Banks County citizens turned out en masse for the commission meeting Tuesday evening, February 11. The crowd of about 100 people filled the commission room to see what action the Banks County Commission would take on a Planned Unit Development (PUD) on the property that was once the Atlanta Dragway located on East Ridgeway Road.
The Banks County Commission denied the request. Prior to the denial, the commission heard from Banks County Planning and Zoning Official Kerri Fincannon, the attorney for the development, Joshua Scoggins, and several citizens in opposition to the request.
Fincannon addressed the commission about the rezoning application from VPD/Terra Commerce Development. The rezoning would change the zoning designation from C-2 or general commercial to a PUD.
The development
The development would encompass approximately 318 acres. It would include 1,193 dwellings made up of single and multi-family residential units. The development would also include 336,000 square feet of traditional commercial space for retail.
According to Fincannon, the development was submitted to the Georgia Regional Mountain Commission (GMRC) for review for developments of regional impact (DRI). According to their review, the development did not present any potential inter-jurisdictional impact. However, the applicant would have to find sufficient utility capacity, specifically water and sewer capacity.
She explained to the commission that the development did not meet the county’s current service delivery strategy. The development would also impact traffic in the area and schools in the county. “The Banks County Planning Commission has conducted a public hearing on the matter and returned an unanimous recommendation to deny the application,” Fincannon said.
Scoggins addressed the commission about the mixed use project and demonstrated the layout of the property for single and multi-family residential units as well as the commercial space that would be used for office and retail. “One of the key things to remember about this project is it complies with the purpose and intent of the county’s comprehensive plan,” he told the commission.
He also explained that a project of this size would take approximately 10 to 20 years to develop. “It isn’t going to appear tomorrow,” Scoggins said. He explained that only two issues would have to be worked out. That is facilitating the property with water and sewer with the county and the city of Commerce and also working with the county and Georgia Department of Transportation for access to the property from US 441.
“There’s no legal basis to deny this application,” Scoggins told the commission.
Citizens speak out
Several citizens spoke against the development during the public hearing portion of the meeting with no citizens speaking in favor of it. Many of the citizens echoed the same concerns about the development related to traffic, roads, schools, and infrastructure.
One citizen, Jeremy Harris, told the commission that even though the project may be lawful and fits most of the criteria of the comprehensive plan it doesn’t make sense to put it at that location. He said that no one “loves” to go to Banks Crossing due to the traffic but rather people say they “need” to go to that area.
“This definitely does not offer good common sense to put something like this in that area,” he said. “For me and my house, we say no to that kind of development.”
Audrey Strickland addressed the commission as a representative from her church, Flat Creek Baptist Church. The church is adjacent to the property where the proposed development would be constructed.
“We stand in opposition of the rezoning and proposed development at the former Atlanta Dragway,” Strickland told the commissioners.
She asked if a traffic study had been conducted to see what the negative impacts would be on churches and neighboring properties in the area. Strickland explained that all of the roads surrounding the former track are full due to the traffic going to the outlet malls, restaurants, and other businesses.
She told the commissioners that the church and neighboring properties have had to deal with the noise, traffic, litter, and crime for decades due to the traffic that cut through from US 441, GA 98, from I-85, and from the racetrack a few times a year. This development would add to the nuisances that they are already experiencing.
Denial
After hearing from citizens and Scoggins’ rebuttal to citizens’ concerns, Commission Chairman Taylor Griffith asked for a motion. Commissioner Chris Ausburn made the motion to accept the planning commission’s recommendation to deny the application. Commissioner Danny Maxwell seconded the motion. The commission denied the rezoning application unanimously. Immediately after the vote, the room erupted in applause from citizens.
VPD/Terra Commerce Development purchased the former Atlanta Dragway from the National Hot Rod Association in July 2021. According to Banks County public records, the sale price for the 318-acre parcel was $9,405,000.
This article has been updated to reflect that the commission chair’s last name is Griffith
