Neighborhood Group Expected to Oppose Cobb Shopping Center

By David Pendered, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Jul. 30–Two sides are taking their positions in a battle in west Cobb County over a proposed shopping center on 20 acres that is now zoned for houses and a small office project near the Avenue of West Cobb.

And the twist in this zoning battle is that the project — anchored by a Fresh Market grocery store — is a modern lifestyle center that’s designed to cater to the well-heeled residents moving into the upscale neighborhoods west of Kennesaw Mountain. Another sweetener offered by the developer, Columbia Properties, is the promise to preserve six acres of trees on a border of the property.

Lifestyle centers are popping up in the affluent neighborhoods of north Fulton County. They aim to provide an open-air shopping complex that is designed to encourage people to walk among shops and restaurants and sip coffee on outside benches.

The public debate in Cobb is slated to begin Aug. 5 before the county’s Planning Commission. The site is at the corner of Ga. 120 and Casteel Road.

The project is expected to draw sharp opposition from one of Cobb’s influential neighborhood groups, People Looking After Neighborhoods. The group was formed in 1997 with the purpose of “promoting the quality and integrity of community development, while maintaining the safety and aesthetic appearance of surrounding areas.”

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