NPU-F approves Virginia-Highland rezoning
October 21, 2008 at 7:52 pm by Thomas Wheatley in NewsAfter two hours of contention and confusion, Atlanta’s Neighborhood Planning Unit F voted last night to approve a rezoning designation that proponents say would preserve Virginia-Highland’s charm.
Scrunched in the jampacked meeting room of a psychiatric hospital off Monroe Drive, nearly 200 residents ultimately stamped the organization’s seal of approval on a two-year effort meant to preserve the neighborhood before developers capitalize on its antiquated zoning codes.
Since the 1960s — those heady days of “white flight” when the city was grateful if anyone built anything intown — the North Highland Avenue corridor has been zoned as “C-1.” Sounds wonkish, but imagine an 11-story building at the corner of Amsterdam and North Highland Avenues. That’s what C-1 zoning allows and that’s what proponents of the effort say they want to avoid.
The “Neighborhood Commercial” designation residents approved focuses on three “nodes” along North Highland Avenue and limits new buildings to three stories, requires sidewalks, permits open-air dining, and encourages shared parking. It would also prohibit in-front commercial parking and require developers to provide project information to the group prior to seeking permits from the city. (The designation has already been adopted in six Atlanta neighborhoods including Little Five Points and East Atlanta.)
The Virginia-Highland Civic Association pursued the “NC” designation once it became clear that The Mix — the Regal Cinemas-esque mixed-use development proposed at North Highland Avenue and Briarcliff Place — would indeed dwarf surrounding buildings with its six-story glory.
The night wasn’t without some confusion and pleas from residents who opposed the concept. Some residents who lived near the North Highland/Amsterdam “node” initially opposed the idea because the “NC” designation allows a future developer the option of building a one-level parking deck in the small lot behind the stores and restaurant. The residents asked for more time to digest the proposal.
What many failed to take into account, however, was that the parking deck option — reached after a compromise with the owner of the commercial property — included so many requirements that a developer would have to be either very well-financed or damn-near insane to pursue the option.
The final vote was 178-15. Four residents abstained. The proposal must go before the city’s Zoning Review Board before being presented to city council. Proponents are crossing their fingers that the matter will get the greenlight from council in December.
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