Georgia County Government - September 2008 - (Page 14)

COBB COUNTY continued from page 13 forged. Amazingly, all seem to be working off the same page, creating a rare orchestration of hand-in-hand progress. “Quality of life is important to all Cobb County citizens,” attests Chairman Sam Olens, elected at-large in 2002. In fact, the county government’s primary mission is to improve the quality of life for Cobb County residents and businesses. “Cobb is a great place to live – and it’s evident from our population growth,” Olens points out. “Congestion is probably our biggest challenge, but the county’s growth today is not as pronounced as it was in the 1980s and 1990s. We planned it that way.” Many regional officials espouse their deep desire, and numerous strategies, to “control growth,” especially those in the trajectory of metro Atlanta’s ongoing expansion which, via sprawl, now extends to cover much of North Georgia. However, when Chairman Olens affirms that Cobb has in fact curbed its growth rate, it’s immediately understood that the county had a real strategy for this remarkable feat, and that it worked. That strategy was to work carefully with the jurisdiction’s municipalities and what type of zoning would be good for the community. Olens elaborates: “The assistance of cities has been integral, and working with them on zoning issues in the past several years, we’ve come to a place of mutual understanding concerning the kind of growth the community wants. Working with cities, we control zoning and what is desirable in terms of building density. You don’t have to zone for high density. People will buy homes zoned for lower density. We’ve proven that here.” Olens adds that, alongside the county’s six municipalities – Acworth, Austell, Kennesaw, Marietta, Powder Springs and Smyrna, all viable economic centers in their own right – the county’s two major economic centers actually lie within the unincorporated area. These are the Cumberland area in South Cobb, at the metro region’s northwest I-75 and I-285 interchange, featuring lucratively situated modern, high-rise office complexes and attending retail and residential development in the immediate vicinity; the other, Town Center, is in the county’s northern reaches and is similarly commercially and residentially developed. Both these booming economic “epicenters” have attracted significant residential and commercial development and some 71 percent of the county’s population lives in the unincorporated area as well. With an overwhelmingly higher concentration of residents lying outside city boundaries, county government here performs a comprehensive array of services. Reserve Your Seats. Seat 2,750 of your closest friends in the new Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Cobb County venues have over 375,000 square feet of meeting space, so you have several full-service options for your next meeting. Over 120 convenient hotels offer luxury and affordability with 13,500 comfortable guest rooms. Just minutes from downtown Atlanta, Cobb County entertains visitors with genuine Southern hospitality. Enjoy fine dining or sample local favorites in one of 500+ great restaurants. Pack your bags at premier shopping destinations, like the Cumberland and Town Center Mall. Experience live theatre in historic Marietta Square or visit an authentic Civil War battlefield on Kennesaw Mountain. Ride the world’s tallest roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia and enjoy friendly team competition at Dave & Buster’s, a game lover’s paradise. For the very best of times and meetings, call 800.451.3480 to talk personally with a professional meeting planner about your event and learn about our free convention services. Photo Courtesy of Fred S. Gerlich Photography 800.451.3480 • www.cobbcvb.com Leaders With Experience and Vision Owing to the high service demands on every front, and the amount of relatively swift growth with which the county has contended since the 1990s, Cobb County’s officials have become adept at staying several steps ahead of needs and at coping with the constant changes and growing complexities that are the hallmarks of local government in large metro jurisdictions. County responsibilities continue to escalate in scope and complexity while, at the same time, unfunded mandates from the state and federal governments continue to step up, and the state legislative 7/3/08 9:29:52 AM 14 GEORGIA COUNTY 389879_Cobb.indd 1 GOVERNMENT http://www.cobbcvb.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Georgia County Government - September 2008

Georgia County Government - September 2008 Contents President’s Message County Matters Cobb County: Quality of Life is Job No. 1 Innovative Transportation Financing in Georgia Drive Your Fleet into the Next Generation of Efficiency, Profits Spotlight: Georgia Technology Authority Media Productions GEMA News: Hurricane Season Could Cause Natural Gas Spike GDEcD News: Communities Receive Funds to Develop Tourism Assets Georgia’s Grand Old Courthouses: Upson County Extension News: Radon: Georgia’s Silent Danger Research Corner: Conserving Fuel Costs in Your County Staff News County Parade Index of Advertisers

Georgia County Government - September 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.