Flowery Branch's Old Town Decision Covers the Blocks Where the Fall Calendar Happens

Music in the Branch is free tonight, Sunday, October 4, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the amphitheater, 5603 Mitchell Street. So who decides what that stage looks like a few years from now? The answer is the Flowery Branch City Council, and it hasn't decided yet.

On September 3, a consultant gave the council three ways to handle the city-owned Old Town site. Two of them would put money into public space around City Hall and the amphitheater. One would not. The minutes from that meeting record discussion but no vote. The council's October 1 agenda has no Old Town item on it. That means every fall event downtown this year runs on ground whose future is still open.

Three Options, No Vote Yet

Gary Mongeon of KB Advisory Group gave the council a financial update on the city's Tax Allocation District. Under Georgia's Redevelopment Powers Law, a TAD reinvests the added property tax revenue that new development creates back into projects, such as public infrastructure, inside the district. Flowery Branch already used 2020 TAD financing for its Old Town work. Here is how the September 3 minutes describe the three options:

Mongeon told the council the conceptual plan fits the city's adopted 2012 Downtown Master Plan. He also said projected TAD revenues, which he described as conservatively estimated, should be enough to pay for either Option 2 or Option 3 while still covering existing debt. That narrows the choice. By his numbers, both building options can be paid for. What's left is whether downtown gets public improvements by themselves or public improvements alongside new private buildings.

What the March Concept Put on the Map

To see what Option 3 would mean on the ground, go back to March 19. That day the council unanimously approved a predevelopment agreement with Alpharetta-based Penn Hodge Properties. AccessNorthGA's report on that vote laid out what the plan proposed:

• Parking deck, first level: 218 public parking spaces, entered from Church Street
• Parking deck, second level: for nearly 230 residential units, with 274 gated spaces entered from Mitchell Street
• Ground-floor retail: nearly 9,000 square feet, including space for a restaurant
• Church and Pine streets: a 3,000-square-foot restaurant with outdoor seating
• Breezeway: rebuilt and covered, connecting Main Street to the new City Center development, with landscaping and public restrooms for event crowds
• In front of City Hall: a fountain, gathering space, seating, and green space
• Amphitheater: a covered stage, a large LED screen, and better lighting, sound, and power systems

City documents cited in that report say the public deck would replace some on-street parallel and angled spaces. Those areas would become pedestrian walkways and streetscape improvements. The predevelopment work was expected to take up to 90 days and cost around $200,000, already budgeted under architectural and engineering costs. This is a concept from early in the process. None of these numbers are final.

The public got a first look on May 4 at a "community conversation" at the Train Depot, at the corner of Railroad Avenue and Main Street. The next day, the Gainesville Times reported that the early plans drew mixed reviews from residents who attended.

The city kept working on the land over the summer. On June 18, the council approved a resolution to reimburse eligible city costs for buying 5611, 5615, and 5621 Church Street, using remaining 2020 TAD bond proceeds. On July 15, it added those parcels to the 2020 Old Town Project for governmental public purposes. Church Street is the side the March concept used for the public parking entrance.

One detail is still unresolved. The March reporting names Penn Hodge Properties as the developer. The September options refer to negotiations with Experiential Partners, LLC. None of the public records reviewed for this post explain how the two are connected.

The Fall Calendar Uses the Same Ground

This is why the decision matters for an ordinary fall weekend. The amphitheater and the City Hall gathering area appear in both the March concept and this fall's event schedule. Main Street sits at the other end of the proposed breezeway. Here's what's coming up downtown, from the City of Flowery Branch calendar and event listings:

1. Music in the Branch, October 4, 6:30–8 p.m. A free concert at the amphitheater, 5603 Mitchell Street, and the last date on the series' posted 2026 lineup.
2. Flowery Branch Farmers Market, Thursdays, 3:30–6:30 p.m. At 5210 Railroad Avenue, with dates on the city calendar through October 29.
3. Hitlist Concert, October 9, 6:30 p.m. On the city calendar, which doesn't list a venue.
4. Stars, Flannel & Vintage Weekend, October 22–24. A market, local vendors, music, workshops, and activities at several downtown locations. The city's event page gives 5302 Railroad Avenue as the address, and the market listing gives 5210 Railroad Avenue, so check before you go.
5. Trunk or Treat, October 29, 3:30 p.m.
6. 5K Boo Run, October 31, 8 a.m.
7. Small Business Saturday on Main Street, November 28, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Billed as the third annual, with shopping, live music, and free Santa photos.
8. Christmas Market, December 10, 3:30–7 p.m. At 5210 Railroad Avenue, with Santa, carriage rides, vendors, food trucks, and holiday music.

The season started with the Flowery Branch Fall Festival on September 26 at 5521 Main Street.

The March concept described what each of these events lacks right now. Event crowds would get public restrooms in a covered breezeway. The amphitheater would get a covered stage and better power and sound. Visitors would get 218 public parking spaces off Church Street. Option 2 keeps the public side of that list: the parking, the park and event space, and the streetscape. Option 3 adds apartments, retail, and the Church and Pine restaurant. Option 1 leaves this fall's setup as the permanent one.

Main Street, Where the Breezeway Would End

The Main Street end of the proposed breezeway already has a working row of businesses. Each of these has current hours, ordering, or a shop online, plus a city directory listing or its own address:

• Caroline's on Main, 5518 Main Street, for breakfast, brunch, and lunch
• Whole Being Cafe, 5510 Main Street, for coffee and food
• Arpeggio Coffee and Bakery, 5603 Main Street
• Peyton's Pie Company, 5609 Main Street, for pizza
• Better Days by Peyton's Pie Co., 5609 Main Street, Suite C, a bar and social spot with cocktails, beer, wine, and entertainment
• Tiny Threads Children's Boutique, 5527 Main Street

Main Street may also get a new restaurant. In June, the Gainesville Times reported that Madame Hangover, a Thai and sushi restaurant, was expected to open downtown in August. A June 2 council agenda listed a lease for Madame Hangover at 5521 Main Street. As of early October, no public opening announcement turned up in the sources reviewed for this post. It's best to call it expected, not open.

The March plan says it was meant to bring more people downtown, fix ongoing parking problems, and make Old Town a year-round destination. The businesses on that list are the ones a 218-space public lot, a breezeway, and new foot traffic from Mitchell Street would reach first.

Following the Decision From Here

The city's meeting portal shows the September 17 council meeting was canceled. The next meeting after that was October 1. The October 1 agenda covered other business and had no TAD or Old Town item. Minutes from that meeting weren't posted yet when this was written. No development agreement, final site plan, groundbreaking date, or construction schedule has been made public.

When the item comes back, it will show up on the Flowery Branch council meeting portal, where agendas are posted before each meeting. Under Option 3, the minutes say construction budgets, unit counts, design details, shared parking, and permits would be worked out as the project moves forward. That means the March numbers would still be open after a vote.

Until then, the farmers market runs Thursday afternoons on Railroad Avenue through October 29. The Christmas Market on December 10 is the last downtown date on this fall's calendar.

If you own a home near Old Town and want to know how a parking deck, new retail, or a quieter TAD wind-down might affect what your home is worth, Wanda Moreno can walk you through it in English or Spanish. Request a free home valuation and consultation, and we'll keep watching the council agenda with you.