The Hall County Planning Commission voted unanimously Tuesday night in denial of an event venue application located at 3515 Friendship Road in Hall County.
Applicant Matthew Miller’s representative spoke to the planning commission seeking a Use Subject to County Commission permit in order to operate an agri-entertainment event venue. Miller hopes to host events during annual holidays, such as Valentine’s Day, Easter and Halloween. Primarily, the venue plans to host a haunted trail that will operate in September and October. Along with annual events, the venue would also be available for leased private events and weddings, accommodating up to 250 guests.
Miller’s proposal states operating hours will be Sunday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to midnight. Planning staff recommended denial to the commission, citing the need for multiple variances to be granted in order for approval. Additionally, the planning staff claims there is currently a precedent for denying event venues in residential areas in Hall County.
Newly reappointed District 1 Planning Commissioner Frank Sosby said the area in question is just not the right spot for an event venue.
“First of all, I think that the traffic is just crazy in that particular area in Friendship, and then it's more of a neighborhood area, than Event Center,” Sosby said. “Going into doing that kind of activity there, it would be more detrimental to the neighbors.”
Miller’s application saw stark opposition during Tuesday night’s meeting. Nearby residents expressed concerns regarding security issues, parking lot infringements, property buffers, noise and traffic congestion bleeding into the adjacent neighborhood. A recurring worry by residents was the need for venue attendees to perform U-turns in the Friendship Farm Drive subdivision.
Sosby asked several questions about safety in regard to venue security and traffic control during the hearing portion of the meeting. In the end, he felt the application did not meet the appropriate criteria.
“As you saw there were quite a few people who came up to oppose that,” Sosby said. “So yeah, for those reasons, and then the safety issues, and I know people say, ‘Well they have security there,’ but at the end of the day, you got all kinds of people coming into those areas, into people's neighborhoods, stuff like that — so I’m a safety guy.”
The planning commission’s denial recommendation will be forwarded to the Board of Commissioners, who will take final action on Feb. 23.
