A grocery-anchored retail center on Woodstock Road and an 11-unit townhome community on Minhinette Drive will get their first look from Roswell's Design Review Board on Tuesday, Sept. 1.
Both projects appear as initial hearings on the DRB agenda, meaning the five-member board will offer feedback but is not expected to take a final vote that night. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall Council Chambers at 38 Hill Street.
Woodstock Road retail center
The higher-profile application is case ZDRB-0726-000038 at 1340 Woodstock Road, the roughly 6-acre site at Bowen Road and Georgia Highway 92 that the city purchased in November 2023 for $4.5 million. The Roswell Development Authority later sold about 6.1 acres to Atlanta-based SJC Ventures for $5 million, a $500,000 return on the city's investment, according to the city. The city retained 2.5 acres for a new fire station.
The City Council approved an updated site plan and 13 variances for the project on June 22, clearing the way for more than 60,000 square feet of retail space plus the relocated Fire Station No. 23. Fire Chief Pabel Troche said at the June 22 meeting that the new station would improve citywide travel times by at least two minutes, decreasing response times for more than 20,000 rooftops. It would bring Roswell's total to eight fire stations.
The DRB previewed the project's architecture at its July 7 meeting and asked the applicant to add landscaping screening from Highway 92, improve articulation on the east elevation and provide 3D views showing the project from The Orchards neighborhood. The board did not vote.
"For right now, we feel like the developer actually heard and, in their presentation, included our concerns," area resident Jim Johnson said at the June 22 council meeting when variances were approved.
Minhinette Drive townhomes
Case ZDRB-0626-000032 proposes a new townhome community at 1293 Minhinette Drive, a 0.61-acre lot that sold in May 2023 for $850,000. Real estate listings describe the parcel as cleared with site work completed and approved for 11 units, though the DRB application may propose a different configuration. No developer is named on the published agenda.
Also on the agenda
Two projects return for final hearings: a new 2,550-to-3,000-square-foot auto service center for Roswell Auto Care at 10471 Alpharetta Street, and an additional building at 10473 Alpharetta Highway. The Alpharetta Highway project was heard initially on July 7, when the board requested revised elevations with better articulation, HVAC screening and eaves on all sides.
The DRB is chaired by Ian Atkinson, with Arie Kohn serving as vice chair. The board's next meeting after Sept. 1 is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 6:30 p.m. Residents can attend in person at City Hall Council Chambers, 38 Hill Street.
