USA, GA: Frog Rock Brewing Company coming to downtown Austell later this year

A brewery is coming to downtown Austell later this year, the developer of a mixed-use project announced.

According to Yahoo News, Frog Rock Brewing Company has signed a lease in the new development, dubbed "Cincinnati Junction," and will open in late spring or early summer, according to Andrew Lundstrom, the project's developer.

The brewery's interior will draw inspiration from the city's history — Austell was once known as Salt Springs, due to springs with supposedly medicinal qualities that were popular in the 19th century.

"Through name and environment, the brewery draws inspiration from the historic Frog Rock effigy at Louis Suggs Park and Austell's rich past as a healing destination," the developer said in a press release. "The taproom interiors plan to feature materials sourced from nature. This design is a direct reflection of the brewery's tie to local natural assets."

Frog Rock also plans to have an outdoor beer garden with seating, fire pits and string lights, a bocce ball court and a music stage. Frog Rock will be the city's first microbrewery, per the developer.

The brewery will join Austell CoWork, already open at the development. Two other businesses — a photo studio and a clothing boutique — have also signed leases, according to the developer.

Cincinnati Junction is also looking for an operator to lease 2,700 square feet of restaurant space.

The development, a series of parcels at the intersection of Broad Street and Austell-Powder Springs Road, is composed of six historic brick buildings. Lundstrom said it will help revitalize the city's downtown. Cincinnati Junction once housed the Austell Variety Store.

The Cobb County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved tax breaks for the development in December, allowing the development to pay no property taxes in its first five years.

In years six and seven, it will pay 20% of its property taxes. In year eight, it will pay 40%, followed by 60% in year nine, and 80% in year 10. The properties will be fully back on the tax rolls once the agreement expires.

Invest Austell LLC, Lundstrom's firm which owns the parcels, paid about $5,265 in property taxes last year, according to tax records. The development is expected to be a roughly $2.5 million investment, per county documents.

The abatement is part of the county's enterprise zone program, which aims to encourage development in underserved areas through tax incentives. The county expects the project as a whole to generate 50 new jobs with an average salary of $40,000 each.

Lundstrom, based in East Point, is also the developer behind Volkstuin, an event space and restaurant on Jefferson Street, a few blocks from Cincinnati Junction.

12 February, 2023