NPU-W to File Response on Glenwood Place Project Today

The leadership team of Neighborhood Planning Unit-W is expected to submit its formal response to city planning officials today regarding a developer's controversial plan for a retail development in Grant Park.

Today is the deadline for NPU-W's response to Fuqua Development LLC's proposal for a project that calls for 199,050 square feet of retail on a 20-acre tract at 800 Glenwood Ave.

As part of the project, called Glenwood Place, the company is seeking two variances.

The first seeks relief from the BeltLine Overlay Master Plan, which calls for a street grid and an extension of Faith Avenue from Chester Avenue to the Kalb Street extension.

Without the variance, the company says it can't build the 155,000-square-foot big-box structure it included in its plan.

But at NPU-W's meeting Wednesday night, Ed Gilgor, its chairman, said the city has never granted a street grid variance. He said that in its response, NPU-W, which represents the interests of Grant Park, Ormewood Park and East Atlanta, will argue against making an exception now.

The other variance concerns the Kalb Street extension from the Arts Exchange parking area to Glenwood Avenue and the Master Plan's call for multifamily streetscape.

Fuqua says part of the street is too narrow to incorporate the streetscape outlined in the Master Plan.

Gilgor said that while the company posits that it is only asking for two variances, it actually is looking for multiple exceptions in its proposal, which is a resubmission to city planning officials, which rejected Fuqua's first presentation last year.

"They think they're only making two variance requests," Gilgor said. "We don't agree with that assessment, but we also don't agree with their variance requests."

SEE ALSO:

• NPU-W Wants Traffic Study Requirement in Certain Development Projects
• City Planning Director Finds Problems with Glenwood Place Project
• Glenwood Place Development: Where it Stands Now
• Southeast Atlanta Rallies for "Smart" Development
• Rally Planned to Oppose Glenwood Place Project
• NPU-W Opposes Glenwood Place Development
• East Atlanta Resident Starts Online Letter Campaign Against Glenwood Place
• NPUs Give Their Support in Opposition to Glenwood Place Project
• Major Retail Planned at Glenwood
• Online Petition To Stop Glenwood Place Project in Grant Park