The Sandy Springs Planning Commission recommended approval of a drive-thru ATM for a fifth Third Bank branch expected to open at 6420 Roswell Road in late 2024.
The commission recommended approval of a conditional permit for the drive-thru during their meeting on Oct. 18. The property is bordered to the north by Chaseland Road. The Whispering Pines subdivision is located behind, or to the west, of the 0.78-acre lot.
The property has been vacant since 2008 and was the site of the adult club Flashers. The building was torn down after a fire damaged it in 2020.
Fifth Third Bank plans a one-story, 1,900-square-foot facility with two drive-through canopies. The site plan calls for 710 square feet of outdoor amenity space. Fourteen parking spaces are proposed, with two spaces outfitted with electric vehicle charging stations.
The applicant has provided ample infrastructure to alleviate traffic, such as lanes for each of the ATMs and the manual teller, said Matthew Anspach, senior planner for the Sandy Springs Community Development Department.
“With a bank these days it doesn’t have anywhere near that same sort of traffic impacts that you might find with a fast-food restaurant, which are vastly more dependent upon their drive-thrus,” Anspach said.
Baxter Russell of Dillard Sellers, a zoning consultant and lawyer for the applicant, said the property was zoned CX-3, which allows office use such as a bank.
Only 35 percent of customers in the metro area use the bank’s drive-thru, he said, but it is an important option. The Fifth Third Bank branch will not be built without the drive-thru, he said.
Matt LaMarsh, a director with the Sandy Springs Council of Neighborhoods, spoke in opposition to the drive-thru stating the city needed to move away from auto-centric uses.
Alan Andrew, president of the homeowners’ association for the 162-home Whispering Pines subdivision, spoke in support of the bank and drive-thru.
“Over the years we’ve had to protect our borders and stress the importance of developments that enhance our neighborhood,” he said.
