A 62-townhome proposal on Old Roswell Road gets a second chance Tuesday, July 21, when Roswell's Planning Commission rehears the case after its June 16 vote was invalidated due to a procedural error.
The commission will take up three public hearings at 7 p.m. in City Hall Council Chambers, 38 Hill Street: the Pope & Land Enterprises rezoning, a text amendment that would formally define data centers in the city's zoning code, and a conditional use application for used vehicle sales at 200 Hembree Park Drive near the GA-400/Holcomb Bridge Road corridor. No applicant name or business details for the Hembree Park Drive case have appeared in published agenda materials.
Pope & Land rezoning: staff recommends denial
Atlanta-based Pope & Land Enterprises wants to rezone a nearly 10-acre undeveloped, wooded parcel on Old Roswell Road from Commercial Mixed Use to Office Residential to build 62 rear-loaded townhomes, with garages accessed from alleys behind the units. Attorney Dennis J. Webb Jr. of Smith, Gambrell & Russell filed the application on behalf of the developer, which co-developed The Battery mixed-use district adjacent to Truist Park.
The city's Community Development Department recommends denial. Staff found the standalone residential use conflicts with the OR district's intent as an employment zone, clashes with the 2040 Comprehensive Plan's Industrial/Flex designation for the area, and would encroach into the 100-foot city stream buffer by 6,778 square feet and the 50-foot impervious setback by 34,406 square feet. The site plan also calls for a retaining wall up to 13 feet high along the eastern boundary, which would require separate Mayor and Council approval.
Roswell's Economic Development Department described the parcel as occupying "a strategically important location within the broader Mansell corridor and adjacent to the emerging Mansell Overlook/former General Motors redevelopment area," calling it a major employment center and northern gateway to the city.
The commission first heard the case Tuesday, May 19, after a neighborhood meeting April 7. The July 21 agenda relists the rezoning as a new public hearing; the city has not published a formal explanation of the procedural defect that voided the June 16 session. The current roster lists five commissioners: Chair Kitty Singleton, Vice Chair Eric Schumacher, and Commissioners Pooja Gardner, Robert Mayer, and Carol Williams.
Data center rules advance toward moratorium's end
The commission will also hear a text amendment adding data centers as a defined use in Roswell's Unified Development Code, modifying sections on corridor and nodes districts, employment districts, and use provisions. It is the first legislative step toward lifting the city's moratorium on new data center development, which runs through Sunday, September 20.
Roswell's Mayor and City Council first imposed the emergency moratorium unanimously on Monday, January 12, citing the lack of data-center-specific regulations. After a 95-day extension in March and a staff white paper presented to the commission May 19, the council extended the moratorium again on Monday, June 22, to allow time for the UDC update. The city has no data center projects currently proposed.
Staff's regulatory framework addresses zoning standards, infrastructure and utility capacity, environmental impacts, noise and lighting, and land-use compatibility. The moratorium expires September 20, giving Mayor and Council roughly two months after the July 21 hearing to adopt a final ordinance.
How to attend
The Tuesday, July 21 meeting begins at 7 p.m. at Roswell City Hall Council Chambers, 38 Hill Street. All three items are public hearings; residents may attend and comment.
