The Dunwoody City Council at its July 13 meeting held a public hearing about several variances and a request for a Special Land Use Permit for a proposed Ashford Dunwoody Road grocery store.
Kroger is requesting four variances as it redevelops the former Walmart store at Perimeter Village, which will include a drive-thru pharmacy and a gas station.
Kroger is taking about 166,000 square feet of the Walmart footprint, and representatives from Kimco said they are negotiating a lease with another entity that would use the remaining 60,000 square feet.
A staff memo recommends passage of the SLUP and the variances, with some conditions, in order to allow for the development to move forward.
During a public hearing about the variances and SLUP, two residents from Ashford Chase, which abuts the shopping center, said that while they support the plan, they asked for delivery hours (6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday) to be reduced.
Taylor Jensen, a senior construction manager for Kroger, said the team is working to balance the delivery hours to coincide with the store’s opening and closing hours, adding that most Kroger stores do not have any restrictions on delivery hours.
Madalyn Smith, the city’s senior planner, said the designated hours were determined after listening to input from residents during a recent Dunwoody Planning Commission meeting.
Mayor Lynn Deutsch and other council members asked the applicant to see if reductions could be made in the delivery-hour window.
The council also held a public hearing on the master plan sign proposal, several of which the city staff recommended be denied.
Kroger representatives, along with Laurel David of the Galloway Law Group, answered several other questions from council members regarding the drive-thru configuration, parking, security, and the gas station. The matters will be taken up again on the second read at the council’s June 27 meeting.
Dunwoody Senior Baseball talks new facility
The council also heard from Dunwoody Senior Baseball President Peter Keohane about plans to build an indoor practice facility at the North Peachtree Road site.
Keohane said the building “would be a great amenity for the city and Dunwoody Senior Baseball.”
It would contain three full-length pitching lanes and three batting cages. DSB is currently raising funds for its construction.
The council received the news positively, but several members told Keohane to keep in mind input from DeKalb County School District and additional community use, including by softball players.
Ashford Parkway discussion
The council discussed a controversial proposal to build walking paths and cycle tracks on Ashford Center Parkway that would result in lane reductions on the road.
The agenda item asked the council to approve a $75,000 contract to Kimley-Horn to develop conceptual plans for the roadway that connects Chamblee Dunwoody Road to Ashford Dunwoody Road
Several residents during public comment at a previous council meeting said the lane reduction would be detrimental to the ingress and egress on the already-congested roadway.
Deutsch pulled the item from the consent agenda to discuss the proposal, saying that she was concerned that it would not pass because of citizen and council concerns.
Several council members said they wanted several options to consider when the conceptual plan is completed, and voted 5-1 to fund it, with Deutsch being the lone dissenting vote.
Other action taken by council
- The council heard presentations from Rush Union Soccer about current and new initiatives that are drawing more players to the pitch.
- City Manager Eric Linton, in his report, stated that the Dunwoody Planning Commission would be discussing at its July 14 meeting a proposal for condo construction at Ashton Woods, an area that contains a five-story building.
- The council discussed plans for a $1.1 million SWAT building at the Shallowford Annex that would house special vehicles and be used for applicant evaluations.
- The panel heard from Linton that the valuation of construction permits pulled in June totaled $4.1 million.
- The council approved on the consent agenda several items, including the approval of a contract for the Ashford Connector concept design and appointments to several boards.
- The council also approved a $6 million contract with Wilson Construction Management for improvements on Mount Vernon and Tilly Mill Roads.
- The panel approved a $150,000 contract amendment with Blount Construction to pave additional streets in 2026, including Lockridge Forest and Arrie Way, Sanlee Lane, Sumac Drive, and Ridgelock Court, totaling 1.4 lane miles.
