lot will often be nearly full, with constant in-flow and out-flow from the parking area, almost all leading to the main road.Scientology has caused trouble elsewhere when they move into areas. One prime example is Clearwater, Florida. When Scientology moved in, the town changed dramatically for the worse:http://www.sptimes.com/2004/07/18/Tampabay/Scientology_s_town.shtmlhttp://www.tampabay.com/opinion/letters/article525625.eceThe dates for the meetings are:For the Planning Commission: May21, 2009, 7pmFor the Mayor and Council: June 16, 2009, 6pmThey will all be at City Hall:Sandy Springs City Hall at Morgan Hall Office Park7840 Roswell Road Building 500Sandy SpringsThe Community Zoning Information Meeting has already passed, this past 24th of March.Sincerely, SENDER[1] full URL: http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/main.asp?SectionID=34&SubSectionID=48&ArticleID=11837&TM=42592.25
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<<recipient address>><<date>>Dear NAME:I am writing to voice my opinion of the proposed zoning change, APPLICATION # RZ09-001/CV09-001 at 5395 Roswell Road, the corner of Roswell Rd. and Glenridge. As you know, this location is a highly trafficked and dangerous intersection. In my opinion, it would be a mistake to allow the Church of Scientology to open a new location at that intersection. While you may or may not care what they do, that is not what I am writing about. I would rather address the issues of traffic and parking at their location. And I would like to at least mention the issue of the poor condition of many of the group's buildings. I would like to request as many Sandy Springs residents to be at the remaining meetings, and give their opinions on this situation.Last year, Deb Danos was quoted in an article stating the following: "We have about 600 active members, 200 that are regular attendees, and then on our rolls there have been literally thousands," Danos said. "I would say pretty close to 10,000 that have joined since the inception of the organization in Atlanta." ( http://tinyurl.com/djreg8 [1]). And the group only plans to grow.But for the sake of lenience, I'll go with the 600 active members. Assuming they all car pool (four people per vehicle), that leaves a need of 150 parking spaces for their current needs. The building, located at 5395 Roswell Road, has merely 83 places to park including the easement. How will the remaining 67 parking spaces be provided? Once again, this is assuming that all active members carpool, four per vehicle.The location is a very busy intersection already. The additional cars pouring out of the 11am Sunday service would wreak havoc on traffic. Besides this, where will so many people park? Additionally, in the previous City Council meeting, it was stated that the building is expected to be frequented by many of their members during their very long business hours; the parking lot will often be nearly full, with constant in-flow and out-flow from the parking area, almost all leading to the main road.Please note that the Church of Scientology of Georgia, Inc. has not presented any plans to address the additional parking requirements. Are they planning to build an above-ground parking garage? Dig one underground? Or do they plan to bus people in from another location? Whichever of these happens, how has it been planned? I'm sure building additional parking would require much more time to complete – much longer than the completion of the zoning hearings. Additionally, the building has only mentioned the paltry 1400 square feet to be used as their sanctuary. This barely meets the zoning standards for its size of parking lot. But it does not address the remainder of the 46,000 square foot building's offices. One of the uses mentioned in the previous hearing is a book store. Though Scientology claims the book store will be only fir their members, it is well known that there is a national contest among 'Orgs' for sales of Scientology books to people not in Scientology. These are typically set up in their parking lots. This in itself is proof that the book store will be open to the public, and should require yet more parking.The issue of the intended use for the remaining offices also needs to be addressed. When asked about the intention to house the offices of Scientology related groups, such as CCHR, WISE, and Applied Scholastics, in the same building, the lawyer representing Scientology refused to answer. This seems a telling “yes,” and must be answered in the next meeting, for the sake of surety, and to see whether more parking is actually required.Now considering the parking requirements are barely met for the floor space specified for the sanctuary, what happens when their group continues to grow? They will require even more parking. The unchecked growth in a building having such limited resources will cause many problems in the future. Parking will be a perpetual and growing problem for the lot, and traffic will become ever worse when their services – both regular and special celebrations – let out. This will, in turn, waste a lot of money and resources for Sandy Springs and its citizens.Besides parking, the building itself is a mess. Shutters