The Norcross Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval of a rezoning for 290 and 300 Academy Street at its March 4 meeting, enabling redevelopment of a block near downtown into a new neighborhood.
A Norcross spokesperson said the city council is on track to discuss the rezoning on March 16 and vote on April 6. The city official also said the developer has funds readily available for immediate use toward the planned construction, and the project conforms to the city’s comprehensive plan.
The Architecture Review Board has already blessed the project. After the Planning and Zoning Board’s recommendation, it moves to a final decision from the Norcross City Council.
Rezoning and redevelopment plans
The applicant, Robert Forro of 4.0 Construction, seeks a rezoning of the properties from single-family residential (R75) to planned residence district (PRD) to permit the by-right construction of 15 single-family detached homes. R75 districts must have a minimum lot width of 75 feet.
While the developer’s subdivision proposes a density of approximately 4.5 units per acre, a planned residence district allows up to 12 units per acre. The combined parcels are 3.33 acres.
According to the city’s rezoning documents, PRDs are intended for higher-density, multi-family developments. Still, they can only contain housing types or densities allowed under the comprehensive plan’s character area description.
In a required form submitted to elected officials, the developer said the rezoning proposal is suitable with nearby properties, which will benefit from increased property values and “curb appeal.”
“By doing single-family detached, we are actually using less density than what is currently recommended by the comprehensive land-use plan,” the developer wrote. “It will provide more housing [within] walking distance to downtown. In turn, it will help reduce traffic and impact in the area for residents who want to be downtown.”
Architectural Review Board okays demolition
The proposed subdivision at Academy and Lawrenceville streets is in historic downtown Norcross, or character area 7A in the city’s updated comprehensive plan. The properties are on the edge of character area 7B, or the Buford Highway district.
In January, city staff inspected one of the two historic homes built prior to 1950 on the properties because of its location within the Norcross Historic District.
While the developer plans to renovate the existing two-story residence at 290 Academy Street and incorporate it into the proposed subdivision, professional engineers have determined that the historic home at 300 Academy Street “is not feasible for renovation and should be demolished.”
A city memo states that each home in the proposed subdivision will go before the Architectural Review Board before any residential building permits are issued.
City staff recommends approval of the rezoning, citing the proposed single-family homes as a transition between townhomes and commercial uses south of Lawrenceville Street and the traditional R75 lots north of Academy Street.
“Developing a subdivision under the current zoning would allow for approximately 12 homes or 3.6 units per acre,” staff wrote. “The proposal may result in a use which could cause an excessive, burdensome use of existing streets, transportation facilities, utilities, or schools.”
Details on proposed homes
Each home will be a minimum of 3,356 square feet and feature a garage with rear entry. The proposed lots will vary in size, frontage, and lot width, and may include a private 16-foot-wide alley for rear parking.
The subdivision will feature perimeter sidewalks, with a mandatory homeowners’ association owning and maintaining the right-of-way and stormwater detention.
While the proposed rezoning increases density, the developer cites the subdivision’s match with the surrounding area.
The project also adds single-family detached homes near downtown and Norcross Elementary School. Elected officials disagreed on aspects of the comprehensive plan update. However, they voiced support for increasing owner-occupied homes in the city.
In its justification for the rezoning, the homebuilding company cited its design of “seven historically themed neighborhoods in the downtown Norcross area … that have had tremendous support and popularity.”
“We feel in order to achieve the best and highest quality while maintaining more authentic historical designs, rear alleys are the best way,” the developer wrote. “This will allow us to achieve over two times the minimum parking requirements, provide more historically looking custom homes with no garage doors on the fronts of houses, and be much more community-friendly during construction by allowing the alley to bypass most of the construction traffic in the adjacent community.”