With only days to the Atlanta City Council vote regarding the controversial Amsterdam Walk redevelopment, the Morningside Lenox Park Association (MLPA) Board unanimously approved a statement calling on the council to reject the proposed plan from Portman Holdings.
The statement, approved at the MLPA meeting and shared with Rough Draft on April 14, explains that, while the MLPA originally negotiated and approved a development plan for the site, “unbeknownst to us, that plan was modified after our board vote and then submitted to the City.”
“At this time, we believe any proposed redevelopment at Amsterdam Walk should comply with the land use recommendation as described in the Atlanta Beltline Subarea 6 Master Plan,” the statement reads. “…We trust the collective and comprehensive wisdom of the six neighborhood communities that created the Beltline Master Plan in collaboration with the staff of the Atlanta Beltline and their outside urban planning consultants.”
As stated in the Beltline Subarea 6 Master Plan, the land use proposed for Amsterdam Walk is low-density mixed-use – or one to four stories – on the edges of the property and medium-density mixed-use – five to nine stories – at the interior.
Mike Greene, the Senior Vice President of Portman Holdings, told Rough Draft that the project the MLPA approved was “the same square footage and included two high-rises—one office and one residential” and the proposal was changed “in response to council members’ concerns.”
“The letter states the project has changed since MLPA originally approved it and asks that it be brought into compliance with the new BeltLine Master Plan height guidelines,” Greene said. “However, the reason the project was modified was to address council members’ desires to see it conform more closely with the new Master Plan —exactly as the letter now requests… Bear in mind that today the property is already zoned for high density commercial with nearly unlimited height. We maintain that a mostly residential project with limited height is substantially better for the community and the city than the current zoning.”
“[A]t the end of the day if the project is approved, we are still going to honor the 40 conditions MLPA required in exchange for their previous support, and we are going to be a great neighbor to the surrounding single family whether they supported or opposed,” Greene continued.
The MLPA said approval of the plan “would set a dangerous precedent for the City that will forever change how developers operate going forward.”
The Ansley Park Civic Association Zoning Committee released a statement on April 16 endorsing MLPA’ position.
Last year, NPU-F voted 77 percent in opposition to the project in a vote of 282 to 84, with community organizers arguing that, while they support the redevelopment, the current proposal is too big for the nearly 11-acre site.
Atlanta City Council is set to vote on the Amsterdam Walk redevelopment on Monday, April 21.
This story was updated on April 17 to include the update from the Ansley Park Civic Association.