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:

The long-awaited The Cheesecake Factory has finally opened in south Forsyth. The restaurant opened on July 21st and is occupying the space that previously belonged to Wild Wing Cafe in The Collection at Forsyth. Just like other locations, the restaurant will feature the same 250+ dishes that people love. The addition of The Cheesecake Factory also brings another major full-service restaurant to one of south Forsyth and metro-Atlanta’s core retail centers. This new location for the popular national brand was forecasted to add around 280 extra jobs to Forsyth County, making it one of the area’s most significant restaurant openings in recent years.

Source: Official Cheesecake Factory Website

The City of Cumming appears to be moving forward with a new restroom facility for the Cumming Fairgrounds after the idea was delayed last month. The latest agenda for the July 21st meeting says, “Report of Quotes - Fairgrounds Restroom”, alluding that the development for the facility is still moving forward after the RFP’s for last month’s meeting were not favorable to their budget. This new restroom facility will be built on land purchased last year and is expected to be ready by the time of this year’s Cumming County Fair & Festival. It’s no secret that the fairgrounds are one of the City of Cumming’s biggest event assets. As the city and Forsyth County grow, we will likely see additional facilities and buildings pop up to support the growing attendance of regional events.

Source: Official City of Cumming Website

The City of Cumming has delayed a decision on a proposed Shree Real Estate Developers project that would bring new age-restricted housing and a commercial space to the Market Space Boulevard area. The proposal was for 89 homes limited to residents 55 and older, along with a 32,221-square-foot retail center and a 2,000-square-foot restaurant. The City of Cumming rezoning application #2026040 is tied to this project, which seeks to rezone property at Marketplace Boulevard and Sanders Road.

At the July 21st public city council work session, nearby residents voiced their concerns on how the project would affect the surrounding areas. Main concerns included wildlife, tree removal, noise, property values, and the relationship between the new development and existing homes. Instead of taking an immediate vote, the council postponed a decision to give the developer and residents more time to talk through possible changes. The item is expected to return at the August 4th work session.

The project is notable as it combines two major growth pressures in a single proposal. These are more senior-oriented housing and more commercial activity along one of Cumming’s busiest corridors. Age-restricted housing can help meet demand from older residents who want to stay near shopping, medical care, and services. However, this proposal is also showing familiar neighborhood concerns that come with denser development near established residential areas. The biggest thing to look out for would be to see if Shree modifies the site plan, buffers, building placement, traffic approach, or commercial component before the council reviews it again.

Source: Official City of Cumming Website

Play It Again Sports is expected to open a new Forsyth County location this summer. The chain sells used and new sporting goods and is known for also buying and trading used goods from the community. The Play It Again Sports - Cumming, GA Facebook account has been posting teasers about their upcoming launch and will likely launch anytime now, though no date has been confirmed. Once the store does arrive, it will be located at 580 Atlanta Road, right next to the Publix in central Cumming. Rest assured, athletes of all ages in Forsyth will have a great new place to buy, sell, and trade their sporting goods.

Source: Play It Again Sports - Cumming, GA Facebook

A new Chick-fil-A location is coming soon this fall to west Forsyth. It is going to be located at the intersection of Bethelview and Castleberry as a part of the new Southard Exchange development by Abernathy Development. The location will feature a 5,180 square foot building with a drive-thru, outdoor dining space, and a parking lot as a part of a multi-tenant retail development. The addition of this Chick-fil-A will add another major national restaurant to the Southard Exchange development, along with a 7 Brew Coffee and a Shake Shack, which have also been confirmed to come soon. The Chick-fil-A team for the location has been posting about the upcoming launch on social media, and it seems that they are just as excited as nearby residents for it to open later this year.

Source: Chick-fil-A Cumming Instagram

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! See you next Sunday :)