Snellville council to back Gwinnett denial of 300‑unit Athens Highway proposal

Mayor Bender asked the Snellville City Council on July 13 to endorse Gwinnett County Planning’s recommendation to deny rezoning for 300 apartments at 1160 Athens Highway, saying the site falls outside the city’s designated activity nodes and would place high‑density housing next to single‑family homes and townhouses.

The resolution as described by Mayor Bender would simply "state that we support the decision for denial," he said. He told the council Gwinnett County planning staff and the county planning commission had recommended denial. "Our plan with having apartments in higher density is Town Center, the node at Rockdale Circle, and the node at Rosebud Road," he said, arguing that the proposed apartments would conflict with long‑range land‑use policies.

Council members asked whether the county had engaged city leadership directly. Mayor Bender said counties "typically do not" consult the city unless an item is close to the city border, and that the city’s action is intended to voice a formal objection from Snellville’s governing body.

No formal roll‑call vote on the resolution was recorded in the work session transcript. City staff described the measure as a council resolution expressing support for Gwinnett County’s denial; Mayor Bender invited members to raise concerns during the regular meeting.

If the council proceeds with a formal resolution at a subsequent meeting, the record from the July 13 session indicates the council’s rationale will rest on the city’s comprehensive‑plan designations and neighborhood adjacency. The county’s next steps, including any board of commissioners action, were not recorded in the transcript.