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Planning commission recommends Ball Ground rezoning to allow Alma Coffee roastery and cafe
Summary
The Cherokee County Planning Commission unanimously recommended rezoning 6.5 acres annexed to Ball Ground for a coffee roastery, warehouse and cafe (Alma Coffee), approving 17 city‑required conditions after staff and the applicant described traffic, stormwater and buffering measures.
The Cherokee County Planning Commission on May 5 recommended approval of a rezoning request that would allow Alma Coffee to expand into Ball Ground, a move commissioners said would add local jobs and preserve an active winery-retail use on the property.
Planning staff told the commission the applicant seeks to rezone 6.5 acres from county agricultural zoning to a mix of Ball Ground light industrial and general commercial to accommodate a coffee roasting operation, a 10,000‑square‑foot warehouse and a 5,000‑square‑foot cafe. The property, annexed into the City of Ball Ground in 2013, currently hosts a winery and retail/gallery; staff summarized required conditions including landscape screening, compliance with stormwater and fire‑marshal requirements, confirmation of water and sewer capacity prior to permitting, GDOT approval for access points, controls on outdoor storage and lighting, and limits on permitted uses within each zoning portion.
The applicant representative, Park Suth of SamsLarkin Huff, told the commission, "For the record, my name is Park Suth with SamsLarkin Huff and I represent the applicant," and described Alma Coffee’s existing roasting and retail operation in Holly Springs. Suth said he had toured the operation and that roasting did not create noticeable odor at the production facility: "Inside next to the roastery, you don't smell anything. Outside, you don't smell anything." He emphasized the project's potential for employment and said the applicant had worked with Ball Ground planning staff to shape the proffered conditions.
Commissioners discussed the site's location along Ball Ground Highway and the corridor vision to encourage commercial uses rather than additional residential development. One commissioner who said he had visited the applicant's Holly Springs facility described it as "very impressive, very clean" and cited the lack of odor. After discussion, the commission voted to recommend approval with the 17 conditions included in the Ball Ground staff report. The recommendation will go to the City of Ball Ground for final action.
The commission’s recommendation does not itself change zoning; the case will advance to the city council/Board of Commissioners for a final decision and for any required permitting and GDOT coordination.
