Rezoning review for Villages at Brandywine

Beazer Homes is seeking support to rezone a portion of land at the corner of McFarland and Highway 9 to bring a new townhome community with commercial out parcels. Below is the project description.

Project Overview
Villages at Brandywine will be commercial mixed use development that will improve the southwest area of Forsyth County. The vision for this development is that of a neighborhood grocery store and local shops that serve and can be identified with the surrounding neighborhoods. It is our intent that the services provided in these commercial spaces will benefit the citizens in the southwest part of the county and keep those sales taxes in the county.

Located just off the southeast corner of McFarland Parkway and Hwy 9, this commercial mixed use development will have excellent access to GA 400 and the Hwy 9 commuting corridor. The commercial spaces are located both on McFarland and Hwy 9. The development’s main entrance will be off of McFarland Parkway, with a secondary entrance off of Martin Road, next to the new Brandywine Elementary School, its namesake. There will also be a right-in, right-out on Hwy 9.

The intent of this development will be to improve walkability and support the existing corner commercial. This development is seen as a transitional use, moving from the intense intersection of McFarland Parkway and Hwy 9 back to the school and existing single family residential neighborhoods.

The Villages at Brandywine will be different from other commercial mixed use developments because it will feature the neighborhood grocery. This style of grocery will become the new anchor for future development of this section of the Hwy 9 corridor.

We expect The Villages at Brandywine to have a distinct identity as a neighborhood that offers connectivity and walkability to the planned new commercial as well as the existing commercial strip centers. A destination retail establishment like this one, will (1) help the surrounding retail by establishing a new neighborhood identity, (2) keep trips down on Hwy 9 by positioning a frequent necessity like grocery closer to existing homes, and (3) stimulate the existing corner retail to redevelop.
The southwest area of the county has long been passed over by developers in favor of other, more central areas. Now, with the addition of the new Brandywine Elementary School and Desana Middle School and the soon to be constructed Denmark High School, the southwest area is getting the attention it deserves.
Explain history of the Brandywine Elementary school acquisition (Phil Bettis)

The owner is seeking to sell the grocery site to an un-named grocery store that is not currently operating in this area. The owner plans to keep the retail along McFarland for future family business or develop the site for rental income. The architectural theme of Brandywine will be consistent throughout the neighborhood.