Last week, the Atlanta Zoning Review Board recommended the approval of a rezoning request on 1385 Collier Road NW from Heavy Industrial (I-2) to Industrial Mix (I-MIX), paving the way for a future multifamily residential development and the conversion of industrial buildings to office use.
As reported in September by What Now Atlanta, Stream Realty Partners described the development of 200 residential housing units and a shared parking deck on an industrially zoned property. The two existing industrial buildings on the 4-acre site would also remain, converting the 98,671 square feet space into office and other amenity uses.
Despite having a future land use designation of Industrial within the 2016 Comprehensive Plan (CPD), the rationale for the rezoning approval included that the uses currently on the block, which include multifamily homes, restaurants, and retail uses, would be more consistent with the proposed mixed-use residential project than the current use of Heavy Industrial.
City documents further explained that the proposed rezoning would be consistent with the CPD policy related to the “rehabilitation of industrial buildings 50 years or older to residential uses.” In addition, the zoning request appears to be compatible with Neighborhood Planning Unit D‘s policy to “review the industrially classified properties to determine the potential for vacant and underutilized to be reclassified to residential.”
This development will add to the quality of life of Underwood Hills by promoting development patterns that encourage walking, bicycling, and transit use. City Planners also believe that the adjacent properties will benefit from the redevelopment of the existing surface parking lot and industrial buildings because this adaptive reuse project will increase visual interest and activity, leading to an overall positive effect in the neighborhood.
The next steps in the rezoning approval process include a review by the City Council’s Zoning Committee. Atlanta City Council will then consider the Zoning Committee and the Zoning Review Board recommendation after a public hearing, which has not yet been scheduled according to the City of Atlanta website.
