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Council hears gas-station plan at 5039 Buford Highway as staff recommends partial approval of variances
Summary
City staff recommended approval of some use-based variances for a proposed gas-pump canopy and convenience store at 5039 Buford Highway while denying streetscape waivers; the property owner said the project would renovate a long-neglected building and introduce Amoco branding, and council raised traffic and long-term contamination concerns.
Chamblee — City planning staff recommended approving several use-based variances but denying most streetscape waivers for a proposed gas station canopy and six fuel dispensers at 5039 Buford Highway, saying some requests were driven by the parcel’s constrained layout while others were preferences rather than hardships.
“Those motor-vehicle use requests were a hardship — they could not occur anywhere on this site given the way it is comprised,” Matt Adams, director of planning and development, told the council as he summarized the staff report. Adams said staff recommended approval of variances 3–5 and waivers 4–5, and denial of variances 1–2 and most waivers.
Property owner Rajni Khandidi, who said she manages a nearby Chevron and bought the site two years ago, asked council for flexibility. “If you give me the chance to do something over here, the building can be done a lot better,” Khandidi said, adding the building has not been renovated for decades and the applicant is seeking Amoco as the brand. Team member Alin Chagani told the council the applicant has worked with city planners for six months and will provide additional studies and elevations if needed.
Council members pressed the applicant and staff on pedestrian and traffic safety at the triangular intersection of Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Buford Highway and Shallowford Road, and on the sidewalk and landscape reductions the applicant requested. One council member warned that installing fuel tanks can limit future uses of a site: “When a gas station goes into a property, those tanks go in. We’re locked into that property for 50 years,” a councillor said during the discussion, urging caution in permitting decisions.
Staff said the applicant will need to submit any future building renovations and elevations through the normal permitting process; Adams noted staff had not recommended support for canopy-height variances because canopy height was not a site-created hardship. The applicant said they would provide architectural elevations and work with staff on sidewalk and landscaping details if the council asks for hold-and-return or conditions.
No formal zoning vote was taken at the work session; the council will address the item at its regular Tuesday meeting after additional information is submitted. The planning department’s written recommendation and the applicant’s supplemental letter were made part of the record.
