Update:

On Sunday, August 30th, Restoration Church leadership held a congregational meeting detailing plans for a massive new campus on New Providence Road. Pastor Chuck Ramsey stated that plans are 70-75% complete, even though the project fundamentally violates Milton's land use protections.

The scope of the proposal is staggering:

• A 100,000 plus square foot building: This is roughly the size of the Windward Parkway Home Depot. Per the Unified Development Code (UDC), it is four times the allowable size for institutional uses on AG-1 land in the Rural Milton Overlay.
• Massive capacity: The facility will feature a 1,250-seat main auditorium, a 900-person lobby, a 200+ seat prayer chapel for weddings and special events, a commercial kitchen, a multi-court gymnasium, and classrooms for approximately 800 people to support Sunday services, a day school, and round the clock weekly activities.
• Overwhelming infrastructure: The plans require so many restrooms that the pastor noted they would need a full-time custodian just to clean and stock them. Remarkably, leadership made no mention of where a community septic system would go to handle that volume of waste.
• A sprawling parking lot: At least 800 parking spaces will butt up against New Providence Road—a lot scaling somewhere between the size of the Highway 9 Target and the Windward Walmart.

The environmental and traffic impacts are severe. All ingress and egress will be restricted to New Providence Road. The core construction is slated for 15 acres at 12950 New Providence Road and 5 adjacent acres at 12965 Arnold Mill Road. In what appears to be a bait-and-switch maneuver, the church intends to sell the remaining 10 acres of the Arnold Mill property for commercial use after securing city approval, while negotiating a church driveway and monument sign into the sale.

Furthermore, if they finalize negotiations for an additional 10.5 acres on New Providence, they plan to pave it over for even more parking and outdoor recreation. 

This high-density, high-intensity development is entirely incompatible with AG-1 zoning. Even during the August 17th City Council update regarding the Deerfield Village Land Use Plan—Milton's designated higher-density corridor—officials repeatedly emphasized "lower density" and green space mitigation. If our commercial corridors are actively scaling back, allowing a project of this magnitude in our rural landscape would be a travesty.

Church leadership continues to bulldoze forward, asking their congregation for millions and millions of dollars to fund a project that is neither by-right nor legally compatible with the laws protecting local property owners.

This proposal should serve as a major red flag. A 100,000-square-foot commercial complex, church or otherwise, does not belong in an AG-1 agricultural zone. Whether you are an adjacent neighbor directly impacted by the looming traffic and environmental fallout, or a resident who values the preserved character of our city, we cannot afford to remain apathetic. It is time for the Milton community to stand up and remind our city leaders that our zoning laws are not up for negotiation. Let’s keep rural Milton rural.

(This is a close, but not 100% accurate) representation of the building and parking lot plan.

The Issue:

While the information below focuses on a mega-church potentially being built in the Arnold Mill/New Providence area of rural Milton, every rural neighborhood or property owner is vulnerable to the same kind of incompatible large-scale, high density, high intensity of use development; traffic; and safety issues unless we make our voices heard. If you value preserving the pastoral, bucolic feel of Milton, it is critical to let City Council know you oppose this now.

In December of 2025, Restoration Church purchased two properties totaling roughly 29 acres of AG-1 land: 12965 Arnold Mill Road and 12950 New Providence Road. These properties are directly adjacent to the two parcels purchased by the City of Milton in August of 2024 (see my June 1, 2026, public comments related to the purchase of those properties below; starting at the 17 minute mark.) Update:  On Sunday, August 9, 2026, During the 8:30am service, (41:33 mark) Pastor Ramsey stated: "We have an agreement to get the, what’s going to turn out to be 10 and a half more acres, and um, so it looks like we’re going to be purchasing 40 acres up on New Providence and its going to allow us to not have to ask for any special considerations. And if you know how all that works when you ask the County or the City for special favors the odds that you’re going to get approved go down. And so its a miracle that we are going to own 40 acres, 1.8 miles away from here, in a prime location. And, um, our design team is about 70% through the design, um there’s a meeting coming up late August, a business meeting, where we’re going to be giving a brief update, finances of the church. Um, it won’t be the full on detail about the relocation and the build because we’re not ready yet to roll out the capital campaign fund, but we need to believe God for millions of dollars. Building is not cheap, and um I think we’ve got 1,248 seats in the sanctuary, its over 100,000 square feet, and um, we serve a big God. It’s a good thing cause we’re gonna need him."

Restoration Church currently operates out of their 410 Rucker Road building. They hold three services every Sunday morning (8:30am, 10:30am, and 12:30pm). Congregation occupancy is estimated at 675 people per service. Holiday services are currently held offsite to accommodate larger (5,000+ people) crowds.  Marietta Daily Journal Parking capacity is limited, resulting in off-site parking at the Alpine Bakery parking lot, with shuttle service to and from the church. In addition to daily/weekly events and activities, the church also has a growing hybrid day school. Per multiple announcements and sermons, the stated purpose for the purchase of the New Providence/Arnold Mill properties is to allow the church to expand its operations.