are literally falling from the windows, and their bits are piled near the front door. Often, since the building has been acquired, the grass cutting has been neglected until it was about two feet deep. The paint is deteriorating, and the previously submitted paperwork promises a new roof. But this is not unique to the one building. A local example of poor facilities would be that of Narconon of Georgia (Narconon is one of Scientology's smaller organizations), located on Peachtree Parkway in Norcross. The paint there is literally peeling, and the grass is often shaggy, overflowing its boundaries. If this is what Scientology finds acceptable, why would this be allowed in Sandy Springs? And don't believe that the Atlanta area is alone in this! Other places' Scientology operated buildings are in very poor shape. Though money flows into the buildings through structured donations and very expensive auditing sessions, none of it seems to go towards improvement of facilities.Scientology has caused trouble elsewhere when they move into areas. One prime example is Clearwater, Florida. When Scientology moved in, the town changed dramatically for the worse:http://www.sptimes.com/2004/07/18/Tampabay/Scientology_s_town.shtmlhttp://www.tampabay.com/opinion/letters/article525625.eceThe dates for the meetings are:For the Planning Commission: May21, 2009, 7pmFor the Mayor and Council: June 16, 2009, 6pmThey will all be at City Hall:Sandy Springs City Hall at Morgan Hall Office Park7840 Roswell Road Building 500Sandy SpringsThe Community Zoning Information Meeting has already passed, this past 24th of March.Sincerely, SENDER[1] full URL: http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/main.asp?SectionID=34&SubSectionID=48&ArticleID=11837&TM=42592.25
I am writing to voice my opinion ask that you attend the next zoning meeting, or write to the Sandy Springs city council, and voice your opinion of the proposed zoning change, APPLICATION # RZ09-001/CV09-001 at 5395 Roswell Road, the corner of Roswell Rd. and Glenridge. As you probably know, this location is a highly trafficked and dangerous intersection. If you, like many others, did not attend the first meeting, it can be seen on YouTube, at: http://www.youtube.com/user/GovTransparencyIn short, the Church of Scientology would like to open a new church at that location. In my opinion, it would be a mistake to allow the Church of Scientology to open a new location to allow this at that intersection. While you may or may not care what they do their religion entails, that is not what I am writing about my primary concern. I would rather like to address the issues of traffic and parking at their location, and . And I would like to at least mention the issue of the poor condition of many of the group's other buildings, and ask, why will this one be different? I would like to request as many Sandy Springs residents to be at the remaining meetings, and give their opinions on this situation.Last year, a spokesman for the church, Deb Danos, was quoted inan articlethe Gwinnett Daily Post stating and stated the following: "We have about 600 active members, 200 that are regular attendees, and then on our rolls there have been literally thousands," Danos said. "I would say pretty close to 10,000 that have joined since the inception of the organization in Atlanta." And the The group only plans to grow. Here is a link to the article: http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/main.asp?SectionID=34&SubSectionID=48&ArticleID=11837&TM=42592.25 or http://tinyurl.com/djreg8But for the sake of lenience, I'll go with the The building, located at 5395 Roswell Road, has merely 83 places to park including the easement. If there are 600 active members, . Assuming and even if they all car pool (with four people per vehicle), that leaves a need of there would be 150 parking spaces for their current needs. needed! The building, located at 5395 Roswell Road, has merely 83 places to park including the easement. How, and where, will the remaining 67 parking spaces be provided? Once again, this is assuming that all active members carpool, four per vehicle. This issue has not been addressed. If the group continues to grow, they will require even more parking. Growth in a building having with such limited parking will cause many problems - traffic, construction, and financial issues - for Sandy Springs and her residents in the future.The location is a very busy intersection already. The additional cars pouring out of the 11am Sunday service would wreak havoc on traffic. Besides this, where will so many people park? Additionally, in the previous City Council meeting, it was stated that the building is expected to be frequented by many of their members during their very unusually long business hours; the parking lot will often be nearly full, with constant in-flow and out-flow from the parking area, almost all leading to the main road Roswell Road.Please note that t The Church of Scientology of Georgia, Inc. has not presented a ny plan to address the additional parking requirements. Are they planning to build an above-ground parking garage? Dig one underground? Or do they plan to bus people in from another location? Whichever of these happens, how has it been planned? it will exacerbate the already problematic traffic, as well as disrupt the surrounding neighborhood. I'm sure building additional parking would require much more time to complete – much longer than the completion of the zoning hearings. Additionally, t The building has existing parking barely provides for only mentioned the paltry 1400 square feet to be used as their sanctuary, as called for specified by . This barely meets the zoning standards for its the building size of parking lot. But i It does not address the remainder of the 46,000 square foot building. 