Chamblee design board backs design recommendations for 61‑unit Regent Partners project with conditions

Matt Adams, planning development director for the City of Chamblee, called the design review board to order and opened a review of an application by Regent Partners LLC for four parcels near Hardy Avenue and 4th Street.

Lisa Tilvar, deputy director of Chamblee’s Planning and Development Department, told the board the proposal covers 1.81 acres and would build a 61‑unit multifamily building. Tilvar listed six requested variances — including seeking national green‑building bronze rather than the required silver certification, relief from a 6% balcony requirement, a reduction in required exterior brick or stone from 60% to 30%, and permitting off‑street parking between the principal building and 4th Street — along with seven waivers such as allowing cementitious lap siding on buildings over three stories and using wood framed (type V) construction instead of concrete and steel.

Josh Marks, a developer with Regent Partners, said the project would provide mixed‑income housing with units targeted to households earning roughly 50–60% of area median income alongside market‑rate units. "We are really, really excited to be working on this opportunity and to provide much needed affordable mixed income housing to the city of Chamblee," Marks said, and described on‑site amenities including a community room, wellness center and resident services offered in partnership with housing authority programs.

Board members focused questions on site placement, streetscape character, parking and engineering constraints. A board member asked why the building faces Hardy Avenue instead of 4th Street; Marks said the site geometry, a sewer alignment and proximity to a creek/floodplain made the chosen placement more practical and allowed the team to reduce the visible mass from adjacent residential streets.

Members also pressed the applicant about the request to eliminate balconies. Marks said the site’s proximity to DeKalb‑Peachtree Airport (PDK) raises noise concerns and that balconies on the airport‑facing elevations ‘‘would likely not be used as much’’ and could increase interior noise unless additional mitigation is required. He said the team would complete sound studies and, if needed, make window and acoustical upgrades.

The board and applicant discussed pedestrian access to the Chamblee library parcel north of the site and whether the alley there is a usable public right of way. Staff said the alley appears to be a public right of way but that the Department of Public Works would need to evaluate flooding and title issues; members recommended the applicant work with city staff on potential sidewalks or easements to improve pedestrian connectivity.

On site design and grading, board members recommended tiering retaining walls so no single exposed portion exceeds four feet where walls are adjacent to property lines, and asked the applicant to explore shifting the building and parking eastward where feasible to better align with the supplemental zone and reduce the need for variances. The applicant said those changes could affect open‑space calculations and parking layout but agreed to evaluate options.

After discussion, the board adopted four recommendations to forward to the mayor and city council: explore adding balconies on Hardy Avenue, parking‑lot and other public‑facing facades to create depth and character; examine shifting the building and parking eastward to better align with the supplemental zone; tier retaining walls so no portion exceeds four feet where adjacent to property lines; and work with Chamblee staff to explore pedestrian connectivity to adjacent lots — specifically the library — through the unused right of way to the north. Kate Henry made the motion to adopt the recommendations and Eileen Dela Torre seconded; the motion passed by voice vote with four in favor, none opposed and no abstentions.

Matt Adams reminded the board that the design review board’s role is to provide design‑related recommendations for mayor and council consideration and that the board does not approve zoning. Tilvar and staff said the project will still require additional technical reviews, including the FAA clearance process that the city now requests for commercial developments in the vicinity of PDK as part of the land‑disturbance permitting process.

The board also approved minutes from its Oct. 8, 2025 meeting and adjourned.