Smyrna officials say public strongly backs mixed-use redevelopment of 9-acre church site; chapel to remain

Mayor Derek Norton and city planners said in a City of Smyrna podcast that residents have overwhelmingly supported redeveloping the nine-acre Smyrna First Baptist Church site into an extension of downtown while keeping the site's chapel as a public event facility.

The engagement effort has collected what consultant Luis Calvo said were about 2,600 responses, including 2,087 from an online survey and roughly 250 attendees at the first community meeting. "That's about 3.5% of the city's population," Calvo said, and he described the turnout as exceeding expectations.

Why it matters: the site is roughly twice the footprint of Smyrna's existing downtown and could add housing, restaurants, retail, parking and expanded public space — changes residents repeatedly identified as priorities during outreach.

Luis Calvo, identified on the podcast as a consultant with MKSK, told listeners the survey results show strong support for redevelopment: "68% are very supportive of…