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Commission recommends conditional use permit for shoreline walls, asks for engineering proof of erosion need
Summary
The commission recommended approval of a conditional use permit to replace shoreline stairs and retaining walls with narrower granite walls, contingent on engineering demonstrating the erosion‑control purpose and minimum sizing prior to council review.
The commission recommended approval of a conditional use permit for shoreline retaining walls at 2545 Dunwoody Avenue (LA 25‑16) after the applicant narrowed the proposal and proposed screening plantings. Staff said the current plans are closer to an in‑kind replacement and that the applicant should provide engineering documentation demonstrating need for erosion control and that the walls are the minimum necessary solution.
John Charles Cudd, speaking for Charles Cudd Company, said the existing limestone walls had deteriorated over decades and that replacing them in granite is effectively an in‑kind restoration: “If this wall was built out of granite 60 years ago, it'd still be in the same condition,” he said, and offered to provide an engineer's certification if that is the commission’s preference.
Staff outlined four conditional‑use criteria—need for erosion control, suitability given demonstrated need, minimum necessary size and design—and said the applicant must provide engineering before the city council hearing on Aug. 8. Commissioners praised the applicant for narrowing the plan and adding screening and voted to move the application forward to the council with the engineering condition.
