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Gala's Pizza seeks variance to enclose patio; staff recommends approval despite nonconforming pole sign
Summary
Owner Anthony Donardo asked the council to approve enclosing an outdoor patio at 4849 Peachtree Road and a related sign variance; staff said the existing pole sign would become a roof sign and recommended approval conditioned on submitted elevations.
Planning staff presented PZ 20261637 for 4849 Peachtree Road (Gala's Pizza), noting the site has an existing legally nonconforming pole sign and an unenclosed patio. The applicant proposes to enclose the outdoor seating to create a four-season patio; staff said the enclosure would be compliant except that it would convert the existing pole sign into a roof sign, and roof signs are not permitted by the UDO. Staff recommended approval of the variance, conditioned on the elevations received by the planning department on Feb. 17, 2026.
Owner Anthony Donardo spoke in favor of the project and framed it as both a business and community benefit: "My name is Anthony Donardo. I'm the owner of gala's pizza and tavern. I'm the applicant. I am proposing, the enclosure and the variance in the sign. We purchased the business 2 years ago... The patio for us is an area where when we have ball teams and people like that that wanna come over and reserve a space, we wanna try to make that space usable, year round." Donardo said the investment helps the business serve community groups.
Council did not take a final vote at the work session; staff will return the item for formal action at a future meeting. Council members praised the owner's investment in Chamblee and discussed conditioning the approval on specific elevations and material treatments.