For size perspective:

• The new Pardue Family Event Center, a 23,000 square-foot multi purpose facility at Ebenezer Church on Arnold Mill Road, has an over 400 person capacity, which the City of Milton conditioned to only 300 people per event. Their parking lot consists of 144 parking spaces. CoM Pardue Center.
• Stonecreek Church, on Hwy 9, had an original sanctuary occupancy of 650-700 people per service in a 40,000 square-foot main auditorium. That was expanded with the addition of roughly 300 seats to accommodate 950-1,000 attendees per service. Stonecreek is in the active building initiative stage to further expand their auditorium capacity to 1,800 seats. Stonecreek
• Restoration Church's current occupancy mirrors Stonecreek's prior to their first expansion.  In correspondence obtained via Open Records Requests, Restoration Church's brokerage agent states that the church is looking for "15-90 acres, with 20+ usable acres preferred." Restoration Church is not planning to build a quaint, community church, but rather a huge, mega-church.

Traffic, Safety, and Property Tax concerns with the plan include:

• GDOT has plans to expand Arnold Mill Road to 4 lanes. (Work on this won't begin for several years.) Arnold Mill/140 Widening Plan
• The current design and development already underway in Cherokee County (Hickory Flat Hwy) includes a divided median, limiting left hand turns. The City of Milton, as part of the Arnold Mill Small Area Plan, hopes to work with GDOT to include landscaping in the city's Arnold Mill Road portion of the divided medians, which may further complicate any allowable left hand turns, and limit visibility.
• With long range planning already underway, there is a high probability that GDOT could view a massive church development as a “high risk conflict point” and may only permit a “right turn in, right turn out” lane for the church on the Arnold Mill Road frontage.
  • All ingress/egress traffic would subsequently be routed to the New Providence Road entrance which sits at the bottom of a series of hills on the road. “Hill Blocks View” signs are located in both directions.
  • With the exception of a couple horse farms, and one extremely small metaphysical church, New Providence Road is primarily single-family residential properties and single-family residential subdivisions. 
• The City of Milton Comprehensive Transportation Plan does NOT include plans to widen New Providence Road between Dorris, Ranchette and Arnold Mill Road. CTP
• With the hill crest blocking visibility, lack of shoulders or a turning lane on New Providence Road, several “blind conflict points” exist.
• There is limited, if any, shoulder on either side of New Providence Road between Dorris, Ranchette and Arnold Mill Road which will impede the ability to add a designated turn lane into the church and/or a designated median turn lane in and out of the church.
• Rounding up from 675 to the conservative number of 700 people per service, at an average of 2.5 people per car, we would be looking at nearly 300 cars arriving and 300 cars leaving, simultaneously, during every Sunday changeover window. More with increased occupancy, which is the stated objective of the relocation.
• At 40 mph on New Providence Road, an estimated Stopping Sight Distance (SSD) of 305 feet of clear visibility would be required for breaking without hitting a car, or cars, stopped in an attempt to turn into the church. Additionally, an estimated Intersection Sight Distance (ISD) of 445 feet of clear visibility would be required for left turns out of the property. Without a comprehensive Traffic Study, but based on current driving conditions and difficulties making turns in and out of subdivisions, private driveways, and from side streets, the addition of heavy traffic in and out of a commercial-like operation on New Providence Road would pose major traffic and safety issues, and likely not meet the SSD and ISD safety requirements.
• Ranchette Road, Dorris Road, New Providence Road, Cagle Road, Cox Road, Etris Road and Arnold Mill Road may all be negatively impacted. Property owners along these roads will likely be faced with difficulties leaving or entering their properties, as church traffic, as well as traffic from travelers looking to avoid Arnold Mill and New Providence Roads, will use these side streets as alternate routes.
• If ingress/egress is allowed on Arnold Mill Road, the already heavy congestion will be increased unnecessarily.
• The Church would either have to petition to expand sewer or create an expansive Community Septic System.
• Fire Station 41, on the corner of Arnold Mill and New Providence, may experience delayed response times, posing a major public safety risk.
• As a 501(c)(3) tax exempt religious organization, Restoration Church, or any other subsequent religious institution operating on these properties, would be exempt from paying property taxes once a building facilitating church related activities is built. The plan for 31, one-acre homesites, each averaging a **$1.5 million fair market value, with a baseline assessed value of $600,000, subject to current Fulton County and City of Milton millage rates, and eligible for standard Fulton and Milton homestead exemptions, would average $13,000 in county and city property tax revenue per home. For 31 homes, that's an annual loss of over $400,000 in property taxes that will need to be recovered from existing homeowners. Amounts would be higher with increased millage rates. So while you and I are forced to pay higher property taxes, Restoration Church will be exempt.  (**Home price based on average new build prices in Milton, GA.)
• Update: If Restoration Church purchases the 15 additional adjacent acres, that will be nearly 45 acres of property not subject to property taxes. That is lost Fulton County School money, lost Fulton County and City of Milton infrastructure maintenance/improvement money, etc., that will end up being recovered from homeowners.

