Planning commission holds Swarm Football Club stadium application after late traffic study and stormwater questions

Swarm Football Club LLC asked the Cobb County Planning Commission for a special‑land‑use permit (SLUP3) to redevelop Marathon property near the East‑West Connector into a stadium complex with a proposed 3,500‑seat stadium, locker rooms, concessions, plaza areas and associated parking. Kevin Moore, representing the applicant, said the proposal reduced an earlier 5,000‑seat plan to 3,500 seats and revised parking to place required parking south of the East‑West Connector and adjacent to the stadium footprint.

Moore said the revised plan provides approximately 1,210 parking spaces compared with a required 1,192 spaces and that the applicant had worked with Marathon (the property owner) to use adjacent property for parking currently used in association with the existing Marathon Soccer Park. He said the revisions were made to address DOT’s pedestrian‑safety concerns about cross‑Connector parking that had been raised under the earlier 5,000‑seat iteration.

DOT and stormwater reviews Amy Diaz of Cobb County Department of Transportation said DOT received an updated traffic study the week before the hearing but had not completed a full review. DOT’s review team provided comment back to staff the night before the hearing identifying additional items the applicant needed to revise in the traffic study; Diaz said those comments may not be insurmountable but must be addressed. DOT emphasized pedestrian safety where parking and stadium users cross or access the East‑West Connector and noted peak‑hour interactions with adjacent traffic patterns.

Andrew Heath of Cobb County Stormwater Management told the commission the submitted plan shows multiple detention locations and that existing on‑site detention “does not have capacity for this much development.” He said the project will need to provide stormwater controls that meet county standards and that the existing pond shown on earlier plans would be converted or expanded (including potential underground detention) as part of final permitting.

Community response and commission action Steve Youngcomb of the Mableton Improvement Coalition zoning committee asked for 30 days to review a stipulation letter the applicant filed late and to assess whether the revisions are consistent with Mableton’s long‑term plans. Commissioner Beloyne and others said the revised plan represented meaningful changes to address earlier concerns but that DOT and stormwater needed time to complete technical reviews and that neighborhood stakeholders also needed time to evaluate the late materials.

The commission voted to hold the application (motion: continue/hold to allow DOT, stormwater and community review; second: Commissioner Lindstrom). The applicant noted that if the case is withdrawn it will have to be resubmitted to the City of Mableton because the property is now within city limits.

Ending DOT and stormwater staff will provide final review comments to planning staff. The applicant and community will be given additional time to address technical comments; the case will return for consideration or be resubmitted to Mableton if withdrawn.