CUMMING, Ga. — A developer says he has scaled down his plans to build a special events venue in north Forsyth County after an outcry from neighbors who fear the project would bring traffic and noise to their rural area.
Narasimha Rao Tambareni initially submitted plans for a 9,000-square-foot building to host special events, in addition to a helipad, amphitheater, and a 155-space parking lot.
That galvanized neighbors along Keith Bridge Road in the Chestatee community to challenge the plans, saying any commercial development doesn’t belong on the 15-acre site.
“This is not a commercial area,” said Ana Strauss, who started an online petition that’s collected more than 2,400 signatures. “There are working farms. There are quiet neighborhoods. And this is not the spot for this type of venue.”
Signs saying “Neighbors Against the Venue” have sprouted in yards and along roadsides.
Cheryl Riddle lives in a farmhouse, dating back more than a century, that’s next to the property.
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She shudders to think what might emerge across the creek.
“So, we’ll look out and see a big parking lot out there every day,” she said. “We’re very worried about our agricultural land use being turned into commercial.”
The land is zoned agricultural, but the developer is seeking a conditional use permit.
Tambareni said in response to neighbor concerns, he’s scrapping the helipad and amphitheater, shrinking the building to 6,000 square feet, and reducing the parking lot to 62 spaces.
He also said the venue would blend in with the rural setting.
“We’re making like a rural, rustic barn style, like farm-looking,” he said. “So, it won’t feel like commercial. It will feel like a rustic barn.
Forsyth County Commissioner Mendy Moore said Keigh Bridge Road, or Ga. Highway 306worried might be an appropriate site for a wedding and special events venue.
“Highway 306 is a state highway and is designated a commercial corridor,” she said. “So, it is possible to have this type of thing here, but it would need to be under the right circumstances.”
Strauss said she’s still opposed to the project in its scaled-down version, saying the developer would likely expand the venue in the next few years.
“We are just saying no to any commercial because that is not a spot for any commercial, regardless of size,” she said. “That spot does not have the infrastructure to support any kind of venue.”
Lynne Castleberry’s in-laws used to own the land where the venue is proposed.
“This is not a good fit for the community,” she said. “It’s not that we don’t want growth. We want growth. But we want it done in the right way, not haphazardly, like let’s put this here, let’s add this here.”
Moore said it will likely be a few months before the board votes on the project.
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