The Bells Ferry Civic Association is opposing plans for a RaceTrac gas station on a busy intersection in Northeast Cobb where an 1840s-era historic home was recently relocated.
The BFCA sent a written letter to Cobb zoning staff last month, before an attorney for the applicant asked for a continuance and submitted a new site plan and additional stipulations.
A request by RaceTrac, Inc. to rezone 2.009 acres at 2595 Bells Ferry Road and across from Bells Ferry Elementary School is on the Cobb Planning Commission agenda for Tuesday.
The applicant wants to rezone the land from planned shopping center (PSC) to neighborhood retail center (NRC) for a 24/7 fueling facility with a convenience store.
What was called the McAfee House was the headquarters for Union Gen. Kenner Garrard, whose cavalry troops guarded the Noonday Creek valley after Northern troops seized Big Shanty in June 1864, in the run-up to the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain.
Earlier this year the house was relocated by preservationists to Cherokee County. In 2023, a car wash was proposed for the land, owned by the Medford Family LP, and the Cobb Planning Commission recommended approval. But the request was withdrawn by the applicant due to what it said were other business obligations.
In its letter (you can read it here) the BFCA referenced a glut of gas stations in the area—it counted 10 within two miles—as well as alcohol sales and gasoline fumes near the school and an adjacent KinderCare child care facility.
The civic group also referenced the historical nature of the property, asking that “prior to any development on this property, it is essential that a thorough search be conducted for Indian and Civil War artifacts, trenches, gravesites, and other items of historical significance. Furthermore, a memorial plaque needs to be erected at the corner of Bells Ferry and Barrett Pkwy to identify and commemorate an important part of our county’s history.”
In its analysis, the Cobb Zoning Staff offered brief historic preservation comments, saying that it recommending “an archaeological survey and report before any development occurs. Any artifacts discovered during the survey should be donated to an appropriate museum.”
The staff is approving recommendation (full analysis here) with none of the variances requested by RaceTrac.
Last week, RaceTrac attorney Kevin Moore submitted a stipulation letter (you can read it here) that includes an eight-foot landscape buffer around the property, and agrees with the historic preservation comments about doing an archaeological survey and report if rezoning is approved.
The Cobb Planning Commission meeting begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the county office building at 100 Cherokee Street, Marietta. You can view the full agenda by clicking here.
You also can watch the hearing on the county’s website and YouTube channels and on Cobb TV 23 on Comcast Cable.
Related stories:
- New townhouse plans filed at rejected Marietta site
- Dog-training business at East Cobb home put on hold
- RaceTrac delays rezoning request on NE Cobb historic site
- Tom Cousins, developer of Indian Hills, dies at 92
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