The March 20 and April 3 Sandy Springs City Council meetings will be busier than usual after elected officials voted to defer two zoning cases to those dates.

Both postponements are meant to encourage mediation between applicants and residents, who remain too far apart on major issues for the city council’s comfort.

At issue for special-needs school Cumberland Academy is the noise level of an air conditioner which abuts the property line of the Glenridge Square subdivision and is audible several doors down.

“We are annoyed by the chiller,” said Jerry Hebert, president of the Glenridge Commons Homeowners’ Association, who asked for a chiller shutoff time of 5 p.m. on weekends.

School cofounder Debbi Scarborough said some compromise may be available in the chiller’s start time, but she had to consider the needs of the school’s landlord, First Baptist Church of Sandy Springs.

“So, 6:30 a.m. is not acceptable but 5:30 a.m. might be something we could go to,” she said.

District 4 City Councilman Gabriel Sterling moved to defer the special-use permit case for 30 days.

“They want to be good neighbors,” he said about the applicant. “Let’s get one more bite of this apple before we put down our hammer.”

The vote was 4-2 for deferral to March 20.

District 2 City Councilwoman Dianne Fries and District 5 City Councilman Tibby DeJulio supported approving the application at the Feb. 21 meeting.

A late notice to a historic property’s manager prompted the city council to vote 6-0 to defer the Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente’s zoning modification request to April 3, although applicant and neighbor sung each others’ praises.

“We have a wonderful working relationship with Glenridge Hall,” said Philip Ouellette, the applicant’s director of facilities.

Mike Rabalais, manager of the hall, which was built in 1929 and is used as a set for “The Vampire Diaries” television show, echoed the sentiments.

“Kaiser Permanente has been a good neighbor,” he said about the Glenlake Parkway business, where a parking lot is used for guests of its special events.

The application asks to expand the parking lot to a four-story structure and its offices from 120,000 to 165,000 square feet.

Rabalais asked for a 45-day deferral because notice of the application was sent to the wrong party.

“This is not a hostile objection,” he said. “I just need time to understand the process. This is not something to be taken lightly.”