The Alpharetta Design Review Board unanimously approved site and elevation plans on June 20 for the McManus house at 350 Brady Place, allowing the property’s conversion from an office use back to a private residence and permitting a new garage and small garden house on the lot.

The board voted 7-0 to approve the site plan and exterior elevations and then separately approved landscaping with a condition that the applicant coordinate a permeable driveway treatment with city staff rather than install plain gray concrete.

Applicant Christina McManus, who acquired the property in 2002 and recently completed a rezoning of the lot from Office‑Industrial to Downtown Mixed‑Use to allow residential reuse, told the board she plans to retain a standing seam metal roof, add board‑and‑batten siding accents, install a freestanding garage connected by a covered walkway, and build a small garden house with a fireplace visible from Main Street.

"My late husband and I bought this property in 02/2002… I'm kind of excited to be maybe a catalyst for that street in that area," McManus said, describing the project as a modest residential compound with attention to historic‑compatible, small‑scale details.

Board members and staff discussed driveway materials and site circulation, noting drivers cutting through the site historically and the need to avoid runoff and maintenance issues. The board’s landscaping motion specified that the applicant work with staff on a permeable driveway material; during debate members urged treatments that would avoid a wide, plain concrete expanse and suggested decorative aggregate bands, pavers or stamped concrete alternatives to improve the visual character of the entry court.

The board also approved elevations and a palette change: the applicant agreed to use Sherwin‑Williams Extra White for window sashes rather than the green shown in the initial package, and the board explicitly removed the “Argyle” accent from the approved scheme.

The approvals were contingent on final staff review of technical items such as irrigation, containment and any required grading or retaining features tied to the garage and driveway work.