The Norcross City Council approved an amendment to the 2045 Comprehensive Plan on March 2 by a 3-2 vote. City officials discussed final changes in February, wrapping up a process that began last spring.
During a Feb. 16 policy work session, elected officials discussed the amendments amid opposition from a group of senior residents. The theme continued at the March 2 city council meeting with a chorus of criticism lobbed at elected officials.
Guiding Norcross development
Assistant City Manager Tracy Rye, the city’s former planning director, said amendments are intended to fine-tune the plan so that it more accurately reflects the city’s vision and framework without overhauling the entire document.
“The most common concerns we’ve heard relate to increased traffic, particularly along major corridors like Buford Highway and Holcomb Bridge Road,” Rye said. “We have also heard a strong desire to ensure that any future development is well-planned and maintains the small-town character and historic charm that make our community unique and led residents to call Norcross home in the first place.”
Rye said the Buford Highway Master Plan will be updated after the comprehensive plan amendments are adopted. After approving some Unified Development Ordinance changes to support the updates in prior months, elected officials are expected to make additional refinements later this year.
The comprehensive plan is a long-range vision guiding the kind of growth the city wants to see. The unified development ordinance provides the legal regulations determining what can be built and where.
Residents said they have mixed feelings and concerns about growth in Norcross. The city’s population more than doubled between 2010 and 2020, driven by an annexation in 2012 and ongoing development.
The amendment focuses on the boundaries and descriptions of some character areas and minor adjustments to the recommended land uses.
One of the only things everyone at Norcross City Hall could agree about on March 2 was the need to mitigate commuter traffic and alleviate congestion for residents.
Norcross protects historic downtown
One major amendment to the 2045 Comprehensive Plan separates character area 7 into two distinct districts, Downtown Historic Norcross and Buford Highway.
Staff from Doraville in DeKalb County also reviewed the amendments, approving of the expansion of housing development recommendations to most character areas.
“After reading through all the comments, the only comment I have is it seems (to me) overly complicated to split Character Area 7 into two, if the main difference is that larger-scale developments should go on or near Buford Highway, not near the historic town,” Doraville planners said.
Council Member Bruce Gaynor said he had ethical concerns about the 2024 update, mentioning the threat of lawsuits after zoning changes. Gaynor voted to approve the amendment along with council members Marshall Cheek and Matt Myers.
“We made the comp plan in a way, but didn’t understand that we were changing density, also didn’t understand that the UDO refers to the comp plan in sort of a circular way,” Gaynor said. “In effect, we were changing zoning without knowing it. That specific issue was what drove me to say we need to reopen the comp plan.”
Gaynor said a required special-use permit (SUP) for multifamily and mixed-use developments is “a backstop” that requires a majority of elected officials to approve a project. He said requiring a permit for high-density should’ve already been in the plan.
City staff clarified that the SUP is required in the Community Mixed-Use (CX) and Buford Highway (BH) zoning districts. A SUP also requires developers to conduct their own community engagement before the council considers the application.
Council members talk density
“The comp plan does not say apartments,” Gaynor said before the amendment’s approval. “The comp plan says, as proposed, that in two areas, it’s possible to have higher density housing, which would include senior housing and condos.”
At the February policy work session, Council Member Josh Bare said he thinks Norcross residents have been clear about their opposition to increased density. Bare and Council Member Andrew Hixson voted against the amendments.
“I’ve heard the people who have reached out to me,” Bare said. “I’m not okay with the comp plan moving forward, and I recognize that I’m in the minority on this.”
Bare said he appreciates the special-use permit requirement in the UDO but wants to prioritize home ownership and “protect property set aside for jobs.”
“Based on my experience on council, I find that it’s better for us to be very clear at the very beginning of the relationship with the developer,” Bare said. “In my time on council, which is 13 years, I have never seen so much community input … that was so strong one way.”
Just before the vote, Bare said he thinks Norcross is meeting its goal of being a dynamic place where people flourish.
“I just think … we’re tipped more toward the transient population right now, which is not for the benefit of Norcross,” Bare said. “We need to tip back in the other direction, which is creating more opportunities for people to invest their money in their homes.”
