Cobb County planners voted 4-0 on Sept. 1 against Eastside Church's proposed senior-living facility on Lower Roswell Road. The recommendation to deny the rezoning follows months of neighborhood opposition over density, traffic and stormwater.

Vice Chairwoman Deborah Dance, who represents District 3 covering most of East Cobb, made the motion. Chairwoman Nadia Faucette was absent.

"At this time, I would move to deny this petition, as it is not a fit for the low-density, walkable neighborhood," Dance said at the hearing.

The church wants to rezone 8.65 acres of its property from R-20 to RSL (residential senior living) to build The Haven at Eastside. The project calls for a 95-unit assisted living building and eight independent living cottages on what is now mostly parking lot at the corner of Lower Roswell Road and Little Road.

The denial recommendation now goes to the Cobb Board of Commissioners. Attorney Kevin Moore, representing the church, told the Cobb Zoning Division his clients want additional time "in response to community requests and comments" and that the church is "proceeding to revise the overall Site Plan and design parameters." He did not elaborate on what changes are planned.

Neighbors packed the hearing

Opposition dominated the Sept. 1 hearing. Fifty-seven people showed up against the project and 21 in support, according to East Cobb News. Another 45 people expressed opposition through an online system, with just two in favor.

Resident Abby Shiffman, who lives across Lower Roswell Road from the church, told commissioners she had gathered 232 signatures on a petition against the project.

The East Cobb Civic Association had already voted unanimously to recommend denial, citing density above 13 units per acre, building scale incompatible with surrounding single-family homes, stormwater concerns and lack of walking continuity on the site, according to its May meeting minutes.

Late filings raised concerns

Eastside Church submitted a revised site plan and new building elevations the week before the hearing. The church's traffic study arrived only the afternoon before. Cobb DOT said it had not had time to examine it.

Moore argued the traffic study showed The Haven would cause less than a two-second delay at nearby intersections. Commissioners were not persuaded.

Member Fred Beloin said the case was "unique" because a church and a school on one property would be split by a senior-living building. Eastside Christian School, on the same campus, enrolls 275 students with a cap of 600, executive pastor Darrell Whipple said at the hearing.

Cobb DOT had previously estimated the Lower Roswell Road and Little Road area already handles 13,000 vehicle trips per day, and that The Haven would add 426 more, according to East Cobb News reporting from July.

A long road to denial

The Planning Commission first heard the case in June, then held it to give the church time to address concerns, the Marietta Daily Journal reported. The church received continuances in July and August. It reduced the main building from three stories to two and shrank the project footprint from 10.10 acres to 8.65 acres, but neighbors said the changes fell short.

Cobb County Commissioner JoAnn Birrell and Dance held a community meeting at the East Cobb Library on Aug. 28 that drew about 70 residents, most of whom spoke against the project.

In July, church elder Ray Farmer told East Cobb News, "We have heard the community concerns and think that we have addressed them."

What comes next

The church formed a nonprofit, Haven at Eastside Inc., to develop and operate the facility. Residential charges would start at $6,000 a month.

The Board of Commissioners is scheduled to hear the case (Z-22-2026) on Oct. 20. Residents can submit comments through the Cobb County Zoning Division.