's offices. One of the intended uses mentioned in the previous hearingis a book store. Though the attorney for Scientology claims says the book store will be only fior their members, it is well known that there is a national contest among Scientology 'Orgs' for "most books sold" sales of Scientology books to potential new recruits. people not in Scientology. On occasion, they also offer "stress tests" to the public to recruit new members. These, and the book sales, are often take place typically set up in their parking lots. This will also overflow the parking lot, and add to traffic. in itself is proof that the book store will be open to the public, and should require yet more parking.The issue of the intended use for the remaining offices 44,000 square feet also needs to be addressed. When asked about the intention to if the building would also house the offices of other Scientology related groups, such as CCHR, WISE, and Applied Scholastics, in the same building, the lawyer representing Scientology refused to answer. This seems a telling “yes,” and must be answered in the next meeting, for the sake of surety, and to see whether more parking is actually required. If so, these parking needs must be addressed as well.Now considering the parking requirements are barely met for the floor space specified for the sanctuary, what happens when their If the group continues to grow, ? T they will require even more parking. The unchecked growth in a building having such limited resources will cause many problems in the future. Parking will be a perpetual and growing problem for the lot, and traffic will become ever worse when their services – both regular and special celebrations – let out. This will, in turn, waste a lot of money and resources for Sandy Springs and its citizens.Besides parking, t The building on Roswell Road, which has been owned by the Church of Scientology of Georgia since late 2005, itself is a mess. Shutters are literally falling from the windows, and their bits are piled near the front door. Often, since the building has been acquired, the g Grass cutting has often been neglected, sometimes reaching until it was about two feet high deep. The paint is deteriorating, and the previously submitted paperwork promises a new roof. They have had three years to care for and maintain this building, and have neglected to do so. Why will the coming years be any different? But t This is not unique to the one this building. A local example of poor facilities would be that of Narconon of Georgia, Scientology's drug rehab facility, (Narconon is one of Scientology's smaller organizations), located on Peachtree Parkway in Norcross, . The has paint there is literally peeling off the exterior walls, and the shaggy grass, filled with weeds, is often shaggy, overflowing its boundaries. If Is this is what Scientology finds acceptable? , why w Should this be allowed in Sandy Springs? And don't believe that tThe Church of Scientology of Georgia Atlanta area is not so different from the other branches. alone in this! Other places' Scientology operated buildings around the world are in very poor shape. Though money flows into the organization buildings through structured donations and very expensive counseling auditingsessions, Scientology operated buildings around the world are in very poor shape. none of it seems to go towards improvement of facilities.Scientology has caused trouble elsewhere when they move into areas. One prime example is Clearwater, Florida. When Scientology moved in, the town changed dramatically for the worse:Please don't let what happened to the nice little city of Clearwater, Florida happen to Sandy Springs! Read more about that at these links, and get involved before it's too late:http://www.sptimes.com/2004/07/18/Tampabay/Scientology_s_town.shtmlhttp://www.tampabay.com/opinion/letters/article525625.eceThe dates for the meetings are:Community/Developer Resolution: April 23, 2009 at 6:00 PMFor the Planning Commission: May 21, 2009, 7pmFor the Mayor and City Council: June 16, 2009, 6pmThey will all[/] be held at City Hall:Sandy Springs City Hall at Morgan Hall Office Park7840 Roswell Road Building 500Sandy SpringsThe Community Zoning Information Meeting has already passed, this past 24th of March.If you cannot attend the meetings, please write to your Sandy Springs government. Names and addresses can be found on the web site at: http://www.sandyspringsga.org/Sincerely, SENDERA group of concerned citizens
The Community/Developer Resolution meeting is on April 23, 2009 at 6:00 PM. Be sure to add that as well.
