Is a ‘Land Swap’ the best remedy for the bad vote Cupid led in Dobbin’s zoning fiasco?

A controversial zoning decision that Cobb Chair Lisa Cupid led last summer which placed several of Cobb County’s economic engines in jeopardy is raising its ugly head this week. The Cobb County commissioners are set to vote Tuesday on a land deal to fix the controversial zoning decision they made last year concerning Dobbins Air Reserve Base – where they gave a developer approval to build a 38-unit condo at the base’s Accident Potential Zone.

SPOTLIGHT South Cobb News sounded the alarm for citizens with several articles and illuminated this subject last year in our continued coverage after Cupid and her ‘guaranteed votes on the board’ foolishly voted 3 -2 to allow the developer to build in a no fly zone area of Dobbins Air Reserve base. The trio should have voted with fellow Commissioners Joann Burrell and Kelly Gambrell, who each knew enough about Cobb County and its economic engines to say NO. In addition, the trio should have each declared a conflict and recused themselves from voting after having accepted campaign contributions and other support from the company’s lawyer(s).

 Hiding In Plain Site Lawyers

The lawyer in question, Garvis Sams, has come before the commission often and has yet to have any of his land deals denied or challenged by the trio. As the controversy around this issue heated up, and to provide cover as they hid in plain sight, Park Huff is the lawyer whose name is out front on this issue presently. But wait…not so fast…per their own website, Park Huff is an attorney with Sams, Larkins, and Huff. See their link below:   https://www.samslarkinhuff.com/attorney/parks-f-huff/

In addition, Internet info we found on Park Huff said the following:
Lawyer Parks F. Huff, graduated from Emory University, B.A., 1988 University of Georgia, J.D., 1992, is now employed by Sams, Larkin & Huff, LLP at 376 Powder Springs Street, Suite 100 Marietta, GA 30064.

I guess these commissioners, along with Sams, Huff, and their law firm, did not expect concerned citizens to connect the dots on this, but we have.

Public Brouhaha

Who among us will soon forget the public spectacle of last year as Cupid was called on the carpet for her poor decisions regarding Dobbins and Lockheed? Instead of being professional, Cupid engaged in an ugly open fight with the business community and others. They were desperately trying to assist the ill-equipped Chair with getting to a better business decision on the matter, but Cupid and her prickly temperament were not having it. A view of her poor leadership was on full display as she rebuffed everyone and refused to correct her vote mistake, even if it injured Cobb County and hurt its citizens. Cupid accused everyone of having a double standard as they tried to get her to use common sense on the issue and protect Cobb’s economic engines. 

 As the coals smoldered around this issue, Cupid organized a ‘dog and pony show’ for “stakeholders”. Many hoped she would use the opportunity and the attention of those in the room to devise a plan forward, but she did not. The meeting achieved nothing except that Cupid had the power to get busy people into a room to ‘waste their time’ at a moment’s notice. 

Also, don’t forget about the intervention from Senator Rapheal Wornock and Cupid’s refusal to meet with him. Word on the street is that Senator Warnock and his staff have instead developed a working relationship with Commissioner Jerica Richardson instead of the chair of the county, as he weighs in on this issue and its impact on Dobbins. 

Fast forward seven months – to the present time. Cupid and her board look like they have finally come to their senses on protecting Cobb’s economic engines, but not really. Instead of correcting their damaging vote, Cupid has spent those months devising a plan to swap County land instead.

Yes, the Cobb County commissioners are set to vote Tuesday on a land swap deal to fix the controversial zoning decision they made last year concerning Dobbins Air Reserve Base. If approved, the deal would swap a slice of 4.76 acres of county-owned property, valued at around $1.7 million, for the property in question at the base’s Accident Potential Zone that is owned by SHH Partners LP and set to be developed by Venture Communities.

When the local media attempted to reach them, neither Venture nor its attorney, Parks Huff, responded to inquiries, which is code for ‘keeping your head down until our commission votes come through.’

If the land deal is approved, the county is proposing to use the Venture parcel to build a Department of Transportation “satellite facility,” to house maintenance staff and equipment. Wait a minute, if the county can build this type of facility on the property, why can’t the present owners do the same thing? Their property is not rendered invaluable due to its location. They can still build on it, just not what they wanted, which is in line with the regulations that surrounded the property of Dobbins. We are not sure how Venture Communities acquired the property, which calls for some investigations, but they knew the purpose and its limitations long before they purchased it. 

Why is it the county and taxpayers’ responsibility to give Venture a better parcel of land to build on?  A look at the military guidelines for the property show that it does not permit housing (which the commission approved with their vote last year), however, Venture Communities is permitted to use the property for industrial uses in the zone, including transportation facilities. 

Why is Cupid now offering to use taxpayer dollars in the form of real estate in this manner to bail out a company that has other options for the usage of its property beyond housing. We spoke to others, including some within the county to see if there is a precedence for this within the county. Their response is that they have never seen such a deal and question if the county attorney and county manager have signed off on this or is Cupid going over their heads? Some say Cupid is creating a bad precedent that will create a path for other developers and their lawyers to follow to force Cobb County to be on the hook, bail them out, or correct zoning issues with property that they knew existed prior to its purchase. 

Some within the community we spoke to say this entire fiasco has been like watching Cobb County’s version of ‘Wag the Dog’. The reference is to a film that centers on a fabricated situation to distract voters from a scandal. Has Cupid orchestrated this to get to this moment? Have they all colluded – the board, Sams, the Venture Company – to get to this point where county land is being swapped out for a parcel of land that offers the owners other options for its usage? Venture can use the property as directed by the military or exercise their option and sell it. Why is Lisa Cupid swapping County land with them?

If the concerned citizens of Cobb have anything to do with this, this land swap will not be the final chapter in this controversial deal, even if the board approves it. Citizens that are ‘woke’ should act now. Write the commissioners and demand that they present more facts to the public, including an opportunity for questions and answers, before they vote on this issue. Next, citizens should contact other media sources – ask them to investigate this matter and to be at the commission meeting on Tuesday.  Next, citizens groups should consider their options in bringing a legal suit against the County – where there is smoke, there is usually fire. Finally, others with greater investigative powers can get to the bottom of this, so we should consider using state and federal offices to bring attention to this matter. 

During one of the first zoning hearings on this land, Huff, attorney for Venture is quoted in saying “Quite frankly, if our property was 800 feet north, I don’t think any of our property would be in (the accident potential) zone.” 

Either the fix is on with the county or Huff is a modern-day Nostradamus as he predicted the current arrangements that are now on the table, moving his client’s development 800 feet to the north. An affirmative vote by Cupid and her squad will complete his predictions.  

What we see coming from the Cobb Chair is not a sign of leadership, but a continued failure by her to rise to the responsibilities that the title ‘Cobb Chair ‘demands.  Should citizens be concerned about the state of affairs in Cobb County Government and the flawed decision making occurring or should we just call the state AG and ask them to investigate this land swap?