Dawsonville commission approves COA for downtown coffee shop drive‑through with curb, sidewalk and sign conditions

The Dawsonville planning commission voted unanimously to approve a Certificate of Appropriateness for exterior changes to a downtown building that will house a coffee shop with a drive‑through and one wall sign facing Georgia 53.

Planning staff told the panel the request includes a drive‑through menu board, patio improvements with a partial wooden privacy fence and one wall sign on the building elevation that faces Georgia 53. Staff recommended approval but asked for three modifications: ensure sufficient separation between the proposed menu board/drive‑through queue and adjacent parking so vehicles can reverse safely from spaces; install curbing along the adjacent property line to prevent lane deviation; and add a perpendicular sidewalk from Highway 53 to the building frontage to provide safe pedestrian access.

“...we did recommend some just modifications to to make sure we were, paying attention to certain things. We wanted to make sure that there was sufficient, separation between the proposed menu board and drive through and any parking so that if somebody is queuing in the line and they're at the menu board, somebody could still reverse out of a parking space,” a planning staff member said during the presentation.

Property owner Irvin Petrovsky, who said he and his wife purchased the building last year, described plans to renovate the ground floor and to place the drive‑through behind the building. He said the privacy fence is intended both to screen the drive‑through from the street and to separate patio patrons from nearby residences. Petrovsky told the commission the menu board would be externally lit (not backlit) and that the applicants plan bollards and curb stops to protect the building.

“We purchased it with the intent in mind of trying to help revitalize our downtown,” Petrovsky said.

Chris Sheets, the business owner who operates an existing nearby coffee shop, told the commission a drive‑through and the larger footprint at the new site are important to the business model and customer flow. Sheets said two barista stations at the new location would allow one station to serve the drive‑through and a second to serve walk‑in customers, reducing congestion.

Petrovsky and Sheets described queuing expectations for the lane: when a car is at the pickup window they estimated the lane can hold about five cars before impacting parking; they said three parking spaces on the gas station side would be used for employee parking. The applicants said they will coordinate with city staff about movable planters near the right‑of‑way.

Commissioner Heather moved to close the public hearing; Commissioner Sarah seconded and the commission closed the hearing unanimously. Later, Heather moved to approve the COA as recommended by staff with the requested modifications; Sarah seconded and the motion passed unanimously.

Planning staff noted the COA decision does not remove other permitting requirements. The applicant must still obtain any required land‑disturbance permits and satisfy applicable code requirements before construction and signage installation. The applicants said they expect to file for additional signage permits if needed.

The meeting concluded after routine motions; the commission adjourned following a unanimous vote.