Request by Jehovah’s Witnesses Gets Green Light

The Dacula Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses moved one step closer last night to seeing their plans for a church on Ace McMillan Road become reality.

The Gwinnett County Planning Commission recommended approval of the request by an 8-1 vote. District 3 representative Theresa Cantrell voted in opposition.

The church has requested permission to construct.

Chuck Warbington, the other district 3 appointee, . The main concern of those opposed, Warbington said, is the potential impact on traffic. Warbington said he did not feel the church would create enough traffic to have a significant impact.

The planning department recommended denial of the request due to the fact that a nearly identical 2007 special use permit application for a church on the site was denied. The planning department analysis also stated the location could result in an inappropriate amount of traffic in the sparsely developed residential and agricultural area.

However, the planning department also recommended several conditions in the event the permit request was approved. Warbington said those recommendations, which included limitations regarding facility size, building materials and the parking lot location, were included as part of the commission’s approval recommendation.

Also on Feb. 15, the planning commission recommended approval for a special use permit which would allow a hair salon to be operated out of a home at 931 Auburn Road. The applicant, Cynthia Holdrich, has a home on a two-acre, wooded tract between Bailey Woods Road and Fence Road. The proposed single-chair salon would operate seven days a week and serve four to six customers each day by appointment.

The commission recommended approval of the request with conditions including limiting the hours of operation from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., restricting the number of customers to one at a time and prohibiting any exterior signage.

UP NEXT

The above listed cases will go before the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners for final approval on Tuesday, Feb. 22. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, 75 Langley Drive, Lawrenceville.