Council denies special‑use permit for bed‑and‑breakfast at 979 North Main amid neighborhood opposition

The Conyers City Council voted to deny Ordinance 14‑70, a request for a special‑use permit to operate a small owner‑occupied bed‑and‑breakfast at 979 North Main Street, after a public hearing that featured strong neighborhood opposition.

Planning staff outlined the request and noted that while staff recommended approval, the Planning Commission had unanimously recommended denial (4‑0), citing that the property had a reasonable economic use as currently zoned and that approval could set an undesirable precedent for commercial uses in the Downtown Edge residential subarea. Staff emphasized regulatory requirements if approved, including owner occupancy, a 14‑day stay limit, a requirement to provide breakfast and obtaining a tourist accommodations permit from the state health department.

Applicant Kristen Gibbons, who lives at the property, described the operation as an owner‑occupied, low‑impact lodging with three guest rooms and controlled parking; she told council she has been operating for about two years and had paid roughly $9,500 in occupancy taxes. “This is a small owner‑occupied home that is already operating in a controlled low impact manner,” Gibbons said, asking the council to approve her special‑use permit.

Many nearby residents spoke in opposition, repeatedly citing the risk of establishing a commercial precedent in a primarily residential neighborhood and potential impacts on property values and neighborhood character. Speakers living on North Main described long residency, concerns that approval would encourage future tourist accommodations and a desire to preserve the area as residential. One resident said approving the permit would convert the property to a “business property” in perpetuity for the neighborhood, and another referenced prior rule violations by the applicant reported at the planning hearing.

When a motion to adopt the ordinance (approve the permit) failed for want of a second, a subsequent motion to deny was made, seconded and carried. The council’s denial means the applicant must continue operating, if at all, only under existing zoning or pursue a future application that would again be subject to staff review, public hearings and council discretion.

The council’s action underscores the city’s approach to the Downtown Edge subarea, where the special‑use permit process remains discretionary and subject to neighborhood concerns about precedent and compatibility. Staff reminded the council that approval of one application does not automatically entitle future similar requests to approval; each would require its own public process and staff evaluation.

The council moved to other new business after the denial vote.