A group of Peachtree Corners neighbors who filed a lawsuit to block the sale of Simpsonwood, a 227-acre property along the Chattahoochee River owned by the Methodist church, say the church has attempted to bully and intimidate them into dropping the case.
This morning, a Gwinnett County judge will hold a hearing on the lawsuit and on motions to dismiss it.
The property, which is called Simpsonwood in honor of its previous owner Ludie Simpson, is a prime undeveloped tract in the middle of suburban Peachtree Corners worth more than $100 million by one estimate.
It’s the property of the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church. But the church says it’s losing money on the property and wants to sell it. The church’s real estate consultant says thus far the property has only been offered for sale as public park land.
Earlier this year, 11 people living near Simpsonwood went to court seeking to block any sale of the property.
The neighbors’ lawsuit seeking to block the sale has no merit, the church claims in court filings.
In a meeting with the church’s real estate consultant, one neighbor said he’d prefer “million dollar homes” to a public park at Simpsonwood, according to the church’s court filings.
Another asked if he could buy part of Simpsonwood himself in order to “square off” the lot his home sits on, according to the church’s court filings.
In a March letter to the neighbors' lawyer, the church's lawyer said the neighbors' suit is merely an attempt to disrupt efforts to sell the land.
“It is our belief that you are using your groundless Motions as a vehicle to disparage my clients, interfere with their private property, and attempt to disrupt their discussions with Gwinnett County and the National Park Service about the Simpsonwood property,” attorney Matt Reeves wrote.
The church reserves the right to sue the neighbors for defamation and other claims, he wrote. Considering the reported value of the land, any damages levied would be “substantial,” he wrote.
The neighbors' lawyer says in court filings that the suit seeking to block the sale was brought in good faith.
“In my opinion, the personal attacks and threats in your letter are abusive, designed to intimidate and to bully my clients and me in this important matter of public interest,” attorney Grace Lewis wrote.
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