Commissioners hold Branch Properties rezoning after industrial neighbors and DOT raise traffic, noise and buffering concerns

The Cobb County Planning Commission on July 7 held a rezoning request from Branch Acquisition Company LLC after extended public comment from nearby industrial businesses and follow‑up questions from county staff and commissioners. The proposal would rezone a site at South Atlanta Road and Plant Atkinson to allow a mixed‑use development with up to 250 multifamily units and roughly 8,500 square feet of retail and restaurant space, plus a planned Silver Comet Trailhead connection.

The applicant’s representative, Kevin Moore, told the commission Branch Properties planned a mixed‑use project that would include public parking for the Silver Comet Trail and said the developer would pay to build the trailhead connection. "Branch Properties is willing to take on that project and spend that money," Moore said, estimating the county’s planned trailhead work at more than $1,000,000 and describing the developer’s contribution as a county savings.

Opponents representing long‑standing industrial businesses disputed the site’s suitability for residences. Bill Milke, vice president of the Vinings Village Homeowners Association, cited a history of staff recommendations against similar rezonings and warned of density and compatibility problems. Tom Gay, who said he operates a 55,000‑square‑foot heavy‑industrial facility across Atlanta Road, pointed to early morning and around‑the‑clock truck traffic and nearby industrial operations including a waste transfer station and concrete batch plant. "This area is designated heavy industrial for a reason," Gay said.

Jennifer Burbine, attorney for RTS Landfill Inc. (a Waste Management subsidiary), told the commission Waste Management strongly opposed the rezoning and reserved its right to challenge any approval. She emphasized the facility operates outside normal business hours and that increased residential uses could create conflicts. Wilson Collins of CobbDOT testified that the department had reviewed a traffic study but asked the developer to revise a key analysis of whether a right‑turn lane from South Atlanta Road onto Plant Atkinson should be required. "There is currently an ongoing conversation" about the right‑turn lane and the study’s revision, Collins said.

Commissioners pressed the applicant on design‑guideline compliance, setbacks and whether a proposed 10–12 dedicated trailhead parking spaces would be adequate given projected trail use. Moore said the project had been scaled back from an earlier iteration and that Branch included lease language and marketing disclosures notifying residents of adjacent industrial uses.

After questions and public comment, Commissioner Micheletto moved to hold the case for 30 days so the developer could meet with industrial neighbors and surrounding residents, revise the traffic study with CobbDOT to study the right‑turn lane contingency, revisit trail‑parking and landscape buffering, and return with any necessary plan adjustments. The commission granted the hold and directed staff to coordinate a site visit and follow‑up; the item will return at the next scheduled planning commission meeting.

What’s next: The developer must meet with the industrial neighbors and the county DOT, update or revise the traffic study as requested by CobbDOT, and provide clarified stipulation language and a landscape/parking plan before the commission will consider a recommendation.