Forsyth County Approves 228,000-Square-Foot Warehouse Complex on Piney Grove Road

After pushback from neighbors over traffic congestion and industrial sprawl, the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners approved a rezoning application for a warehouse complex on Piney Grove Road at their March 5 meeting, clearing the way for one of the largest industrial developments to reach the stretch in recent memory.

The complex will span 228,000 square feet, situated near the Highway 9 corridor, a stretch that has increasingly become a flashpoint between residential growth and commercial development as the county's population continues to climb.

The road to approval was anything but smooth. Two parcels of land on Piney Grove Road had a rezoning application submitted by a developer to change them from Agriculture (A1) to Industrial (M1) use, a reclassification that drew organized resistance from nearby homeowners. The prospective tenants of the warehouses would include light assembly operations, such as companies that manufacture furniture.

Residents raised concerns about what heavy truck traffic would mean for an already-strained intersection. At a January 8 Board of Commissioners meeting, the board delayed action on the warehouse conditions and expressed support for working with GDOT to secure a signalized intersection at Piney Grove Road and Highway 9. Neighbors were told during an earlier community meeting that the rezoning carried an extremely high likelihood of approval because the land use aligned with the county's Comprehensive Plan.

The project moved forward after residents voiced concerns about its potential impact on the area, passing through planning commission review in late January before landing before the full board in March. Commissioner Laura Semanson, who represents the townhome side of the affected neighborhood, presented conditions of the warehouses that required clarification and expansion during the review process, signaling that negotiated stipulations were part of the final approval.

The Piney Grove Road approval adds to a pattern of industrial rezoning decisions facing the county as demand for warehouse and distribution space continues to push outward from metro Atlanta's core. Tenant leases at the complex are expected to run five to seven years. Whether the promised traffic improvements at Highway 9 materialize alongside construction will be the measure by which many neighbors judge the deal struck at the March 5 meeting.