The Arnold Mill Road Hamlet Overlay Plan:

• The City of Milton has paid over $150,000 in consulting fees for a comprehensive area plan: the Arnold Mill Small Area Plan for the Arnold Mill Road Hamlet Overlay District.  The Arnold Mill and Cox Road Activity Node (which the church-purchased property falls into) was presented by staff and consultants to the Milton City Council as two options: both with 31, one-acre homesites, green space, wide buffers to preserve the rural viewshed, and limited, if any, commercial use along Arnold Mill Road. Neither plan included the amount of traffic and potential road safety challenges that a church of this size will bring. On the contrary, a significant part of the plan's purpose was to create traffic relief for Arnold Mill Road.
• From the City of Milton's Arnold Mill Q&A page: Question: "Is the intent to commercialize this area, making it into another downtown-like area?" Answer: "No. The intent was to retain the rural, unique feel that currently defines this area-not to set the stage for major development." Arnold Mill Q&A
• The plan was presented, voted on, and adopted by Milton City Council, on May 5, 2025. Arnold Mill Small Area Plan
• Public participation at all of the community meetings related to this plan was overwhelmingly opposed to any commercial activity…anything that would increase traffic, noise, or activity along the corridor.

What Next?:

• Per multiple Open Records Requests, Restoration Church has yet to submit any applications or plans required for development, land disturbance, and/or building permits.
• Churches are not a “by right” use on AG-1 property under the Milton Unified Development Code (UDC).
• The Church will be required to apply for, and receive approval for a Special Use Permit (SUP)/Conditional Use Permit (CUP)  before being allowed to operate. Use Provisions
  • Under Georgia's Zoning Procedures Law (ZPL) GA Code § 36-66-3 (2021) ZPL, a SUP/CUP falls under the same broader statutory definition of a "zoning decision." It authorizes a specific, conditionally compatible use on a parcel without changing its underlying zoning district classification.
  • The Georgia Zoning Procedures Law (ZPL) mandates strict public participation processes for rezonings, special use permits, and variances. At this time, NONE of the required public participation notices have been published in The Milton Herald, no public hearing notices regarding a  SUP/CUP have been placed on the church-owned property, and according to multiple Open Records Requests, at this time, no administrative permits or special event permits have been applied for or issued to the church for church-related activities on the property. However, the church is already operating church-related activities on the property without having gone through the legally mandated zoning/Use Permit procedures.

    

• If approved, the SUP or CUP may run with the land. Depending on specifics written into the Use Permit, as well as the City's abandonment clock,  the possibility exists that if Restoration Church were to outgrow the property and move, another church may have to ability to purchase the property from Restoration Church and operate under the same conditions. 

We need to voice our opposition to this potential use NOW! Milton’s explicit SUP/CUP evaluation criteria bars development that causes an “excessive or burdensome use of existing streets.”

Under the City of Milton's Unified Development Code, Article 3.1 Agricultural Districts Article 3 AG-1, the clear scope and legislative intent of the AG-1 district is to protect lands primarily devoted to single-family residential subdivisions and low-density agricultural uses. While our code allows for a Special or Conditional Use Permit, it is a privilege and not a right. The operational intensity of use for a 700 plus seat sanctuary, operating three back-to-back Sunday service turnarounds, alongside an active weekday school and various other weekly events, directly collides with the legally protected rights of the surrounding single-family residences and single-family residential neighborhoods.

What YOU can do:

• Please contact the Milton City Council and tell them you are opposed to the development and rezoning for a mega church on New Providence Road and Arnold Mill Road.
• Attend a Regular City Council Meeting and speak during General Public Comment to make your opposition known and get it formally on the record.
• Sign the petition and share with everyone you know. With most low-density residential properties in Milton existing on AG-1 land, if a mega church can be built here, one can be built ANYWHERE a large parcel of AG-1 land exists or comes available for sale.
• Put a sign in your yard. (Call or text 770-881-3725 to request a sign.)

City Council Contact Info:

Mayor Peyton Jamison;  ph: 678-242-2484;  email: peyton.jamison@miltonga.gov

Brian Dolan;  ph: 678-242-2493;  email: brian.dolan@miltonga.gov

Doug Hene;  ph: 678-242-2494;  email: doug.hene@miltonga.gov

Juliette Johnson;  ph: 678-242-2495;  email: juliette.johnson@miltonga.gov

Carol Cookerly;  ph: 678-242-2497;  email: carol.cookerly@miltonga.gov

Jan Jacobus;  ph: 678-242-2498;  email: jan.jacobus@miltonga.gov

Phil Cranmer;  ph: 678-242-2496;  email: phil.cranmer@miltonga.gov