EAST COBB — When, in 2021, the Cobb Board of Commissioners approved North Point Ministries’ request to build a church and up to 95 homes on undeveloped land in east Cobb, the plan was in its 22nd iteration.
The outcome, in October 2021, was the result of nearly a year of compromise and negotiation over the controversial zoning case.
Since then, it took more than a year for North Point to get a land disturbance permit from the county to begin construction.
But last week, construction workers finally fired up their machinery. Dirt is moving at the site which will become the new home of North Point’s East Cobb Church.
“It does feel like Christmas to finally be done and to see this,” said Jamey Dickens, the church’s lead pastor, standing on an embankment which overlooks the site. “Our people have been waiting to see this for a couple of years … I’ve been telling them, ‘You’ve been dreaming of home for a while. Now it’s time to start building it.’ … I can’t wait.”
The church received its permit from the county last week, and has commenced with general site preparation.
Construction at the corner of Shallowford and Johnson Ferry roads will bring a new, 125,000-square-foot church.
Elsewhere at the site, third-party developer Ashwood will build up to 95 single-family houses and townhomes, along with a handful of commercial units. While the project was bundled together when seeking approval from the county, the homes and commercial development will not be part of the church once built.
“My understanding is just with the size and scope of the project, and the complexity … given there’s a dam involved, there’s a road relocation involved … two developers involved … all of that made it a lot more complex at the county level,” Dickens said, of the long wait for the county permit.
The church will be the…
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