Johns Creek planners recommend approval for Mount Pisgah campus expansion after traffic and stormwater debate

The Johns Creek Planning Commission on a 6-0 vote recommended approval of Special Use Permit SUP24-0001, clearing the way for a phased 15-year expansion of Mount Pisgah Christian School onto roughly 21.5 acres adjacent to the existing campus along Nesbitt Ferry Road.

Planning staff told commissioners the proposal covers 45.988 acres in total (seven parcels), proposes 123,662 square feet of new building space and a full-buildout total of 325,692 square feet. The school is seeking permission to increase maximum enrollment from the existing 900 students to 1,150. The expansion calls for two new academic buildings, a curriculum enhancement building, a performing arts theater, a 25,000-square-foot natatorium, six tennis courts and renovation of an on-site residence.

In presenting the case, Ruchi Agarwal, planning and zoning manager, described three phased traffic and access conditions: a Phase 1 right-in/right-out driveway with a deceleration lane on Nesbitt Ferry Road (Driveway 3) to be constructed prior to building permit; a Phase 2 right-turn deceleration lane on Old Alabama Road for the existing northern driveway; and a Phase 3 conversion to full access with a southbound left-turn lane on Nesbitt Ferry Road. Agarwal said staff expects full buildout to generate about 1,950 daily trips and that traffic signaling along Nesbitt Ferry Road remains under Roswell’s jurisdiction: "Staff is not recommending any additional traffic [signals] in the entire Nesbitt Ferry corridor."

Applicant representatives said the design aims to limit neighborhood impacts. Kenneth Wood, engineering lead for the applicant, said the layout pulls taller uses inward, locates tennis courts closer to the road to reduce noise for adjacent houses, and proposes a 10-foot multi-use trail that diverts behind a cemetery to preserve that site. "We're really looking to set a road map," Wood said, adding that stormwater remediation and bank stabilization work would be done for the on-site lake and downstream outfall.

Chris Harmon, identified as the head of school, said the expansion is primarily for curricular enhancement rather than a short-term major enrollment surge: "This is not something we're looking to do overnight ... as a nonprofit, we are raising funds to build it," he said.

Neighbors who spoke at the public hearing urged caution. Resident Sherry Bridal said the additional parking and driveway changes will worsen existing dismissal congestion and could impede emergency vehicles: "There's already a huge impact at the school's dismissal time ... it can take 20 or 30 minutes to go through there." Gary Siegel, a Saint Regis resident, warned that adding more signals and turn lanes to a two-lane Nesbitt Ferry Road would intensify congestion and harm local quality of life.

Commissioners pressed the applicant on parking and event use. The plan proposes 574 additional parking spaces for a total of 848 across the existing and proposed sites; the applicant and head of school said the extra spaces accommodate dispersed campus uses (tennis, fine arts, occasional events) and that police officers are routinely used for traffic control during drop-off/pick-up and staffed events.

Staff recommended multiple conditions addressing access and site work, including requiring construction of Driveway 3 and its deceleration lane before issuance of building permits; carrying over a 90-foot undisturbed buffer and other screening measures from the earlier SUP; and retaining stormwater review and permit compliance at each phase. Commissioners also discussed an "opaque fence" condition (clarified as a privacy wood fence) and agreed to modernize the lighting condition to permit LED fixtures rather than the older high-pressure sodium standard.

After discussion, a motion to recommend approval of SUP24-0001 with staff conditions and a modification to Condition 19 (to allow LED or similar lighting) passed 6-0. The commission's recommendation goes to the mayor and city council for final action.

The planning staff also noted required cultural-resource and stormwater reviews during land disturbance permitting and said the on-site lake/dam is not listed as a Category 1 state dam; the applicant said it will be inspected and remediated as needed. Planning staff announced department updates and upcoming meetings before the commission adjourned.

What happens next: The Planning Commission's recommendation will be considered by the City Council; required land-disturbance permits, stormwater approvals and any subsequent site-plan filings will address technical mitigation described by staff and the applicant.