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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Kennesaw City Council Meeting Summary - March 16, 2026

City Council — Monday, March 16, 2026

BodyKennesaw, Georgia

SessionCity Council

DateMonday, March 16, 2026

StatusFILED

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Speaker 1

4:10

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

4:12

Welcome to our regularly scheduled council meeting for Monday, sixteenth March, twenty twenty-six.

4:23

Thank you for participating.

4:25

If you would please stand for the invocation, and Andrew, you have to lead us in the pledge afterwards.

4:39

Pray that you guide our decisions and bless our votes.

4:46

Amen.

Unassigned speaker

5:00

Indivisible Liberty and Justice for all.

Speaker 1

5:02

And with that, the meeting is called to order.

5:04

If you're going to speak tonight for any reason, if you would uh please stand and be sworn in by our city attorney, Sam Hensley.

Speaker 2

5:14

Thank you, Mr.

5:14

Mayor.

5:15

Yes, if you'll be making any kind of public comment or presentation to this council this evening, would you please raise your right hand?

5:21

Do you swear or affirm that the presentation or comment that you'll be making this evening will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?

5:28

If so, say I do.

5:30

Thank you.

5:30

You may be seated.

Speaker 1

5:32

All right, thank you.

5:33

And with that, um, good evening, everyone.

5:36

Uh public comment.

5:37

Uh this is this section of public comment is for anything that is on the agenda.

5:43

If you've got something on your mind, now's the time.

Unassigned speaker

5:47

Okay.

Speaker 1

5:47

Hearing none and seeing none, the floor for public comment is closed.

5:51

Um public hearings.

5:53

We've got three of them up there.

5:56

Um we have other actions that are going to be taken.

5:59

But the the first two uh concern one property at 1600 Old Highway 41 and zero old highway 41.

6:10

Um it's the rezoning request, but do you have something for us?

Speaker 3

6:15

Yes, sir.

6:16

Um, good evening, Mayor and Council.

6:18

Um, the first is on tonight's agenda, as I alluded to um during our presentation last week.

6:29

Um, the applicant proposed 182 units um as part of their rezoning packet.

6:34

However, based on our definition in section 1.09.02 of our UDC and the zoning um designation, the maximum number of units permitted will be significantly different.

6:46

And for these reasons, um the applicant is requesting to have additional conversation with staff in order to go over their proposal as well as their application.

Speaker 1

6:56

Okay.

6:57

And you understand that we're gonna we haven't uh posted it, so we're gonna go into public comment anyway.

Speaker 3

7:03

Yes, sir, I understand.

Speaker 1

7:05

Okay.

7:05

And um there was no date for that.

7:09

It's it's gonna be as deemed once he has that conversation.

Speaker 3

7:13

Yes, sir.

7:13

Um staff has met with the applicant and has um landed on a final solution.

7:18

Um the applicant will re reapply or will bring back their application before mayor and council.

7:24

If there are significant changes to the application, the applicant was informed that they would have to go back through planning commission.

7:31

Okay.

7:32

Um so they are aware of that.

7:33

And based on that conclusion, we will let um mayor and council know when the application will be brought back.

Speaker 1

7:39

All right, good.

7:40

And council, for you to um to to be on board with everything.

7:45

We're gonna have the public comment and then I'm gonna seek a motion.

7:48

Well, I'm gonna seek a motion to withdraw the request, but we're still gonna have public comment.

Unassigned speaker

7:55

And

Speaker 1

7:55

that that's what the motion will be, because there's no date, so we we can't do it as a uh a table.

8:03

Okay.

8:04

All right, thank you.

8:05

Um we're gonna we're gonna take them individually.

8:07

So may I have a motion to withdraw the uh rezoning request for 1600 Old Highway 41?

Speaker 2

8:14

So made.

Speaker 1

8:15

May I have a second.

8:16

Second.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████68%

Affordable Housing█████8%

Alcohol Licensing█████8%

Public Safety█████8%

Historic Preservation█████8%

Summary of Proceedings

Kennesaw City Council Meeting Summary - March 16, 2026

The Kennesaw City Council held its regular meeting on Monday, March 16, 2026, at 6:30 PM in the Council Chambers. Mayor Derek Easterling presided over the meeting. The Council deferred a rezoning and variance request from Walton Communities, accepted the withdrawal of a rezoning application from Cedar Creek Professional Office Association, approved an alcohol license for Hooters of Kennesaw, accepted February 2026 crime statistics, and entered executive session to discuss land matters.

