Planning panel approves Ridgewalk mixed‑use project with soccer stadium despite traffic concerns

The Woodstock Planning Commission voted 4–2 on April 2 to recommend approval of a rezoning, conditional use permit and associated variances for a 12.181‑acre mixed‑use project at Ridgewalk Parkway and Reagan Street that would include approximately 236 multifamily units, about 26,000 square feet of commercial space and a stadium for a local soccer organization.

The project developer, Joe Knight of Freestone Real Estate, told commissioners the central 3‑acre parcel would be donated to the Downtown Development Authority and leased to Georgia Impact Soccer Club. "We like to think of this a little bit, like a mini battery," Knight said, describing a compact stadium with surrounding retail and a year‑round pedestrian plaza.

Why it matters: Staff recommended approval with extensive conditions after the Development Process Committee voted 5–0 to endorse the project. Commissioners and neighbors, however, flagged traffic and pedestrian safety questions along Ridgewalk Parkway and asked how the city would limit future build‑out of stadium seating and avoid shifting peak parking burdens onto surrounding neighborhoods and a nearby church.

Under the conditions attached to the recommendation, the developer must execute a three‑party development agreement among the developer, the Downtown Development Authority and Georgia Impact within one year of approval; if the agreement is not executed within one year the zoning and approvals would become null and void. The commission also required the developer to reach a signed shared‑use parking agreement with Woodstock City Church and an acceptable pedestrian‑access solution before submitting a site plan.

Traffic study and city review: The applicant provided a traffic study prepared by Croix that included counts for weekday and weekend peak periods and analyzed signalized intersections between the I‑575 interchange and Main Street. Amy Turner, Croix's traffic engineering manager, said the study considered AM, PM and weekend peaks and recommended operational improvements and enforcement on game days rather than an unprotected mid‑block crossing. "We looked at all of the signals between the 575 interchange all the way down to Main Street," Turner told the commission, and recommended a pedestrian hybrid beacon (HAWK) or similar protected crossing for game days.

Local residents pressed the commission to take a broader, corridor‑level view of the Ridgewalk area because two other large projects nearby are also expected to add traffic. "Georgia DOT has rated the level of service for Ridgewalk Parkway as D, E and F," said resident Steven Sperry, who urged commissioners to consider cumulative impacts of multiple proposed developments. Several neighbors warned that routing game parking to the church lot would send large numbers of pedestrians across a four‑lane divided roadway and asked whether stadium expansion to 5,000 seats later would require new approvals.

City responses and safeguards: Planning staff said the applicant submitted documentation that anticipates larger‑scale build‑out and that the traffic study was completed for the most intense scenario so the present approvals account for future capacity. City engineering staff confirmed they have requested a third‑party peer review of the traffic study and said GDOT's diverging‑diamond project at the I‑575 interchange is in planning and design stages, with construction anticipated in the coming years.

Vote and next steps: The motion to recommend approval — moved by Commissioner Rob and seconded by Commissioner Greg — passed 4–2, with Commissioner Roth and the chair recorded in opposition. The recommendation now goes to City Council, which will take the final vote.

The commission recorded the required conditions and the project will not advance to site plan until the development agreement and the parking/pedestrian agreements are in place as specified in the staff conditions.