Major apartment, retail development proposal in Hamilton Mill receives pushback from residents

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - Planning and zoning committee officials in Gwinnett County are considering a proposal that would bring a massive apartment a commercial retail development to the Hamilton Mill community.

Some residents are pushing back on the proposal they say threatens their livelihood.

"We don’t have room for 700 individual units of housing," resident Darlyn Wilkerson said Tuesday.

She and other members of the Northeast Gwinnett Neighborhood Coalition showed up in numbers at the Gwinnett County Planning and Zoning Committee meeting Tuesday night to voice their opposition to the proposed development on Sardis Church Road that includes plans for 660 apartment units and at least 10,000 square feet of commercial retail space.

"I think that the quality of life will be so negatively impacted in the area," resident Robert Roloff said.

Community members told FOX 5 the development would make an already growing issue of traffic in the area even worse.

"Seven-hundred units means minimum 1,400 cars on our already overpopulated roads every day," resident Krista Current said.

"We’re talking about two lane farm roads…if you look at that intersection right now…right this minute I can guarantee you it’s blocked up," Wilkerson added.

Residents have started a petition to try to rally support behind the effort to stop plans to move forward.

"I was deeply concerned because the infrastructure doesn’t exist currently to manage the existing traffic, much less adding with additional rental space," Roloff explained.

The planning and zoning committee voted to table the discussion on the proposed development until its next meeting.

Residents said they viewed it as a "win" for now.

"It gives us 30 more days to get our opposition together…it gives them 30 more days to present better ideas to the community," Wilkerson said.

FOX 5 reached out to developers of the project for comment, but did not immediately hear back. Officials on the Gwinnett County Planning and Zoning Committee will meet again on Sept. 5.