Proposed Mixed-use Development May Include Luxury Hotel

A rezoning request for a nearly 20-acre site near the Central Business District tabled for June’s City Council meeting

A vacant office building located within the curve of Engineering Drive just west of Peachtree Parkway may become the site of a new luxury hotel. Atlanta-based TPA Residential has requested the rezoning of 19.46 acres from M-1 (Light Industry District) to MUD (Mixed-Use Development District) to develop a campus master plan consisting of an existing office building; a new five-story, 315-unit multi-family residential building; a new five-story boutique-style hotel; and an extension to the public trail system. 

The plan is to add more than 300 apartments and a five-story, 100-room hotel at Engineering Drive and Peachtree Parkway, according to documents submitted to the city of Peachtree Corners. 

A subsidiary of The Dilweg Cos., a real estate investment firm based in Durham, N.C., the company also requested a variance to allow for a reduction in parking in the multifamily building from 1.5 spaces per unit to 1.38 spaces per unit due to the fact that the project has a majority of one-bedroom units. 434 total parking spaces are proposed, 324 in a two-level deck internal to the site and 110 surface parking spaces. 

The Peachtree Parkway properties are located at the northwest corner of Peachtree and Engineering, adjacent to the aforementioned property and directly south of the office building best known as the home of CarMax’s Peachtree Corners offices. These properties share the same 5707 address as the CarMax building, but the CarMax parcel is not part of this rezoning request.  

Both properties are across Engineering Drive from the city’s future trail hub at the southwest corner of Peachtree and Engineering. This proposal plans to extend the trail system from the hub into this site and prepare it for future connections north to The Forum area.   

The site plan submitted by TPA indicates two points of entry into the multifamily development from Engineering Drive. One point of access is shown to the hotel site from Engineering Drive. Additional cross-access is provided into the CarMax site and onto Peachtree Parkway via that property’s existing driveway.   

Most properties surrounding the subject property are zoned M-1 (Light Industry) with the exception of the city’s trail hub site which is zoned T-O (Trails and Open Space). 

The city’s future Corners Connector trail system will run parallel along the west side of Peachtree Parkway from Holcomb Bridge Road to The Forum. TPA also proposed to construct the portion of the trail on its property with connections south to the city’s trail hub and north to future expansion towards The Forum.  

The application included architectural elevations as part of the rezoning request which shows modern designs with flat rooflines, rectilinear massing, a mixture of exterior cladding materials and a variety of colors. The proposed structures appear to blend with the contemporary aesthetic of Technology Park. 

The site plan also includes numerous amenities that would benefit residents, office workers and hotel guests. These include a dog park, community garden, sports courts, event plaza, walking trails, lake trail, boat dock, water feature and connectivity to the city’s trail system.  

City staff appeared in favor of the plan with conditions that included:

• The site may be developed with up to 315 multifamily units. However, the maximum number of units is dependent on site conditions, compliance with zoning conditions and fully engineered plans that meet regulations. Units shall consist primarily of one- and two-bedroom units; however, up to 5% of the units may be three-bedroom units.
• The property owner shall develop a Hotel Indigo or comparable boutique hotel as defined by the hotel industry, and as approved by the City Council. The hotel shall have a minimum of 100 rooms. The property owner shall be prohibited from developing a non-boutique hotel brand such as Holiday Inn or Hampton Inn. 
• The developer shall construct the trail system as proposed including the trail connection to the trail hub across Engineering Drive and the trail around the lake along the entire length of the developer’s property. Such trail system shall be built to city standards (width, depth, furnishings, etc.), and dedicated for public use by an easement or land conveyance that ensures its open access to the public. A minimum of 10 parking spaces on the hotel site shall be available for (non-exclusive) trail use.
• The development shall incorporate public art in the form of a large wall mural on the side of the hotel building visible from Peachtree Parkway or in the form of a sculpture located at the corner of Peachtree Parkway and Engineering Drive. The design of the mural or sculpture shall be approved by staff with assistance from the Arts Council. Completion of the artwork shall occur prior to the issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy for the hotel building. The total cost of the artwork shall not exceed $25,000. 
• Multifamily parking shall be designed to be ‘electrical vehicle ready’ by providing wiring and outlets in convenient garage locations to accommodate residential electric vehicle charging. A minimum of four electric vehicle stations shall be included in the hotel parking lot. 
• An upscale hotel may be built as part of a mixed-use project in Peachtree Corners, a suburban city home to a growing technology park.

On March 22, Peachtree Corners City Council decided to defer a vote on the application until June.