For more on the load-bearing issue: note that BOOKS and SAUNA FIXTURES, especially when filled with people and water, are effing heavy. Ditto the massive amount of paperwork generated by the average Org. I wonder if there was a sauna in the current Org, and if that was what caused the reported plumbing failures we heard about from the "landlady"? Does the Post Office realize that they may have Scilons using their lot NOT just on Sundays when the PO is closed? After all, the reps did note that people would be streaming in and out from 9am to 9pm every day. Perhaps they will be less happy with the arrangement when this is pointed out, given the likely overflow of vehicles. Will the refurbishments to the sign make it in any way harder for drivers to see around? This is already a busy and accident-dense spot, and adding any further impediment to seeing clearly up and down the road, be it shrubs or bigger/wider/distracting signage is a safety issue. I assume that event noise / vehicle noise / lights / music, etc. have been addressed? Do the Scilons intend to hold any events in their parking lot that might draw extra crowds / alter traffic patterns / violate peddler license laws / make a lot of noise? I'd challenge any attempt to set up book or test tables or to hold 'parties' in the parking lot. Will Scilons be "witnessing" or soliciting in neighboring strip malls, businesses, residential communities, or posting fliers / posters on utility poles, or otherwise being a nuisance? (That one is weak, but maybe can be shaped into something relevant.) Will Scilons be providing medical or psychiatric care or advice without a board-certified medical doctor / psychiatrist permanently on staff? Will Scilons comply with HIPAA guidelines? (Any medical / psychiatric record must comply with HIPAA, and anyone with access to same MUST be HIPAA-certified.) Does dispensing vitamins / offering sauna treatments fall under the umbrella of medical advice / psychiatric advice / medical care or not? If there are no actual medical or psychiatric benefits, then isn't this a scam? Isn't there danger involved with prescribing vitamins / meds or offering medical care without a medical doctor and shrink on staff? Will staff be trained in CPR? Do you count touch-assists as CPR? Will there be a defibrillator on site for people who get heart attacks after being exposed to nearly boiling water? (One of my former bosses died of a heart attack in a sauna at the YMCA on Clifton Road, for example. He had no prior known heart condition.) If an emergency vehicle is needed, will it be able to access the property in a timely manner, given the traffic issues in that area? Has the building been tested for asbestos content and lead paint? If child care is to be provided, will the caregivers be bonded and licensed? If schooling of any sort is to be provided, will the teachers be licensed and credentialed via the GA Board of Education, and file lesson plans as homeschoolers must? Just some things to think about.
Page 6 of scilion letter of intent to SS states, 1ST FLOOR current LOAD capacity is 75 POUNDS per square foot. Current SS code states LOAD capacity must be a MINIMUM of 100 POUNDS per square foot.To placate the city, scilions want to POST A SIGN stating the floor is only rated @ 75lbs per sq ft. Heck, i weigh 165. Would i fall thru the floor? Into the scilion top secret basement? YIKES.
The cult does not have the funds to bring this sub floor up to code. Same with the parking issue. Hence these zoning variance requests. they do not have the money to meet SS codes currently in place. They are asking for favors from the city.
On another note, on page 1 of the scan-001 pdf, The owner of the roswell rd property is located @ 1611 MT Vernon Rd. Dunwoody Ga 30335. Is this mailing address the older scilion bunker?
Now what i would like to know is this. YES, the C of S of Ga has an easement agreement with the USPO located on Glendridge drive. This IS A GRANDFATHERED EASEMENT passed on from the previous owner and USPO, for INGRESS and EGRESS from the Glenridge rd side only. Nothing in writing that i can find pertaining to a overflow parking agreement. Show me the doc,s. Ask that they be shown.
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Topic: Sandy Springs zoning opposition (Read 58604 times)