Powder Springs approves rezoning for 348-unit apartment development
May 15—The Powder Springs City Council approved a rezoning that will allow a $68 million mixed-use development with 348 apartments to move forward.
The developer will now go through the design review process with city staff. A final approval of the design will be voted on by the council, likely several months from now. The developer hopes to break ground in August.
The property, located near the intersection of Brownsville and Oglesby roads, is about a mile southwest of downtown Powder Springs. Atlanta developer Selig Enterprises owns the land and is seeking to build "highly-amenitized" homes for the area, which they believe lacks high-end, high-density housing.
Approximately 48% of the apartments would be one-bedroom, 46% would be two-bedroom and 6% would be three-bedroom. The development would include a leasing office, a swimming pool with clubhouse, fitness facilities, a dog park, walking paths and green space.
Rent will be approximately $1,200 for a one-bedroom, $1,750 for a two-bedroom and $2,000 for a three-bedroom. When approving the rezoning, the council asked Selig to "strongly consider" including more affordable "workforce housing" in the development.
Garvis Sams, a lawyer representing Selig, told council at its May 3 meeting Selig was targeting "double-income millennials" — young, childless professionals living together — as well as empty nesters.
"Right now, you're losing out," to Smyrna, Cumberland, Vinings and other areas that already offer such housing, Sams told the council.
In addition, Selig says it plans to renovate and attract more retail development to an existing, adjacent 12,000-foot shopping center which they own.
The council approved the rezoning and a variance that allows the property to have 15 units per acre, higher than the maximum 12 units per acre that the zoning ordinance specifies. Both votes passed 4-1, with Ward 3 Councilwoman Nancy Farmer opposed.
Farmer could not be reached for comment but expressed concerns about the traffic impact during the meeting.
The development is estimated to generate annual tax revenue of more than $550,000 for the city and more than $250,000 for schools, Powder Springs Mayor Pro Tem Henry Lust told the MDJ.
Former Powder Springs Councilman Ra Barr spoke in support of the project at the meeting, saying that during his tenure, from 2003-2010, "we never could seem to quite get a majority to go along with us in realizing that people need a lot of divergent housing, not just all brand-new houses."
Lust called the project a "win-win-win-win," explaining that he saw four major benefits — attracting professionals, the impact on downtown economic development, the impact on economic development in the area around the development and the property tax increases.
A handful of residents, though, expressed concerns about traffic. One requested a buffer and taller fence around the property. Sams said they would work with that resident.
"At Oglesby Road and Brownsville Road ... it's almost impossible to make a left turn at this time," said resident Marguerite Schmeltzer.
Another resident, Gordon Crabtree, was worried about increased traffic and said a high-density complex didn't belong in an area with low-density homes. Sams countered by pointing out the city's future land use map plans for the area include mixed-use development.