Consent Calendar

The Council approved the Consent Agenda (5-0) covering the following items:

Minutes: February 23, 2026 Work Session, Executive Session, and the March 2, 2026 Regular Meeting.
Resolution 2026-18: Master Fee Schedule Updates.
Resolution 2026-19: Memorandum of Understanding with Kennesaw State University for law enforcement mutual aid.
Resolution 2026-20: Agreement with Hiplink Software for critical communication services.

Public Comments & Testimony

General Public Comment: City resident Andrew Bramlett presented a historical narrative connecting Kennesaw to the television series Star Trek: Voyager through the Battle of Pine Mountain and Colonel Lewis Stegman.

Discussion Items

Rezoning (RZ2026-01) and Variance (ZV2026-01) for 1600 Old 41 Hwy: Planning and Zoning Director Chanelle Campbell presented the applications from Walton Communities, LLC to rezone approximately 11.44 acres to RM-16 for a multifamily development. The applicant initially proposed 182 units; however, staff informed the Council that the maximum allowable density in the requested zoning district would be significantly different per UDC Section 1.09.02. The applicant requested additional time to meet with staff. The Council unanimously (5-0) deferred both the rezoning and the variance. A deferral date was not set. The applicant was informed that significant changes would require Planning Commission review.
Rezoning Withdrawal (RZ2026-03) for 6095 Pine Mountain Road: Ms. Campbell reported that the applicant, Cedar Creek Professional Office Association, Inc., withdrew their application at the March 4, 2026 Planning Commission meeting, which was unanimously accepted. The Council unanimously (5-0) accepted the withdrawal.
Alcohol License for Hooters of Kennesaw: Business License Manager Kayla Willis recommended approval of a Retail Pouring Alcohol License for beer, wine, liquor, and Sunday sales for the location at 2102 Old 41 Highway NW. The applicant, Matthew Floyd, was present with legal counsel. Ms. Willis confirmed all requirements were met, including the alcohol workshop, public hearing advertisement, background check, and distance survey. The Council approved the license unanimously (5-0).
February 2026 Crime Statistics: Chief Bill Westenberger presented the monthly statistics. Notable data included 601 dispatch calls, 1,574 self-initiated calls, 741 traffic citations, 76 arrests, and 78 auto accidents. He highlighted increases in drug/narcotic offenses (+15) and fraud (+6), and decreases in larceny/theft (-6) and simple assault (-6). The Council unanimously (5-0) accepted the report.
City Manager's Report: Assistant City Manager Marty Hughes thanked the Public Works and Parks and Recreation departments for their rapid response to downed trees from severe weather at Tara Park. He also announced that a well-attended joint SPLOST meeting was held the previous week and that the next SPLOST meeting would be Thursday at the Ben Robertson Community Center.

Key Outcomes

Deferrals: The rezoning and variance for the Walton Communities project (1600 Old 41 Hwy) were deferred unanimously (5-0) pending further staff and applicant discussions.
Withdrawal: The rezoning application for 6095 Pine Mountain Road (Cedar Creek Professional Office Association) was withdrawn unanimously (5-0).
Approvals: The Consent Agenda, the alcohol license for Hooters of Kennesaw, and the February 2026 crime statistics were each approved unanimously (5-0).
Executive Session: The Council voted unanimously (5-0) to enter Executive Session at 6:43 PM to discuss land matters under O.C.G.A. 50-14-3. The Council reconvened at 6:52 PM and unanimously approved an affidavit confirming the closed session complied with the Open Meetings Act.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 6:53 PM. The next meeting is a work session on Monday, March 30, 2026, at 6:30 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to our regularly scheduled council meeting for Monday, sixteenth March, twenty twenty-six. Thank you for participating. If you would please stand for the invocation, and Andrew, you have to lead us in the pledge afterwards. Pray that you guide our decisions and bless our votes. Amen. Indivisible Liberty and Justice for all. And with that, the meeting is called to order. If you're going to speak tonight for any reason, if you would uh please stand and be sworn in by our city attorney, Sam Hensley. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Yes, if you'll be making any kind of public comment or presentation to this council this evening, would you please raise your right hand? Do you swear or affirm that the presentation or comment that you'll be making this evening will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? If so, say I do. Thank you. You may be seated. All right, thank you. And with that, um, good evening, everyone. Uh public comment. Uh this is this section of public comment is for anything that is on the agenda. If you've got something on your mind, now's the time. Okay. Hearing none and seeing none, the floor for public comment is closed. Um public hearings. We've got three of them up there. Um we have other actions that are going to be taken. But the the first two uh concern one property at 1600 Old Highway 41 and zero old highway 41. Um it's the rezoning request, but do you have something for us? Yes, sir. Um, good evening, Mayor and Council. Um, the first is on tonight's agenda, as I alluded to um during our presentation last week. Um, the applicant proposed 182 units um as part of their rezoning packet. However, based on our definition in section 1.09.02 of our UDC and the zoning um designation, the maximum number of units permitted will be significantly different. And for these reasons, um the applicant is requesting to have additional conversation with staff in order to go over their proposal as well as their application. Okay. And you understand that we're gonna we haven't uh posted it, so we're gonna go into public comment anyway. Yes, sir, I understand. Okay. And um there was no date for that. It's it's gonna be as deemed once he has that conversation. Yes, sir. Um staff has met with the applicant and has um landed on a final solution. Um the applicant will re reapply or will bring back their application before mayor and council. If there are significant changes to the application, the applicant was informed that they would have to go back through planning commission. Okay. Um so they are aware of that. And based on that conclusion, we will let um mayor and council know when the application will be brought back. All right, good. And council, for you to um to to be on board with everything. We're gonna have the public comment and then I'm gonna seek a motion.

