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Paramount CBS seeks streetscape waivers for 2700 Northeast Expressway; city staff recommends partial denial
Summary
At a July 16 Chamblee work session, the city heard a zoning waiver request from Paramount/CBS for a 9.97‑acre site at 2700 Northeast Expressway. Staff recommended denying most waiver requests, while the applicant argued topography, trees and utilities make full compliance infeasible and estimated sidewalk costs near $700,000.
The Chamblee City Council considered a request to waive streetscape requirements for 2700 Northeast Expressway (PZ2026.1726) during a July 16 public hearing. Matt Adams, planning and development director, told the council the 9.97‑acre property fronts both I‑85 (Northeast Expressway) and Johnson Road and that staff had determined recent tenant improvements pushed the site over the city’s 30% redevelopment threshold, triggering streetscape obligations.
“Staff’s opinion is that there are opportunities for partial compliance,” Adams said, while recommending denial of waivers 1, 2, 4 and 5 (reductions to landscape and sidewalk clear zones on both frontages) and approval of waivers 3 and 6 (supplemental zone reductions) to be limited to the current building permit if council chose to approve any relief.
Baxter Russell, zoning and land‑use attorney representing Paramount/CBS Atlanta, argued the request should be granted because steep topography, an existing tree canopy and utilities constrain the site. Russell said the frontage across both streets is roughly 1,500 linear feet and estimated the retaining walls and sidewalks needed to meet the code could push construction costs to about $700,000. “We respectfully request approval of the streetscape waivers to allow us to receive our permits, move forward with the business improvements of our studio,” Russell said.
Council members asked for more granular cost and threshold breakdowns; Russell said the applicant’s portion represents about 13% of the redevelopment calculation. Several council members raised equity and enforcement concerns, noting the code does not distinguish whether a landlord or a tenant pays for required frontage improvements. Adams said the code is written to apply to the site as a whole.
No final vote on the waivers was taken; council members requested additional analysis on cost allocation, potential mitigation that would preserve trees and limit retaining‑wall construction, and suggested revising the draft permit condition language to clarify how relief would operate relative to future redevelopment thresholds. The item will return on a future agenda for further action.
