FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — A developer’s proposal to build dozens of homes on land reportedly owned by media mogul Tyler Perry has some Johns Creek neighbors concerned.
Lennar Homes plans to purchase 58 acres along Old Alabama Road, in what’s currently called Dean Gardens, to build the homes.
A 32,000-square foot mansion on the property and gardens fashioned after Versailles would have to be bulldozed, neighbors told Channel 2’s Mike Petchenik.
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"The gardens rival anything you'd see in Europe," said Irene Sanders, president of the Thornhill Homeowner's Association. "They're beautiful. The house is a little ornate."
Sanders said the current property, which sits along the Chattahoochee River, already causes flooding problems in her subdivision. She said she fears what adding more cement and asphalt to the land would do.
“At least five of the houses are up near where we get a lot of flooding, where we literally have a dry creek bed that goes to the Colorado River with just a moderate amount of rain,” she said. “That would have to be rectified before anything could go in there, in our opinion.”
Sanders said her neighbors wished the ornate gardens could stay.
“The gardens are gorgeous, they’re beautiful. If there had been anyway to work to buy this property or possibly Tyler Perry could have donated it to the city, to the state, to be a botanical gardens, that would have ultimately been the best solution,” she said.
Neighbors are set to meet with the Lennar developers Tuesday for a community meeting. The project goes before the city Planning and Zoning Commission April 1, then City Council April 14th.
Lennar’s Division president, Todd Jones, sent Petchenik an e-mailed statement about the project:
“We have had a couple of very productive meetings with the neighboring residents over the past several weeks. They have brought up their concerns and we are looking into possible solutions that can accommodate everyone. As you know, part of the rezoning process is to have a public participation meeting which we will have tomorrow night. This is another opportunity for Lennar to hear any concerns that neighboring residents have and allows us time to try to work out any differences before the formal zoning meetings. As we have done with the other meetings we look forward to talking and sharing ideas and searching for common ground.”
Petchenik reached out to a rep for Perry, who told him the property is owned by a trust. Josh Reeves wouldn’t confirm or deny that Perry still has a stake in the land.
“We have no comment at this time,” he wrote Petchenik by e-mail.
WSBTV
