Planning and Zoning Meeting - A. Max Bacon City Hall - Council Chambers — Minutes
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January 05, 2026 6:00 PM City of Smyrna Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting 2800 King Street SE Council Chambers Page 5 of 7 Chairperson Powell asked the applicant to provide an overview of the request. Park Lammerts from Arris came forward as the applicant. Mr. Lammerts said that this amendment would be buildable in today’s market and reduce the density to align more closely with the surrounding neighborhood. Commission Member Gordon-Evans asked if there will be any sort of barrier between the residential and commercial sides. Mr. Lammerts said there would be some type of vegetative buffer or fencing between the two. Chairperson Powell opened the Public Hearing. Mike Kennedy - 5003 Oakdale Rd- opposed- worried about public safety and worried about the homes who border Oakdale Rd, whom were not initially built to be next to such intense uses, such as a drive-thru restaurant. This is a five-point road intersection and Chick-Fil-A are known for generating long lines during peak hours. The application does not include a traffic improvement analysis and this area is on the school bus route with 3 stops where there will be more busses on the road during Chick-Fil-A’s peak hours. He is worried about noise (previous plan had sound barrier which is now removed) and air quality. He feels that this is moving in the wrong direction and places the burden on the surrounding neighborhood, not the developer. Glenn Perich - 2159 Oakdale Estates Ct- opposed- has lived in the Estates for over 20 years. Traffic backs up normally but when there is traffic on either S Cobb Dr or Atlanta Rd the traffic builds up. He is worried about the effects on the quality of life for those who live nearby. Amy Shaffer - 2133 Park Ave- opposed- opposed to the fast food portion. Replacing the apartments with townhomes reduces density but then replacing the commercial side with a high-density restaurant negates the less density. Oakdale Rd was previously not allowing commercial projects and said this should remain the same. Chairperson Powell asked if a traffic study will be done for the project. Community Development Director Russell Martin said that Cobb County and GDOT would review the applications and would tell the applicant what is required (such as a traffic study). Mr. Martin also reiterated that the project will not get a land disturbance permit until all jurisdictions are satisfied. Deborah Forsman - 2228 Misty Ln- opposed- highlighted that the houses across the street are all single-family homes and is worried about children crossing the road to get to Chick- Fil-A. Also mentioned that the Silver Comet Trail was recently connected to Oakdale Rd so there is a larger pedestrian and bicycle traffic coming through the area. Kate Shaw - 2209 Misty Ln- said she submitted a legal memo to someone to highlight additional concerns. Said she is worried that this is not a zoning amendment but rather is a full rezoning request. She also said describing these parcels as adjacent to commercial and multi-family is a misnomer as it is adjacent to 80% single-family home. She said market conditions show that other options are available with other rezonings and that this does not address bus stops, Cobb County Education Department, or Cobb County Transportation. The future land use shows that this is a medium density use but says that the Chick-Fil-A is a higher density. Said that kicking the responsibility to other jurisdictions shifts the responsibility to the children and wants to send this back through a formal rezoning or deny.