Developers of a proposed townhome project at the current Brookhaven Boys & Girls Club site say they have revised their plans based on community input, including reducing the number of units from 74 to 64 and changing the entrance from Sylvan Circle to Briarwood Road.
The proposed project goes before the Planning Commission on Oct. 4. The Community Development staff is recommending approval with 42 conditions, including a maximum of 59 units and 5-unit “manor home,” or condos.
Ashton Woods is seeking to purchase the 6-acre property on North Druid Hills Road where the Boys & Girls Club is and is asking the city to rezone it from R-75 (single-family residential) to RM-100 (multi-family residential).
Mike Busher, Senior Vice President at Ashton Woods Atlanta, said in a prepared statement that Ashton Woods has worked over the past month to revise its plans which now include:
- Reduced overall site density by approximately 15 percent, from 74 units to 64 units, including a 5-unit condo unit to fulfill an affordable housing concept.
- Changed proposed entrance from Sylvan Circle to Briarwood Road.
- Ashton Woods intends to donate land to the city/DeKalb County to facilitate the inclusion of a right-hand turn lane onto North Druid Hills Road from Briarwood Road.
Also part of the revised plan, according to Busher:
- Creation of a publicly accessible pocket park – to be owned and maintained by the homeowners association – on the preferred location of Sylvan Circle.
“We now have close to 47 percent total open space – nearly 2.7 acres of the site,” he said in the statement. “Such a large amount of open space is an unusual achievement in such a land constrained environment.”
- Removed the proposed above ground detention and replaced it with an underground vault, to be located beneath the pocket park. The mandatory HOA will retain ownership/maintenance of the vault. The park will be for the public benefit, but will be maintained by the HOA in perpetuity.
- Included an alternative/affordable housing options with 5 unit condo building. The condo units will range in size from 900-1,400 square feet. “The Manor Condo is an artful way to provide affordability, while remaining architecturally harmonious within the development scheme,” Busher said.
Busher also explained how Ashton Woods became interested in the property.
“Prior to offering the property for sale, the Boys & Girls Club took time to meet with the city’s planning department, along members of the community, in an effort to determine what category/use/redevelopment strategy was appropriate for the site,” he said.
“While total alignment on a rezoning matter is inherently difficult to find, the Club’s officers and representatives came away with a sense that a medium-density residential development (townhomes) could be supported – provided it did not contain a rental component,” Busher said.
“Ashton Woods Homes was ultimately selected as the purchaser, following a fairly intensive search process, based largely on our experience in Brookhaven and our overall reputation,” he added.
The revised plans come from input during neighborhood meetings in which residents expressed serious concerns about the proposed development about the overall density and traffic; integrating green space as a community and neighborhood benefit; and the opposition to the proposed entrance on Sylvan Circle, he said.
Busher said Ashton Woods also met with Mayor John Ernst who asked an affordable housing component be included.
The Community Development’s recommendation for approval of the proposed project includes the developer meeting the issues addressed by Ashton Woods in this statement. Other conditions include limiting density to 10.32 units per acre; maximum height of the 5-unit “manor condos” will be three stories; maximum height of the other buildings will be four stories; an 8-foot privacy fence along the side property line adjacent to single-family detached homes to screen views of the proposed development; and constructing an new 10-foot multi-use sidewalk.
To read all conditions, click here and then scroll to page 18 in the PDF document.
What is the COB needs to address traffic on NDHR? If a concept had been prepared, we’d know! The existing pavement width may be adequate subject to the sidewalk/shoulder needs on the south side. Remember the COB policy is bikes and sidewalks on both sides of the road.