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Developer seeks rezoning for multi‑sport complex at 2370 Burdett Road; neighbors raise parking and traffic concerns
Summary
An application to remove conditions on a commercial site to allow a multi‑sport recreation complex at 2370 Burdett (Old National Corridor) drew support from applicants and some neighbors, but opposition centered on insufficient parking, traffic and safety planning; applicants say they have letters of support and agreements for overflow parking.
An applicant seeking to develop a 98,000‑square‑foot, multi‑sport recreation complex at 2370 Burdett Road (Old National Corridor) presented plans and answers to City of South Fulton officials on Oct. 14, while neighbors and community members raised concerns about parking, traffic and crowd control.
Applicant presentation and use plan
Shatori (Shatori) Phillips and Tyrell McCray, applicants for the project they call Star Sports Complex, told council the site will host multiple recreational programs — basketball, cheer, wrestling, pickleball, dance, after‑school and summer programs — and said the facility is intended for community use rather than large spectator events. "It's more just of a recreational center," Phillips said. "It's not really a sports arena."
The applicants and their team described a building footprint that includes six flexible courts and a storage area where three full‑size courts will remain unfinished and used as storage in the near term. They said the originally proposed 453 parking spaces would be reduced if the developer compresses the building program and reclaims some interior courts for storage; that change would reduce the required parking to roughly 250 spaces. The applicants said they have identified off‑site overflow parking at a nearby property (World Changers) and reported they were securing letters from adjacent commercial owners for additional spaces.
Community concerns: parking, circulation and enforcement
Neighbors and community speakers urged caution. Alvin Reynolds of Riverdale said he supports a facility serving youth but worried about safe access and children crossing Old National. Michael Venable, a longtime resident who testified in an earlier case in 1999, urged formal agreements before approval: "There should have been a formal contract with World Changers before the building set up," he said, adding that a verified memorandum of understanding (MOU) for parking and police support is needed before large events.
Opponents also suggested the city require concrete traffic and public‑safety plans, including a binding agreement with off‑site parking and a security/police presence for larger events. Applicants said they have engaged potential parking partners, would employ shuttle buses when large events occur, and plan to staff the facility during peak activity. "We will have security on property," McCray said, and "we will shuttle some patrons from that parking lot that World Changers allowed us to use over to our facility" for large events.
Staff and next steps
Planning staff and the council noted the application is not being voted on at the Oct. 14 meeting and will return for a future vote on Oct. 28 (per council procedure). Councilmembers asked applicants to provide specific, executed MOUs for overflow parking, a written security and crowd‑control plan, and documentation of coordination with the police department and traffic engineers prior to voting.
Ending
Applicants said their core mission is youth programming and community recreation rather than arena‑style events; neighbors said that mission is welcome but needs binding operational safeguards before a rezoning or condition removal is approved.
