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Developers seek to raise residential yield to 925 on Atlanta Highway PD; staff and planning commission recommend denial
Summary
An amendment to a long-standing planned development on Atlanta Highway that would raise approved residential units from 800 to 925 and replace a New Urbanist pattern with pod-based development drew strong criticism from staff and the Planning Commission, which recommended denial April 15.
An applicant seeking to amend an existing planned development for property fronting Atlanta Highway asked the commission April 15 to increase the approved residential yield from 800 units to 925 and to replace the developments pattern book with the developers stock plans.
Planning Director Bruce Launney told commissioners the property, originally approved in February 2004 as a New Urbanist-style planned development, would be reconfigured into three pods: two denser multifamily pods and a lower-density single-family pod. The applicant requested six waivers; staff supported one waiver, opposed two and conditionally supported three. Launney said staff finds the proposal a departure from the original PDs intent, with "reduced housing variety and distribution, no civic spaces, very limited central green spaces" and a shift to alleys that would remove sidewalks and street trees in places. The Planning Commission recommended denial, finding the plan incompatible with the 2023 Comprehensive Plan and the purposes of the zoning ordinance.
Scott Hanes of WDA Engineering, representing the applicant, said the project would preserve canopy and green space ("42 acres of conserved tree canopy with an additional 53 acres of proposed trees"), restore the existing lake and provide 10 acres of public green space. He said the plan would create 925 dwelling units across multiple product types and that the developer supports many staff conditions but not two items: a requirement to build the commercial phase before some residential phases and an on-street parking requirement for certain pods.
Commissioners probed phasing, school impacts and traffic. Commissioner Fisher and others raised concerns that the proposal "doesn't fit Athens" because it reduces housing-form variety and replaces the previously approved pattern book. Commissioners also asked about sewer connections, interconnections to existing streets (including a required connection to Whitetail Way), fire access and the mix of for-sale and for-rent product types. The applicant said the project would be phased by market demand and identified likely first-phase infrastructure work, including pond and sewer connections.
The Planning Commissions denial and staff analysis are before the governing body; if the commission considers approval, staff recommended several conditions including dedication of a public street connection to Whitetail Way, sanitary sewer connections, and completion of the frontage commercial phase prior to permits for Pod A (a staff-recommended condition the Planning Commission did not unanimously endorse).
