A Tale of Two Developments

With the economy recovering, signs of development are popping up in Buckhead like spring flowers.

On Pinecrest in North Buckhead, two large homes are rising, across the street from each other. luxury apartments at 235 Pharr Road also advances upward, near where . Just down the road at the Paces Apartments site on East Andrews, is also to start work on luxury aparments.

The development moves gained traction Tuesday night when NPU-B recommended approval for developer Winston Smith's plan to build townhomes on the corner of Longleaf Drive and Phipps Boulevard.

Smith and attorney Douglas Dillard appeared at the NPU-B meeting, watching as the proposal for a rezoning from single-family residential to multifamily residential quickly gained unanimous approval, following a favorable report from the NPU's Zoning Committee.

Smith scaled down the plan from 13 to 11 townhomes and made design changes to receive approval for the plan, which first appeared before the NPU in December and brought neighbhorhood opposition when heard by

But another long-pushed development again struck out. The NPU, following its development committee, denied recommending a change in the city's Comprehensive Development Plan for the Sembler Co.'s plan to build a commercial center at Lindbergh, Morosgo and Adina Drive and Piedmont Road. The company's plan for retail center would result in a "big box" store such as a Target or Wal-Mart, NPU members said. Sembler seeks to change the land use designation from high density residential to to high density mixed use.

A contingent from the company showed up at the meeting, but no further discussion ensued as its plan was quickly shot down 24-0, with one abstention, following the development committee's earlier 13-2-1 vote against it.

NPU Development Committee chairperson Andrea Bennett said Sembler's plan would disrupt the high-desnity urban area's character as defined by its zoning regulations, SPI-15, which she said gives a "very specific designation."

She said the move would change the area's character as a walkable, urban center of small shops, restaurants and high-rise residences. The area is near the Lindbergh station, where two rail lines now converge and from where a line to Emory is proposed under the Transportation Investment Act.

"Once it's built, it can't be undone," Bennett said about the big-box development.

During the NPU meeting, board chairperson Sally Silver assured the members and audience that OliverMcMillan is still progressing toward beginning work on Buckhead Atlanta, the long delayed mixed-use development in the heart of Buckhead. She said the company is still going through the city permitting process and doing some site cleanup work to remove some structures.

"You will see those cranes moving soon," Silver said.