Snellville council approves rezoning for 65-townhome project on Rosebud Road

The Snellville City Council on April 14 approved RZ25‑01, rezoning roughly a 15‑acre parcel on Rosebud Road to allow a 65‑unit townhome development and granting three variances and related conditions tied to ordinance 25‑025‑03.

Planning Director Jason Thompson summarized the application as a request to rezone the site in the Highway 78 East activity node and recommended approval with conditions. Thompson said the plan calls for 65 residential townhomes, rear alleys, and a community clubhouse; he told the council staff recommended approval of the three variance requests and the zoning map amendment.

The project is proposed by Syncoin Investments LLC and represented at the hearing by Jeff Timler of Split Silk Properties. Timler told the council the development is a phase 2 to a nearby mixed‑use project and that the applicant and staff were in agreement on the planning commission recommendations and the conditions of zoning. “We’re in agreement with the planning commission recommendations,” Timler said.

The council’s conditions and the ordinance on file require several site and design controls, including: deed restrictions requiring 90% owner occupancy; private ownership and maintenance of alleys and stormwater facilities by a homeowners association (HOA); a minimum 6‑foot sidewalk (6 feet) and a 5‑foot planter where the development fronts Rosebud Road; 6‑foot shadow‑box or wood privacy fencing along buffered property edges; a 22‑foot rear‑entry driveway length; minimum cross‑street widths adjacent to alleys of 19 feet; a 20‑foot separation between buildings; and restrictions on signage and adult entertainment. The ordinance also ties development to the approved plan and references UDO provisions in effect prior to March 10, 2025.

The applicant and staff described three requested variances: a 2‑foot reduction in a minimum front‑yard building setback to permit architectural offsets; omission of a 5‑foot planter strip between back of curb and sidewalk for lots 14–19; and permission for rolled curbing in limited locations to allow driveway access and stormwater conveyance. Thompson and staff recommended approval of those variances.

Public comment focused on traffic and stormwater. Resident Denise Buchanan said, “that intersection there is crazy,” and asked the council to address left‑turn timing at the Rosebud/Highway 78 intersection. Several residents asked about the detention ponds and the history of a previously failed pond in the area. Megan Palich, a nearby Summit Chase resident, requested monitoring of turbidity and expressed concern about past flooding associated with a pond that drains into Johnson Lake. Timler and staff said the project must comply with the city’s stormwater regulations, that new detention structures will be built, and that HOA maintenance and fencing are typical safety and maintenance measures for wet detention areas.

Mayor Pro Tem Warner defended the technical approach to stormwater, citing state law and noting the project’s stormwater design intends to hold and treat runoff. “If all goes as intended … this will actually improve the water quality downstream,” Warner said, referencing the development’s detention features.

After discussion, the council voted 5‑0 to approve RZ25‑01 and the associated ordinance and conditions.

The record shows the planning director’s recommendation, the applicant’s agreement with staff conditions, public concerns about traffic and pond safety, and the council’s unanimous approval with conditions intended to address layout, stormwater, buffers and long‑term maintenance.

Looking ahead, the conditions bind the developer to the approved site plan and require HOA maintenance of stormwater and alleys; the council and staff said separate permitting and construction approvals will follow under city and county processes.