Chrysler Dealership Approved In Woodstock

WOODSTOCK, GA — A divided Woodstock City Council at its Monday, Aug. 27 meeting voted to approve a conditional use permit to allow a Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealership to operate in the Ridgewalk area.

The proposal was approved by a vote of 4-3, with Mayor Donnie Henriques and Council members Rob Usher, Brian Wolfe and Tracy Collins voting in favor and Councilmen David Potts, Warren Johnson and Colin Ake opposing. The approval followed an original motion to deny the conditional use permit, with Potts, Johnson and Ake voting to deny. Wolfe, Collins, Usher and Henriques all voted to reject the denial, thus marking the motion as a failure.

The property consists of 12.6 acres on the south side of Ridgewalk Parkway and west of Ridge Trail and is zoned NC-TCT (new community town center). The proposed use would be for an automobile/truck sales and service center. Fiat Chrysler America, the developer, also sought variances to be relieved from the city's standards related to screened parking, building placement, civic space, private frontages, facade requirements and lot dimensions.

While the permit was approved, city leaders, once again divided, voted to table discussion and action on the variances until the Sept. 10 meeting. That was also a split vote, with Mayor Henriques voting in favor of the request to table.

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Parks Huff, attorney for the applicant, said the dealership will bring 70 jobs with an average annual salary of $50,000 to the area. He also said the developers met with community members and any neighborhood groups that raised questions about the proposal.

“We thought it was very meaningful that we did that," he said.

With traffic serving as one of the many questions on the minds of those in the room, Huff said engineers for the dealership estimate their use would result in 78 percent less traffic than other uses that would fit the site in question. Car dealerships, he said, are generally used by people who live within five miles of the site. This new site, he added, would give residents an option closer to home, as they would not have to drive to Canton, Marietta or Roswell to have their Dodge, Chrysler or Jeeps serviced.

Several people spoke in favor and against the proposal. Steve Shuler of Shuler Properties, which is developing a retail center across from the dealership, said he believed the site plans and aesthetics will be "complementary to what we are building."

Another resident, who said he was opening a new restaurant in the Outlet Shoppes at Atlanta, said he was in favor of the dealership because those customers getting their vehicles serviced will be able to patronize his business while they wait for an oil change.

Jay Dawson, resident of the Montclair at Ridgewalk subdivision, said quite a few neighbors were initially opposed to the idea, but once they got into the weeds of the project, the bulk of those vocal residents got behind the project.

John Rowland, who lives in the Meridian at Ridgewalk subdivision, said he didn't believe the dealership would be successful, as they would not be able to sell enough cars to make a profit. He estimated that Fiat Chrysler would need to sell more than 100 cars per month.

"Basically, if you're not selling that, what you have is a repair shop sitting there," he said, adding he'd rather see a nice restaurant in its place.

A representative with the company said the dealership expects to sell roughly 110 to 115 new cars and between 50 and 60 used vehicles per month.

Another opponent, Brandon Williams, told the Council he was all for economic development, but that he's also for "smart" development. While 70 jobs sound positive, he said that the dealership's request for 24 variances would indicate that the project is "not compatible" with the surrounding area.

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