City Lifts Moratorium, Approves New Zoning, Sign Ordinances

Tuesday evening turned out to be a banner night for the Peachtree Corners City Council.

Plowing through the myriad of details involved in getting the city fully functioning, the council voted unanimously to officially remove the building moratorium that had been in place since May 1 and also approved the Zoning and Sign ordinances.

Lifting the moratorium gives the green light to the 100 or so anxious business owners eager to move forward with their plans to open their businesses.

"I'd like to thank the business community for their patience as we established the City's zoning ordinances," said Mayor Mike Mason in a written statement. "This is another important milestone in the City's program toward full start up."

The City Council also adopted the final version of the Intergovernmental Agreement between the City and Gwinnett County which stipulates the terms on what and how long the county will provide zoning review and permitting services, which includes occupational tax certificates (often referred to as a business license).

The City is expected to take over the issuance of occupational tax certificates by Jan. 1, 2013 with the exception of alcohol and pawn shop licenses which require a police background check. Gwinnett County Police will continue to handle the those obligations.

The council also moved forward with obtaining a Tax Anticipation Note (TAN), the loan will be used to operate the City until it begins collecting property tax revenue later this year.

The City Council adopted Gwinnett County's Zoning and Sign ordinances but added some verbiage to protect the City further, specifically for zoning control over sexually oriented businesses. The language in the City's sign ordinance further restricts billboards and other signage.

"It was a heck of an evening," said the mayor just before adjourning the meeting that lasted over two hours. "We got a lot of work done tonight."

The City Council adjourned briefly for an Executive Session to discuss a pending litigation involving several billboard requests filed with the county.

The council reconvened shortly to authorize City Attorney Bill Riley to take legal action to protect the City involving two billboard applications in Peachtree Corners, one located on S.R. 141 just north of Medlock Bridge Road and the other on Buford Highway.

Approximately 40 people attended the City Council's Special Called Meeting. All council members were present with the exception of Alex Wright who was not able to attend due to a family emergency.