Milton residents, upset by a neighbor’s plan to have sales and tastings at their winery on a residential property, aired their objections to the proposed issuance of an alcohol license at a recent City Council meeting.
Neighbors of Boxwood Estates and Providence Plantation subdivisions believe visitors going to D’Rose Vintners would drive through their roads to reach the farm.
“It doesn’t make absolute sense for us to lose our privacy and our safety because someone wants to sell alcohol inside our neighborhood,” resident Marie Gabriela Piscopo said during the meeting.
A public hearing to consider the license for D’Rose Vintners was rescheduled to Feb. 5 due to an error in the city’s placement of a legal ad for the agenda item. Piscopo and neighbors say they have concerns about drivers speeding through their neighborhood, inebriated motorists, and decreased property values.
D’Rose Vintners is owned by married couple Jim and Daryn Rosenberger.
Milton City Council approved rezoning of the Rosenbergers’ property in 2021 for what was described as a “hobby” winery. The winery is on 11 of the property’s 18 acres.
Credit: Courtesy Jim Rosenberger
Credit: Courtesy Jim Rosenberger
Jim Rosenberger told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the winery “is more of a passion project than a commercial winery.”
“…This was always about a high-end tasting experience,” he said. “We have invested close to $500,000 in this venture (and) are only looking to do what the city initially approved.”
The 2021 rezoning to agricultural included conditions that require the winery to limit customer visits to 5 appointments per day and no more than 10 people at a time. Rosenberger said the winery cannot operate after 6 p.m.
Councilman Paul Moore, who is concluding his final term on City Council, asked that the new City Council body ensure that the winery remain a small entity as it was described when the rezoning was approved.
Resident Brian Eidix, who can see the winery from his backyard, told City Council that the bustle of winery business activity in the quiet atmosphere of a residential neighborhood is disturbing.
If Rosenberger is granted a license to sell alcohol on the property, Eidix expects live music and special events to be regular activities, he said.
“I don’t want to see events back there where there’s gatherings of several people walking around … Neighborhoods, in my mind, are places where you get away from the commercial activity and you go to have quiet time with your family.”
Rosenberger says the winery is prohibited from holding special events.
He commented to City Council that he wants to alleviate neighbors’ concerns and would be willing to pay for speed mitigation such as speed bumps or signs.
“This is not a pub,” he said. “It’s a park ... “We’re not here to do anything that’s not going to be a safe, good value for the community.”
