By Rebecca Gaunt 

Devin’s Shire, a 35-townhome development, is coming to Duncan Drive, across from the Post Office and just a few blocks from downtown Kennesaw. 

Kennesaw City Council approved developer Devin Riley, LLC’s request Monday to rezone the properties at 1972, 1994 and 2004 Duncan Drive from residential (R-20) to central business district (CBD). The entire property is 3.79 acres.

The townhomes will have a minimum of 2,000 square feet and a minimum of three bedrooms and two bathrooms, as well as two-car garages and walking trail access. They are expected to sell in the $400,000-500,000 range.

Albert Treviño, Kennesaw’s assistant zoning administrator, said that while the townhomes will be three stories, the topography of the land means they will appear to be 2.5 stories from the street.

“It promotes commercial growth and encourages more people to live downtown. We feel like this addition of 35 units will help support our downtown businesses,” he said. 

Because of the requested CBD zoning, the project was required to go through the Kennesaw Downtown Development Authority and the Historic Preservation Committee.

Council member Pat Ferris abstained from voting because he owns property nearby. It passed 4-0. 

Council also approved the rezoning of 3.6 acres at 2857 N. Cobb Parkway from mobile home park (MHP) to highway general business (HGB).

Developer Mehta Enterprises plans to construct a gas station with a convenience store and a retail building with multiple units on the currently vacant land.

In other business, Pisano’s Pizzeria and Italian Kitchen plans to expand the Justin Fields mural on the side of its building. 

Fields, a Harrison High School graduate and Kennesaw resident, was drafted to the Chicago Bears in 2021. 

Harrison High School art students will add collage pieces, including the General locomotive, an H, a Kennesaw State University Owl, and a pizza slice. One of the stipulations for approval of the project was that the students be allowed to sign their names to the mural.

Rebecca Gaunt earned a degree in journalism from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree in education from Oglethorpe University. After teaching elementary school for several years, she returned to writing. She lives in Marietta with her husband, son, two cats, and a dog. In her spare time, she loves to read, binge Netflix and travel.