Snellville city council this week approved a rezone along U.S. 78 and Rosebud Road, allowing a new mix-used development to be built in the coming years.
The property was initially planned to be a super Kroger, and was going to take up nearly 75,000-square-feet of retail space, according to planning and development director Jason Thompson. The area was previously zoned for general business.
Kroger decided not to build in that location, and the property went up for sale, Thompson said.
The new development proposal includes a 300-unit apartment building, 28 single-family attached townhomes and 51,000-square-feet of retail, commercial, office and amenity space.
“The key point was to consolidate development and allow for the mixture of uses so that the car trips are cut down,” Thompson said.
One of the main concerns about the development was traffic at the intersection.
Hartley Falbaum, who lives right outside the city, said while he is not completely against the project, he is already frustrated with the traffic on Rosebud Road and is worried that the development and additional housing will make it worse.
“It’s horrible right now. At times, almost impossible,” he said to city council. “I implore you to make sure that this traffic problem is really addressed.”
Jeff Timler, owner of Split Silk Properties, a property acquisition company representing the developer, said the project could force improvements to the intersection to reduce congestion.
Mayor Barbara Bender said that no improvements at the intersection were made in the past because a homeowner who owned a house at the intersection would not move.
“It is on the county’s radar, hopefully it will be on the state’s radar that we could get some action on this intersection,” Bender said.
The development will cost about $100 million and take about two years to finish, Timler said.
Credit: City of Snellville Website
Credit: City of Snellville Website
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