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Kennesaw City Council Meeting Summary - March 16, 2026

Consent Calendar

The Council approved the Consent Agenda (5-0) covering the following items:

Minutes: February 23, 2026 Work Session, Executive Session, and the March 2, 2026 Regular Meeting.

Resolution 2026-18: Master Fee Schedule Updates.

Resolution 2026-19: Memorandum of Understanding with Kennesaw State University for law enforcement mutual aid.

Resolution 2026-20: Agreement with Hiplink Software for critical communication services.

Public Comments & Testimony

General Public Comment: City resident Andrew Bramlett presented a historical narrative connecting Kennesaw to the television series Star Trek: Voyager through the Battle of Pine Mountain and Colonel Lewis Stegman.

Discussion Items

Rezoning (RZ2026-01) and Variance (ZV2026-01) for 1600 Old 41 Hwy: Planning and Zoning Director Chanelle Campbell presented the applications from Walton Communities, LLC to rezone approximately 11.44 acres to RM-16 for a multifamily development. The applicant initially proposed 182 units; however, staff informed the Council that the maximum allowable density in the requested zoning district would be significantly different per UDC Section 1.09.02. The applicant requested additional time to meet with staff. The Council unanimously (5-0) deferred both the rezoning and the variance. A deferral date was not set. The applicant was informed that significant changes would require Planning Commission review.

Rezoning Withdrawal (RZ2026-03) for 6095 Pine Mountain Road: Ms. Campbell reported that the applicant, Cedar Creek Professional Office Association, Inc., withdrew their application at the March 4, 2026 Planning Commission meeting, which was unanimously accepted. The Council unanimously (5-0) accepted the withdrawal.

Alcohol License for Hooters of Kennesaw: Business License Manager Kayla Willis recommended approval of a Retail Pouring Alcohol License for beer, wine, liquor, and Sunday sales for the location at 2102 Old 41 Highway NW. The applicant, Matthew Floyd, was present with legal counsel. Ms. Willis confirmed all requirements were met, including the alcohol workshop, public hearing advertisement, background check, and distance survey. The Council approved the license unanimously (5-0).

February 2026 Crime Statistics: Chief Bill Westenberger presented the monthly statistics. Notable data included 601 dispatch calls, 1,574 self-initiated calls, 741 traffic citations, 76 arrests, and 78 auto accidents. He highlighted increases in drug/narcotic offenses (+15) and fraud (+6), and decreases in larceny/theft (-6) and simple assault (-6). The Council unanimously (5-0) accepted the report.

City Manager's Report: Assistant City Manager Marty Hughes thanked the Public Works and Parks and Recreation departments for their rapid response to downed trees from severe weather at Tara Park. He also announced that a well-attended joint SPLOST meeting was held the previous week and that the next SPLOST meeting would be Thursday at the Ben Robertson Community Center.

Key Outcomes

Deferrals: The rezoning and variance for the Walton Communities project (1600 Old 41 Hwy) were deferred unanimously (5-0) pending further staff and applicant discussions.

Withdrawal: The rezoning application for 6095 Pine Mountain Road (Cedar Creek Professional Office Association) was withdrawn unanimously (5-0).

Approvals: The Consent Agenda, the alcohol license for Hooters of Kennesaw, and the February 2026 crime statistics were each approved unanimously (5-0).

Executive Session: The Council voted unanimously (5-0) to enter Executive Session at 6:43 PM to discuss land matters under O.C.G.A. 50-14-3. The Council reconvened at 6:52 PM and unanimously approved an affidavit confirming the closed session complied with the Open Meetings Act.

Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 6:53 PM. The next meeting is a work session on Monday, March 30, 2026, at 6:30 PM.

Meeting Transcript