The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Possible lack of parking for event center stirs concerns
Expansion could mean ‘too much intensity’ in area.
There might not be enough parking to go around at a planned Johns Creek event center.
Hezli Holdings, which owns property on Lakefield Drive, plans to open a 13,000-squarefoot event center next door to the busy Six Bridges Brew- ing, where parking spaces are quickly taken most weekends.
During a Monday meeting, Johns Creek City Council members questioned whether park i ng would accommodate bre w e ry patrons and guests who rent out the facility for events. Council approved rezoning of the site to community busi- ness district in a split vote.
“I am very troubled by this case,” Mayor Mike Bodker said, referring to the future event center as a great product in the wrong location. “We are opening the door to what we know will be a problem. It’s just a matter of when.”
Bodker and Councilman Lenny Zaprowski voted against the rezoning. Both complained that visitors to the brewery already hunt for parking spaces.
“It’s too much intensity between what’s already there and what you’re bringing in,” Bodker told The Atlanta Journal-constitution. “Busi- nesses already operating in that particular building rely on that set of parking.”
Before the pandemic, Hezli Holdings operated an event center in a smaller space in the building, but when they applied for a business license, they learned it was zoned only for industrial use and had to shut down, Community Development Director Ben Song told the AJC.
Clay Gridley, who co-owns the brewery with his father Charles, told the AJC that he’s concerned about parking too. He added that he trusts city officials’ judgment.
The Lakefield building cur- rently has 100 parking spaces.
Kedrin Edgerson, who represents Hezli Holdings, has said the company plans to add 25 parking spaces and off-site parking at nearby locations with shuttle service. The city required 159 parking spaces for the buildings’ new use but reduced the number, given the off-site parking accommodations. Edgerson told officials valet parking will be offered as well.
Hezli wants to eventually open a restaurant in the building for patrons of the brewery, which doesn’t offer food, Edgerson said during the meeting. But Gridley was unaware of the those plans, he said.
“The food aspect is news to me,” he said. “We have food trucks on the weekends. I don’t think we need competing vendors.”
A restaurant could require even more parking spaces, Song told Council members.
Edgerson didn’t return an email and phone calls to the AJC.
The new event center location is near the planned town center area of Johns Creek.
Councilman John Bradberry said Hezli’s plans complement the city’s desire for live, work, play in the area. “If we’re looking for greater vibrancy, this is the poster child for potential vibrancy,” Bradberry said.
The city of Atlanta will begin allowing outdoor events with under 2,000 people after May 15, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced Wednesday.
Bottoms issued an executive order lifting the city’s moratorium on permit applications for events like festivals and other large gather- ings, though outdoor events for more than 2,000 people are still not allowed.
The events must occur after
May 15 and must observe COVID-19 safety guidelines, according to the mayor’s order.
Bottoms put a temporary ban on any public gatherings of more than 50 people last March.
In another lifting of pandemic measures, all outdoor basketball hoops will also be reinstalled at city courts by April 1, Bottoms announced. The city has already reinstalled hoops at more than 20 courts.
The city’s recreational youth baseball program is also set to resume in April; residents are urged to contact their local recreation center for more details.