In a 3-2 vote, and over concerns voiced by nearby residents, Gwinnett County commissioners this week approved a 32-lot townhome neighborhood along Cross Road near the Mall of Georgia.
The neighborhood would cover 6.14 acres near Cross Road's intersection with Gravel Springs Road, according to documents presented to commissioners.
Local residents raised concerns about traffic along the corridor, which they said is often used by nearby car dealerships as a test drive route for potential car buyers.
Other residents raised concerns that the land is home to Native American artifacts, and should therefore be treated as a historical site and preserved as such.
Terrell Henry, whose property borders the proposed neighborhood said that "it is an established fact that the three properties that make up the distance between East Gravel Springs and West Gravel Springs creeks constitute early Native American activity."
Henry asked commissioners to either deny the request outright, or put a condition on the project forcing the developer to fund a full archaelogical survey before bulldozing the site.
Residents also noted safety concerns for the area, saying it would be the eighth residential development for a half-mile stretch of Cross Road, which can often serve as a cut-through between Gravel Springs Road and Kilgore Road.
"It's nothing to see a 60 or 70 mph car going through this 35 mph zone," said Henry.
James Irvin, a representative of the applicant, Comfort Homes of Georgia, refuted several of the neighbors' claims during Tuesday's public hearing.
"[As for the] historical artifacts. We have not involved any federal actions that would trigger the review of the cultural resources. There is a public database to look for any structures of historic significance, but any archaeological information -- they keep that private, so there's not any looting," said Irvin.
As for the traffic, Irvin said the issue of test drivers was something that needed to be taken up with the car dealerships, and shouldn't preclude a developer from trying to build on the site.
"We do have extra room for parking [in the neighborhood]. There shouldn't be any cars in the road. We do have a little bit extra so the cars are not parking on the sidewalk," said Irvin, addressing the concern that nearby neighborhoods are overcrowded with vehicles, making it nearly impossible for firetrucks or ambulances to pass if needed.
Commissioners ultimately approved the plan, with conditions, by a 3-2 vote.
