On Monday night the Dunwoody City Council will be hearing a proposal by
Grubb Properties to
rezone the former City Hall site and related buildings on Perimeter Center East to allow a mixed use project which would be developed over the next 10 years to include a 2 acre park, 300 apartments, 900 condos, a 19 story office tower, numerous restaurants & shops.
If passed by Council, I believe this would be the first rezoning that would allow an increase of rental multi-family units but the size of these rental units would be limited in scope to focus towards young professionals working in the area. The 2 acre park is an amenity that is sorely needed in the area and when surrounded by shops and restaurants located in the first floor of the two buildings abutting the amenity it might draw businesses from surrounding residential units
including the Georgetown community via the new bridge and trail that will be constructed for another project under construction. The new condos would allow members of our community to age in place by allowing them to sell the big family home in order to downsize to single level living. The office tower proposed would add job opportunities to that community whereby many working in that tower might also live in the new complex. The office aspect answers my concerns that the development in that area is already residential heavy and the office adds a balance to the uses.
- I have concerns on the traffic data that I need to study more but there is language in the agreement that the property will continue funding a shuttle to the Dunwoody MARTA Station.
- I am not a fan of private streets and I will want to know how that will impact public use.
- I have concerns on the ambiguity on the number of units in each building as many of the drawings state between 250 & 350 units and am concerned that the rental units may swell and at some point other aspects of the project would be sold off therefore I will be asking questions on that point.
- Sewer capacity is a huge unknown at this point and is that an issue that needs to be addressed prior to a Council decision?
- There is a school impact study included in the packet that I need wrap my head around that shows they anticipate this development at complete build-out in ten years adding 65 children to the DeKalb School System. This development proposal includes unit size protections thereby possibly limiting the number of school children as there will be no three bedroom rental units, 50% of all units will be studio or one bedroom, only 10% of the condo units will be 3 bedroom, so I am then assuming that the other 40% of the units will all be two bedroom units.
- I have concerns about the mix of other "Development Entitlements" that were granted to other properties prior to Cityhood and how if they are developed as planed they would impact city services and quality of life? Do I weigh the maybe of another future development that I would have limited control over, impact my decision on this proposal?
Seeing that
my parents successfully downsized from a four bedroom single family home to a two bedroom / two bath condo, with a nice balcony, in unit laundry, deeded in building parking, in building storage units, prewired for cable and internet, elevators and a gathering place outside to be social - I see this condo development as a viable option for those seniors who are looking to stay close to family & friends yet downsize to single level living. The list of amenities being offered in the residential units are slim and I would want to hear more details as well as hear about the use of
Universal Design to foster aging in place.
For the record, I do believe that Perimeter Center is the economic
engine that drives the entire city, I consider myself pro-smart growth
development and want to see a thriving area filled with offices, hotels,
convention centers, retail and residential of various types but I also
want to see parks, playgrounds, libraries, green space, and proper
restaurants to serve their needs as well as schools, roads and
transportation infrastructure that can handle the increased residential capacity. I need to balance the growth of the business center against the impacts that this type of development would have over the quality of life for all residents therefore I welcome your feedback on this issue.
There will be a public hearing Monday night at 6 pm at the new City Hall located at 4800 Ashford Dunwoody Rd NE, Dunwoody, GA 30338 - please join us. This item will not be voted upon for another couple weeks in order to allow Council to have their questions answered and in order to receive community feedback therefore your participation is a vital part of the process.
If you feel strongly about this project and are unable to make the public hearing on Monday, the entire Dunwoody City Council can be reached via email at
CouncilMembers@dunwoodyga.gov and to email me directly my address is
John.Heneghan@dunwoodyga.gov. Thanks
