Welcome to Real Forsyth! Here, you’ll be able to keep up with the latest developments and growth happening in Forsyth County, Georgia. If this landed in your spam, please move it to your inbox so you don’t miss any future issues. Also, make sure to share it with your friends in FoCo. Now here’s what happened recently:

Forsyth County is officially getting its first Life Time athletic country club after commissioners approved the project’s zoning requests on Aug. 20. The proposed club would be built on nearly 17 acres along Post Road, near 4800 Atlanta Highway. Plans call for a 100,000-square-foot indoor facility plus 49,533 square feet of outdoor recreation space, bringing the total recreational footprint to nearly 150,000 square feet. The site plan also includes 619 parking spaces, and Life Time received approval for a building reaching up to 53 feet tall. Life Time operates several large clubs around metro Atlanta, including nearby locations in Alpharetta and Johns Creek. Those facilities typically offer amenities like pools, fitness studios, sports courts, childcare and large workout areas, although a final amenity list for the Forsyth location has not yet been released. There’s also no construction start date or opening date yet, so the project still has permitting and site work ahead of it.

Source: Official Forsyth County

A new option for buying, and getting rid of, sports equipment is opening in Cumming this week. Play It Again Sports will open Sept. 3 at 580 Atlanta Road, Suite 203-B, with a four-day grand-opening celebration running through Sept. 6. Unlike a traditional sporting-goods store, Play It Again Sports lets customers buy, sell and trade both new and used sports and fitness equipment, which could come in handy for families constantly replacing gear as kids grow or move between sports. The independently owned franchise has also planned several grand-opening promotions. The first 25 customers on opening day are set to receive $25 gift cards, while shopping-spree giveaways will take place throughout the weekend. On Saturday and Sunday, 5% of sales will be donated to the Forsyth County Parks Foundation. The Cumming store’s regular hours are expected to be 10 a.m.–8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Saturday and noon–5 p.m. Sunday.

Source: Official Play It Again Sports

One of Forsyth County’s homegrown restaurant brands is expanding again. The Bagel Hole will open its fifth location Monday, Aug. 31 at 6:30 a.m. at 3560 Browns Bridge Road, Suite 300, inside Coal Mountain Shops near Browns Bridge and Hammond’s Crossing roads. The new restaurant occupies roughly 1,400 square feet and gives residents around Coal Mountain, Silver City and northeast Forsyth a much closer Bagel Hole option. This opening is especially notable because it will be The Bagel Hole’s first franchised location. Raegan and Elise Wexler are behind the new shop after approaching founders Gary and Cathy Trentacosta about joining the growing brand. The Bagel Hole itself started right here in Cumming in June 2020, when the Trentacostas opened their original Peachtree Parkway shop. The business, inspired by Gary’s New Jersey roots and more than 30 years in the food industry, has since expanded into Alpharetta, Dawsonville and Braselton. The North Forsyth menu will feature the same bagels, breakfast sandwiches, schmears and lunch offerings available at its other locations.

Source: The Bagel Hole Official Facebook

Thank you for reading this week’s issue of Real Forsyth. It’s exciting to see all the new development and growth happening in this county of ours. Have suggestions for the newsletter? Reply to this email; I read all responses. Know someone who’d enjoy this newsletter? Forward them this email! And if you’re a local business interested in sponsoring the next issue, visit this page for information. See you next Sunday :)

Quick question before you go: Which do you prefer more:

A. A shorter issue with ~3 bigger stories

B. A longer issue with ~5 stories, including smaller updates

Just reply with A or B, I read every response!