Planning commission recommends approval of Free Chapel retreat center with strict limits and buffers

The Hall County Planning Commission on Feb. 17 recommended approval of a planned commercial development zoning request from Rochester DCCM to allow a ministry and retreat center on 497.93 acres along Tanners Mill Road, Weaver Road and Jones Lane.

The commission approved the project unanimously and attached conditions that narrow allowed uses, limit new construction to 390,000 square feet (excluding existing buildings as of Jan. 1, 2025), require a 100-foot undisturbed perimeter buffer in most locations and hold proposed internal roads to county engineering and fire-access standards (but not to public street construction standards). The approval will be forwarded to the Hall County Board of Commissioners for final action at its March 27 public hearing.

The applicant, Rochester DCCM and representatives from Free Chapel, described the proposal as a low-density ministry and counseling campus built around the existing 40,000-square-foot barn. Projected uses listed in the narrative include chapels, outreach centers, overnight accommodations (lodges, cottages), bunk…