Talking with Commissioner Mulcare
Today Losing Georgia had a chance to sit down with District 3 Commissioner Mike Mulcare to discuss issues concerning the growth of the district and Douglas County. Commissioner Mulcare recently won in the November Midterm election by 61% of the votes.
Before becoming a commissioner, Mike Mulcare was known by many residents as the co-founder of the Friends of Douglas County (FoDC). The grassroots organization pushed for protection and perseveration of natural resources, while creating dialogue for smarter growth that proved to be effective.
However, FoDC has fallen off the grid in recent years, making residents asking the question: “What ever happened to Friends of Douglas County?” Losing Georgia asked that question and many others during a candid conversation with the Commissioner at the Douglas County Courthouse.
What happened to FoDC?
The Friends of Douglas County was founded in 1997 by Mike Mulcare and Tony Gonzalez to protect the watershed of Bear Creek. The success of the organization grew to include all of Douglas County, making residents aware of problems while creating unison in the community. FoDC became inactive sometime in 2003 due to various issues.
Tony Gonzalez became a teacher, forcing participation in the organization to become minimal. Mike Mulcare retired from Delta AirLines, and then was successfully elected as the District 3 Commissioner after Deborah Woody stepped down. Although Commissioner Mulcare has retained a strong bind to FoDC, he is considering of resigning his position to let FoDC be reestablished by someone else.
Commissioner Mulcare stated that “We still need an organization like FoDC in the community. There is a need for a citizen activist mode (group) in Douglas County. I do want FoDC to continue, it is just a matter of finding the right person to adopt FoDC.”
Are developments more likely to be approved with roadway upgrades?
Generally speaking this is not the issue, as the current Administration has demonstrated to disapprove many developments, like townhouses and apartments, which would not benefit the community that attach road improvement. In some key areas, the answer is yes, because of the rise in population growth and traffic congestion.
The infrastructure of Douglas County has been under a tremendous amount of stress because of problems logged as far back as twenty years ago. It is right to say that the County has not effectively done enough to support the infrastructure in the past, therefore forcing the County to rely on developers to pay for road improvements. For example, the road system is an estimated five years behind with the intention that major road construction in 2007 is warranted to solve some of the problems.
When will Anneewakee Road be realigned?
Temporary road construction has recently been completed at the intersection of Anneewakee Road and Chapel Hill Road, which was done voluntarily in coordination with the developer, Intercontinental Properties, and Publix. Commissioner Mulcare urged for traffic improvements in an area where the community did not agree with the development, while already facing traffic issues.
Intercontinental will be issuing a check of $75,000 for the realignment of Anneewakee Road next year, per the conditions of the zoning application. The road construction is to begin in 2007.
Are there any environmental provisions being discussed?
The County does have stream buffers that help contain greenspace, but there have been cases where the WSA finds it fit to reduce buffers. Developers want to profit off the land as much as possible. More houses can be built by reducing the buffer, but the buffers also play as a safeguard for wildlife and the environment. Part of the environmental problems can be contributed to weak enforcement.
What about population growth?
The County is controlling population growth, though many residents may not see it that way. Townhouses and apartments have been denied in the past by the current Administration. However, people have the right to develop on their land.
Then there is the issue of City annexing land from the County. The City of Douglasville goes by a different Future Land Use map than the County, which can allow population to increase because of dissimilar building regulations. An example of annexation is the New Manchester community on Riverside Parkway in southeast Douglas County.
The City was able to annex this large tract of property by using Sweetwater Creek State Park to their advantage. Municipalities can “hop” certain properties, like parks and schools, to annex land. The annexation was possible because the City limits extend along I-20 to Thornton Road. The City is also planning to expand the City limits further north to the Paulding County border.
Do you support impact fees?
“Yes, we have to have them”, was the short, direct answer provided by Commissioner Mulcare. The need for impact fees can be no greater than today. Developers should pay for infrastructure improvements due to the outcome a development can preside on the community. The taxpayer should not be forced to pay for improvements put upon by new development. There has been much debate over impact fees for many years, but nothing has truly manifested until recently.
Commissioner Mulcare stated that State law should be changed to allow monies collected by impact fees to be used to support the school system. More focus needs to be put upon improving the County’s road system.
Residents should not expect the same hassle SPLOST created in years past. The Board of Commissioners is not the same as it was in 2002 - Rita Rainwater, Deborah Woody and Claude Abercrombie no longer serve. Citizens have a right to be concerned and should contact their Commissioner about issues.
Losing Georgia would like to thank Commissioner Mulcare for taking the time to answer questions that concern the community.
