City of Norcross Regular Council Meeting – February 2, 2026

The City of Norcross held its Regular Council Meeting on Monday, February 2, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. in Council Chambers. Mayor Craig Newton was absent following the death of his brother, and Mayor Pro Tem Bruce Gaynor called the meeting to order at 6:34 p.m.; the meeting adjourned at 8:34 p.m. All five present councilmembers (Cheek, Hixson, Bare, Myers, Gaynor) voted on most items. Note: the roll call lists Marshall Cheek as Mayor Pro Tem while the minutes' opening credits Bruce Gaynor as presiding, an apparent discrepancy.

Consent Calendar

• The consent agenda was approved unanimously (5-0) after two items were moved to discussion: 2026-21 (9 S. Peachtree Street) and 2026-35 (Holcomb Bridge Road).
• Accepted and appropriated $440.00 in NPAC donations from Acorn Sales.
• Approved the contract with Southern Premier Contractors, Inc. for on-call stormwater relining and repair, funded by the FY26 Stormwater Fund, not to exceed $1,500,000.
• Approved the sale of 993 East Glochester Place through closed bids and authorized the Mayor to sign closing documents.
• Approved Clark Patterson Lee's proposal for a hydrology study and HEC-RAS modeling for the culvert extension under Cemetery Street (Norcross Greenway Project).
• Approved the recommended sidewalk priorities and initial proposed projects from the sidewalk data and gap analysis.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Larry Hall, representing Norcross Gallery and Studios, announced the nonprofit art gallery was named "Best of Georgia 2025 Regional Art Galleries" by the Georgia Business Journal and requested Council support in promoting the gallery.
• Kay Nation asked for confirmation that the 146 Barton Street project would be tabled and that a new design would go back through the Architectural Review Board process.
• Jeff Allen expressed support for the UDO changes and requested cleaner future agenda packets, noting confusion from multiple document versions; he thanked staff for clarification.
• Jim Eyre asked for confirmation that the public hearing included the amendments on the back table, expressed support for the UDO changes, and recommended removing cell towers from the Buford Highway Zoning District; he also offered to answer questions about 9 South Peachtree Street.
• Ann Beach voiced concern about already-heavy Holcomb Bridge Road traffic and asked how traffic would be managed if apartment developments move forward at either end, warning that congestion could deter visitors.
• Joe Beach commented on democracy, quoting it as "three wolves and two sheep voting on what to have for lunch."
• Although the minutes list no comments by Council or the City Manager, the transcript includes remarks thanking city staff and utility crews for their quick storm response.

Public Hearings

Historic Demolition and New Home (COA2025-027)

• Council unanimously (5-0) voted to table the request to demolish a historic contributing structure and construct a new single-family residence to the March 16, 2026 Policy Work Session (the minutes read "2016" in an apparent typo).

Rezoning 5330 Old Norcross Road (RZ2025-006)

• A speaker associated with the property described its long-term use, an expired business license, and plans to provide survey/as-built information. Council discussed tying staff Condition 6 to a 120-day deadline and the applicant's inability to obtain permits or a business license until the condition is met.
• Council unanimously (5-0) tabled the rezoning request for 120 days or until Condition 6 is met.

Unified Development Ordinance Text Amendment (TEXT2026-001)

• Staff presented amendments to Chapters 100, 200, and 400, including definitions, CX and Buford Highway district standards, a new special use permit framework for multi-family developments in CX/BH, accessory uses, parking requirements, and stormwater criteria. The proposed density caps were 54 units per acre for residential-only multi-family and 61 units per acre for mixed-use multi-family in CX and BH districts.
• Public comment included support for changes, a recommendation to remove cell towers from the Buford Highway district, and concerns about ADU setbacks, sale restrictions, and inconsistencies between document versions.
• Council debated whether the special use permit process provided more protection than by-right development and whether terms such as "reasonable" were too vague.
• The motion to approve the amendments, including the enacting clause, passed 4-1; Councilmember Bare was the sole no vote.

Final Plat 551 Sunset Drive (FP2025-003)

• Council unanimously (5-0) approved the final plat for the property at 551 Sunset Drive.

Discussion Items

Budget Amendment for 9 South Peachtree Street (2026-21)

• Council unanimously (5-0) approved appropriating $1,400,000 from fund balance for the city's financing of the Downtown Development Authority's acquisition of 9 South Peachtree Street. Discussion noted the need to acquire the parking lot behind the former bank building to improve downtown parking access.

Traffic Study and Holcomb Bridge Road Ownership (2026-35)

• Council unanimously (5-0) approved authorizing the Mayor and City Manager to begin discussions with Gwinnett County about transferring ownership of Holcomb Bridge Road from Peachtree Industrial Boulevard to Buford Highway, including any county funds available for maintenance and improvements.
• The agenda item also included authorizing a $20,000 traffic study of the Olde Town Park Drive/Holcomb Bridge Road intersection and transferring $20,000 from Mayor and Council Contingency to Public Works, but the written minutes do not separately record that portion; this is a discrepancy between the agenda and the minutes.

Moratorium on Multi-family Housing (2026-57)

• Council considered a resolution enacting a moratorium on accepting and processing applications for rezoning, special use permits, certificates of appropriateness, land disturbance permits, building permits, subdivision/plat approvals, and other approvals for multi-family units (including ADUs) until the UDO amendments were approved or March 2, 2026, whichever was earlier.
• After discussion signaling the UDO amendments made the moratorium unnecessary, a motion to deny the resolution passed 4-1; Councilmember Bare voted against the denial, effectively supporting the moratorium.

Announcements

• February events were announced: First Friday Concert: The Rainmen (Feb. 6), Movie Monday: Ghost (Feb. 9), Galentine's Boutique Crawl (Feb. 12), Valentine's Father-Daughter Dance (Feb. 13), and Coffee With Council (Feb. 14, 8:00 a.m., 45 South Cafe). No board appointments were considered.

Key Outcomes

• Minutes of the January 5, 2026 Regular Council Meeting and January 20, 2026 Policy Work Session/executive session were approved unanimously.
• The agenda was set with consent agenda approval; the multifamily moratorium item was added from the floor; both actions were unanimous.
• COA2025-027 was tabled, RZ2025-006 was tabled, FP2025-003 was approved, TEXT2026-001 was approved 4-1, and the moratorium resolution was denied 4-1.
• The consent agenda and the two remaining discussion items were approved unanimously, except for the 4-1 moratorium denial.
• The meeting adjourned at 8:34 p.m.