The Tucker Planning Commission on Sept. 19 recommended approval on a Special Land Use Permit (SLUP) to allow for a 36-unit multi-family development at 4419 Cowen Road.
The applicant, listed as Kevin Maher of Placemaker Design, wants to convert an existing 29,000-square-foot vacant office building into 15 one-bedroom and 21 two-bedroom apartments. According to planning documents, the office building was constructed in 1974 and updated in 1992.
The property is near Enzo’s Pizza and abuts four residential parcels on Dillard Street. Because of its location next to the residential units, a SLUP is required.
At the meeting, Tucker Planning Manager Julie Martin presented a list of 11 conditions that are not required by law but would enhance the look and feel of the property. One of the conditions requires a minimum of six-month lease for the units.
However, Pete Bilson of Bilson & Associates, who spoke on behalf of the developer, asked that the lease condition be taken off the list because corporations may want to rent units for a shorter term. When asked by the commissioners what a shorter term might mean, Bilson said it might be “a month, a week, or a day.”
“There may be a robust discussion about the lease terms,” Tucker Planning Commission Chairperson Katherine Abernathy said.
After discussion, the panel chose to keep the six-month minimum on the condition’s list, but took off several items, including some landscaping and buffering conditions.
The property in question is about a two-minute drive from downtown Tucker. The Tucker City Council will take up the measure on Oct. 15.
Residential development in the downtown area has been the topic of conversation with the Tucker City Council. It recently held a public hearing regarding long-debated changes to multifamily density, townhome widths, and building heights in several downtown districts.
In a somewhat unusual move, rather than city staff introducing the text amendments, the changes were sponsored by four members of the Tucker City Council – Mayor Frank Auman, Virginia Rece, Roger Orlando, and Cara Schroeder