PATCH VOICES: 800 Glenwood Place Project Needs Community's Input

by Smart Growth Atlanta

On Aug. 8th the Zoning Review Board reviewed legislation introduced by Councilwoman Smith at the request of the neighborhoods. This legislation supports the BeltLine Sub-Area 4 Master Plan and the wishes of the neighborhoods for 800 and 860 Glenwood Ave. to have a good mix of residential and retail space. This legislation will rezone the property from Industrial to Mixed Use Residential Commercial. The current zoning (Industrial) is in conflict with the BeltLine plans.

A huge thank you to the over 600 of you who attended the Zoning Review Board (ZRB) on Aug. 8th!  The Board voted 2-1, with 2 abstentions, to recommend support of the proposed legislation to rezone the property from Industrial to Mixed Use Residential Commercial. This was a huge win for the neighborhoods, but only the first of many steps.

We need your help again to ensure that our vision of the BeltLine becomes a reality. Please support this effort by taking the following actions:

• Email our City Council members asking them to support the rezoning legislation. Visit www.smartgrowthatlanta.org for a letter that you can send to each of the 16 City Council members and Mayor Kasim Reed. The schedule of meetings where Council members will be voting on this legislation is listed below so please send your letter prior to the dates listed.
• Attend City Council meetings to show your support of the rezoning legislation. Again, it is important that we have as many people as possible attend to show support. Items related to the rezoning legislation will be voted on at the following meetings:

Review of Comprehensive Development Plan
City Council Community Development Committee Meeting
Tuesday, August 27th, 12:30pm - 3:00pm
Committee Room 2, 55 Trinity Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30303

Review of Rezoning Legislation
City Council Zoning Committee Meeting
Wednesday, August 28th, 9:30am - 10:30am
Committee Room 2, 55 Trinity Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30303

Review of Comprehensive Development Plan and Rezoning Legislation 
Full City Council Meeting
Tuesday, September 3rd (yes, the day after Labor Day), 1pm - 4pm
Council Chambers, 55 Trinity Avenue Atlanta, GA 30303

Visit https://www.facebook.com/GrantParkGPNA/events to find out more information on these three events and let us know that you plan to attend.

• Donate to www.smartgrowthatlanta.org in order to help us defray the legal costs we anticipate incurring.

On July 12th, the City of Atlanta Office of Planning approved Fuqua Development's Special Administrative Permit (SAP) for 800 Glenwood Avenue. We believe that the City erroneously approved this permit due to inconsistencies with the Atlanta Subarea 4 Master Plan recommendations. Mark your calendar now to attend the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) meeting, where the board will hear our appeal of the granting of the SAP.

Board of Zoning Adjustment
Thursday, October 10th, 12:00 PM
Council Chambers, 55 Trinity Avenue Atlanta, GA 30303

Visit www.smartgrowthatlanta.org for more information or to donate to the cause.

Proactive Rezonings & Transit-Oriented Development

From 2007 to 2012, members of the community worked with the City of Atlanta and Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI) to produce 10 subarea master plans, which were adopted by Atlanta City Council. These master plans laid out the parks, trails, transportation, and land use recommendations to help fulfill the Atlanta BeltLine vision. Part of that vision is Transit-Oriented Development: pedestrian and bicycle-friendly urban infill around the planned transit investment.

The next step in realizing the Atlanta BeltLine vision is a multi-year effort to rezone specific parcels per the recommendations in the master plans. The City of Atlanta's Department of Planning and Community Development, with support from ABI, will initiate proactive rezonings in key redevelopment areas identified in the master plans.

The proactive rezoning will occur in the three phases:

The City of Atlanta and ABI have combined their community engagement efforts to ensure the creation a series of opportunities for public input. The BeltLine Subarea 3 includes portions of the Chosewood Park, Grant Park, Boulevard Heights, and Ormewood Park neighborhoods and portions of NPUs W and Y. Below is the public outreach schedule for the rezonings in the Subarea 3 study area. Please attend to learn more information about the proactive rezonings planned for Sub Area 3.

SE Study Group
Monday, September 9th, 6 PM
Trees Atlanta
225 Chester Avenue, SE
Atlanta, GA 30316

NPU-W
Wednesday, September 25th, 7:30 PM
Martha Brown United Methodist Church
468 Moreland Avenue SE
Atlanta, GA 30316

For more information contact:
Jonathan Lewis, AICP, City of Atlanta Office of Planning jlewis@atlantaga.gov
Beth McMillan, Director of Community Engagement at bmcmillan@atlbeltline.org

Smart Growth Atlanta is an organization comprised of citizens and neighborhood associations in Grant Park, Ormewood Park, North Ormewood Park, Glenwood Park and other Southeast Atlanta neighborhoods.