Snellville staff propose entertainment-district tweaks, parking and delivery changes ahead of town-center openings

Snellville staff on Monday updated the City Council on implementation plans for the downtown entertainment district and related traffic and parking changes as new businesses prepare to open.

Staff asked the council for feedback on several code updates — most notably letting licensed businesses use aluminum containers (but banning glass), requiring a visible sticker to show the beverage was purchased from a licensed business, and refining the entertainment-district map to include newly redeveloping properties near the Grove and town-center area.

The recommendations are timed to align with a planned Crooked Can grand opening and other downtown tenant move-ins. "We are recommending just changing that to no glass beverages," Mercy said while describing the proposed amendment; staff also said they will require businesses to affix a sticker to each to-go alcoholic beverage so enforcement officers can readily identify purchases from licensed vendors.

Staff also presented a proposed striping and loading solution for Sawyer Drive and the Library Plaza to reduce delivery and parking conflicts. The proposal would create a short yellow-striped delivery zone to keep parcel and USPS trucks from blocking the drive aisle; staff acknowledged towing authority and enforcement limitations and said striping is a first step to reduce conflicts.

Why it matters

The code changes are intended to balance business operations, public safety and clean-up concerns during outdoor entertainment programming. Allowing aluminum and prepackaged canned cocktails gives businesses flexibility to serve patrons quickly; stickers provide a visible compliance cue for enforcement.

Details and next steps

- Containers: Staff proposed replacing a reference to "paper and plastic only" with a ban on glass and a permissive treatment of aluminum and single-use cans so vendors can reduce plastic waste while remaining enforceable.

- Stickers: Staff said businesses would affix a sticker to each to-go alcoholic beverage; the council did not set precise sticker dimensions or placement and asked staff to clarify enforcement logistics in the July follow-up.

- Doors and hours: Staff said the entertainment-district hours would mirror existing city alcohol policy; no change to operating hours was proposed.

- Boundaries: Staff proposed expanding the mapped entertainment district to add green and yellow outlined areas that include redevelopment parcels and the greenway; members suggested iterative adjustments so newly redeveloped blocks can be added later without a large-scale ordinance rewrite.

- Parking and deliveries: For Sawyer Drive and the Library Plaza, staff proposed restriping to create a delivery/loading zone and to discourage long-term parking that blocks circulation; staff also said they will explore adding an additional accessible space near the library and will check ADA and backing-maneuver safety before implementing angled changes.

Staff will return in July with refined code language, cost estimates for signage and stickers, and recommended map boundary adjustments timed to business openings. No formal vote was taken at the work session.

Ending

Councilmembers generally supported the proposed flexibility on containers and the sticker requirement but asked for clearer enforcement language and signage mockups. Staff will provide a revised ordinance draft and implementation plan for a future council meeting.