Doraville DDA joins Kaufman development agreements and appoints three-member application review committee

The Doraville Downtown Development Authority voted to join the City of Doraville's development contracts with Kaufman Capital Partners and appointed a three-member DDA application review committee, board members said at the meeting.

Cecil McLendon, who presented the items, said the city previously executed a Master Development Agreement and that Kaufman 'won that RFP process' to serve as the city's development partner. "Kaufman Partners, who we've dealt with Kaufman previously, won that RFP process, and they were brought in as the development partner with the city," McLendon said. He told the authority the mayor and council had approved transferring three retail pad sites in the city center project to the DDA so the authority could enter the long-term leases the city cannot.

The joinder to the Master Development Agreement dated November 18, 2024 would add the DDA as a third party alongside the city and Kaufman, McLendon said, allowing Kaufman to continue engineering, design and leasing work for the pad sites while the DDA holds title. He noted deeds are being prepared by the city's attorney at Smith Gambrell and that the mayor will execute conveyance documents to transfer ownership of the three pad sites to the authority.

Board members also approved the DDA joining a related advisory and brokerage agreement, also dated November 18, 2024, authorizing Kaufman to market and secure tenants for the retail and restaurant spaces once the pad sites are developed. McLendon described the brokerage role as necessary to "be ready with the tenants to move into the space" as development proceeds.

Separately, the authority created a three-member DDA application review committee to perform initial analysis and scope development for incoming applications and to recommend scopes for third-party analyses. A board member nominated Harold Chen, Sergio Manzaldo and Steffi Kouts to serve on the committee; the authority voted to appoint them.

All motions on the agenda ' the committee appointment, the two joinder approvals and the meeting minutes ' were moved, seconded and approved by voice vote. During roll call the authority recorded Harold Chen, Steffi Kouts, Sergio Manzaldo and James Kim as present; Doug Edwards and Skyler Clark were recorded as absent.

The documents referenced in the packet include the Master Development Agreement and the advisory and brokerage agreement dated November 18, 2024; the chair was authorized to execute the joinder on behalf of the DDA so Kaufman may proceed with development and leasing activities on the pad sites now being transferred to the authority. The meeting concluded with approval of minutes and adjournment.