Plans for Yule Forest Retail Space Approved in Kelleytown

Architectural rendering for Yule Forest Village commercial space (Moore Bass Consulting photo).
New commercial space is proposed at Georgia 155 and Kelleytown Road. (Moore Bass Consulting photo)

Plans for new commercial space in the Kelleytown area can now proceed forward. County commissioners approved a rezoning request for Yule Forest Village on February 20, 2024.

The project plans to construct a variety of retail and restaurant uses at state route 155 and Kelleytown Road. No specific tenants have been mentioned to date.

Yule Forest Village

Allen Grant, owner of Yule Forest, sought the rezoning from RA to C-2 (general commercial). This zoning will allow the redevelopment of Yule Forest into new commercial space. Altogether, the project plans to build 143,500 square feet of retail & restaurant space.

The property is located at the southwest corner of Georgia 155 and Kelleytown Road. Located across the street is the Publix at Kelleytown Village shopping center. Vehicle access points along GA 155 would align with the Publix development. A third vehicle access point would also be off Reagan Road.

A notable element of the development will be a large central pedestrian plaza. This area features a large walking trail with landscaping and trees. It bisects the site both north-to-south and east-to-west. The pedestrian plaza encourages walking between different shops and restaurants.

The applicant also worked with county staff to place buildings closer to the street, and parking in the rear. This arraignment, combined with the pedestrian plaza, improve the visual appeal of the project.

Permitted Uses

The project is planning a mixture of available retail spaces. Plans call for buildings ranging from 4,000 square feet to 24,000 square feet. This can support a wide variety of uses, such as retail, office or medical space, and restaurants. Though there’s meant to be flexibility, several business types are prohibited. The following businesses cannot locate here:

  • tattoo parlors,
  • body piercing shops,
  • vape shops, and
  • automobile washes.

In addition, county ordinances prohibit small-box discount stores at the location. Finally, there is an allowance for certain businesses. They include the following:

  • one gasoline service station,
  • one nail salon, and
  • two fast-food restaurants.

NAI Global is handling sale information for the property.

Village Concept

Yule Forest serves as the first test of Henry County’s new village concept. The village concept seeks to provide a greater variety of retail at strategic locations. The goal is for residents to have more options closer to home. By comparison, residents right now must commute to the I-75 corridor for most retail businesses within the county.

Henry County adopted the village nodes during the 2023 comp plan update. Village nodes are located at the following locations: Fairview, Kelleytown, Luella, Ola and Union Grove.

Featured image shows a concept rendering for Yule Forest Village. Moore Bass Consulting photo.

About Clayton 1739 Articles
Clayton Carte is the founder and owner of The Henry Reporter. He founded the site in 2017 to highlight transportation projects. Over time, he began covering other topics like new development so residents can best know what’s happening in our community.

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