Commission recommends rezoning of 2979 Klondike Road for eight townhomes with rental and parking conditions; request to remove older county conditions deferred

The Stonecrest Planning Commission on July 1 recommended approval of a rezoning request for 2979 Klondike Road (case RZ25-003) to allow medium-density residential townhomes, and added conditions limiting rental units and prohibiting conversion of garages into living space. A separate petition to remove historical conditions placed by DeKalb County on the parcel (ZM25-000002) failed to advance and the commission voted to defer that request for further review.

Staff presented the rezoning request to change parcel 1613801002, known in discussion as 2979 Klondike Road, from OI (Office Institutional) to RM-1 (Medium Density Residential). The parcel is approximately 0.9 acre, wooded and vacant; staff reported a required community planning information meeting in June drew six attendees who raised concerns over traffic, drainage, sidewalks and parking. Staff recommended approval of the rezoning with several conditions, including a comprehensive traffic study, documentation that utilities and stormwater capacity are adequate or will be upgraded, a 50-foot buffer of existing and new trees along property boundaries, pedestrian connectivity (sidewalks), adherence to city architectural standards, and an inclusion of some affordable housing units.

Applicant Hugh Delaney (D2 Construction Services) and Joe Mosca (Ryan Homes, prospective builder) told the commission the parcel would host eight townhome units with an on-site entrance to Klondike Road and a buffer to adjacent single-family residences. Mosca described the product as three-story townhomes and said the builder expects to market units in the roughly $299,000 to $315,000 range under current market conditions. During the hearing Mosca referred to both a 1,578-square-foot townhome plan and later said 2,578 square feet; commissioners and staff noted the discrepancy and recorded it as an applicant statement to be clarified in the plan review.

Neighborhood speakers spoke in opposition and raised similar concerns to those recorded at the CPIM: potential flooding and wetlands in the back of the site, removal of trees, increased traffic and accidents at nearby intersections, parking adequacy for multi-bedroom units, and whether units would become rentals or short-term housing. Anna Randolph and other residents told the commission they believed the site contained wetlands and said the applicant owns nearby parcels that residents fear could be combined into a larger development. Residents asked for traffic mitigation and better assurances about water management.

Commissioners discussed the staff conditions and public concerns. Commissioner Lemuel Hawkins moved to recommend approval of the rezoning with staff conditions plus added conditions capping the percentage of rental units in the combined homeowners association for the adjacent approved project and this parcel at 10%, and prohibiting conversion of off-street enclosed parking into living space. Hawkins described the rental cap as intended to encourage owner-occupancy; the motion specified the cap would apply across the combined HOA for the eight-unit parcel and the adjacent 72-unit development previously approved. Commissioner Erica Williams seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

After the rezoning vote the commission heard a related petition (ZM25-000002) in which the applicant asked the commission to remove four conditions that DeKalb County had attached to the parcel more than a decade ago, including an access restriction (no curb cut to Klondike) and a required 20-foot landscape buffer along Klondike. Applicant representatives argued those older conditions effectively landlocked the 0.9-acre parcel and prevented reasonable development; staff recommended retaining the historic conditions until the city’s review could determine appropriate modern requirements. The planning commission voted on a motion to remove the four conditions; the removal motion resulted in a 2-2 tie (Commissioners Lemuel Hawkins and Eric Hubbard voted to remove; Commissioners Erica Williams and Joyce Walker voted against removal), so the motion failed. The commission subsequently voted unanimously to defer the removal request to allow staff and the applicant to work together on technical requirements and return a fuller recommendation.

Next steps: the rezoning recommendation, with the added rental-cap and garage-conversion conditions, will be forwarded to the Mayor and City Council for final action. The request to remove older county conditions (ZM25-000002) will be deferred while staff and the applicant coordinate on safe access, stormwater and fire department requirements; the planning commission asked for a clearer site plan and plan-check details before the matter returns.