The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners Tuesday was officially shown plans for a proposed mega activity center known as The Gathering at South Forsyth.
Forsyth County officials, in coordination with business owner Vernon Krause, on April 17 announced plans for a major entertainment hub in South Forsyth. At a county work session on Tuesday, commissioners heard from representatives on preliminary plans for the hub, which is predicted to cost over $1 billion.
Commissioners and members of the public heard from site planner Jeremy Hull, who said the development plans to include office space and a grocery store, and will further connect the greenway trails running throughout the county. Concept pictures also showed rooftop bars and restaurants on the property.
The Gathering is predicted to bring over 12,000 jobs to the area and is slated to be built over a 10-year period, according to SCI Architect Tone Frisina. Plans indicate 1.6 million square feet of office and retail space, 700,000 square feet of entertainment venue space, a 150,000 square foot community center, 500 hotel rooms and potentially up to 2,400 apartments.
“Guest comfort is very important to us in the way we design these buildings,” Frisina said. “Having secured parking, direct access to the venue, being able to come and go from the site very efficiently so you’re not impacting large traffic patterns across the county. As well as providing local space where you can come early and stay late, not only in the arena but in the entire development as a whole with a variety of upscale culinary offerings.”
The Gathering is planned to have secure VIP parking, bookable pre and post-event social spaces and full-bar wifi and cellular coverage on site. Frisina detailed hopes to host over 100 events per year including family-friendly entertainment, graduation ceremonies, touring artists, competitive sports and other festivals and expos.
Forsyth Commissioners raised several concerns but expressed overall excitement for the plan. Commissioner Todd Levent asked if a Development of Regional Impact (DRI) study had been submitted. The planners indicated they began that process last Thursday, with hopes to start seeing information return in the coming weeks. DRIs address site plans, zoning regulations and other aspects having to do with future land use directives. As The Gathering is a large-scale project that will reportedly impact every resident in Forsyth County, the commission wants to be sure to “get this one right”, as Levent stated.
58 percent of The Gathering is currently planned as commercial, with the remaining 42 percent planned as residential, according to zoning attorney Ethan Underwood. The applicants will be required to work through two separate zoning amendment changes on the property, which will be addressed at a future county meeting.
Commissioner Cindy Mills expressed an intense desire for the entire process to be as transparent as possible, both for the commissioners and the general public of Forsyth County. Her sentiments were echoed by the other commissioners as well — especially Levent who wanted to see more information about housing density, public safety and expected county contributions to the project before moving forward.
“We need to know everything up front,” Levent said. “Otherwise, these gentlemen who are bringing this are professionals. This is what they do. They're big business people. Not to say that we can't keep up with that, but we need to make sure that we get our interests or questions from them directly up front, and then you need to know exactly what's coming. Otherwise, we'll be played for fools.”
The 100-acre property planned for development is located at the intersection of Ronald Reagan Boulevard and Union Hill Road along Georgia 400. Originally, a regional mall was planned for that space, but that was more than 15 years ago. After the previous owner created multiple access points and updated the site infrastructure, a full build-out never came to fruition.
Krause is a long-time resident of North Georgia who hosts businesses throughout the entire region. He originally scouted locations in Fulton and Cobb Counties for the entertainment hub. Forsyth County District 2 Commissioner and Chairman Alfred John later presented the option to bring that vision to South Forsyth, prompting Krause to purchase 100 acres.
Tuesday’s meeting was a preliminary presentation and no official votes were cast. The Board of Commissioners will hear from The Gathering development team again on May 9, when they will discuss, and potentially vote on, matters pertaining to the two zoning amendments. Officials also indicated there would be multiple public hearings scheduled for residents to express support or opposition, but those have not been scheduled.
