MILTON, Ga. — The saga surrounding the Blackmaral Lane farm winery reached a standstill March 4, with the City Council deferring the public hearing for a fifth time.
In a rare move at the March 4 City Council meeting, Milton officials deferred two items related to city speed limits in lieu of 90 minutes of public comment about the Blackmaral Lane winery.
Of the two dozen speakers, most reside in the Providence Planation neighborhood, which encompasses the only roadway to the winery.
Three public comments were in favor of the alcohol license, including one from Jim Rosenberger, who owns D’Rose Vintners on Blackmaral Lane with his wife, Daryn.
Proponents of the winery said the property at 13555 Blackmaral Lane has privacy and property rights, and city officials should not “be ceding to fears of a vocal minority.”
Rosenberger said he feels confident his legal counsel would prevail against the city and he would scrap proposed concessions after litigation.
“From the beginning, we have always been transparent about our plans to pursue a farm winery [and] our first communication to the city in 2020 was titled, ‘Farm Winery License Application,’” Rosenberger said. “We deferred tonight’s hearing because we hope to come to a resolution with the city to make all parties whole.”
Some arguments against the farm winery cited familiar issues such as increased traffic, the danger of drunk driving, decreased property values, and improper notice of public hearings and zoning changes.
Others focused on the rezoning application from community unit plan to an agricultural designation, and the impact of the subsequent moratorium on farm wineries.
Rewinding the clock
Sarah Moen, president of the Providence Planation Homeowners Association, cited three city records, which she said highlight communications between city officials and…
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