);
Connect with us

Business

Mixed-Use Development on the Agenda for Spalding Drive and Peachtree Parkway

Published

on

Peachtree Summit Mixed Use

The Summit at Peachtree Parkway is part of proposed rezoning for live, work, play campus.

The request to rezone 15.69 acres of land currently zoned light industrial to mixed-use development in the city’s central business district is on the agenda for this month’s Peachtree Corners Planning Commission meeting.

The applicant Brand Properties, a metro Atlanta real estate investment company, is seeking to build a campus at 5550 Peachtree Parkway and 5458 Spalding Drive consisting of an existing six-story office building and five new multifamily buildings, one of which will contain ground-floor retail space. These new buildings range in height from three to five stories and will have a total of 251 units. The applicant is also proposing an extension to the public trail system.

The Summit at Peachtree Parkway

The property is currently The Summit at Peachtree Parkway, a large office building and associated parking with a retention pond fronting Peachtree Parkway just south of Spalding Drive. The site is heavily wooded and the office building and pond are partially obscured from view along the street.

The Spalding Drive properties are a vacant parcel adjacent to the Bank of America and a developed parcel containing the Rio Imports Auto Center auto repair business.

5448 Spalding Drive

The properties which are part of this application form the southeast corner of Peachtree Parkway and Spalding Drive, with the exception of the Bank of America property which is not part of this application.

The Summit has approximately 179,000 square feet of office space with access to 11-plus miles of hiking trails. On-site amenities include basketball and volleyball courts, direct access to the Tech Park Trail, a fitness center complete with locker and shower facilities, and a conference facility. There are 100 surface parking spaces and 520 covered parking spaces.

Peachtree Summit Mixed Use Conceptual Rendering
Peachtree Summit Mixed-Use conceptual rendering
Peachtree Summit Mixed Use Conceptual Rendering
Peachtree Summit Mixed-Use conceptual rendering

Fitting into the neighborhood

The Peachtree Parkway property is across the street from Christ the King Lutheran Church, Wells Fargo Bank and a Shell gas station, while the Spalding Drive properties are across the street from the Peachtree Parkway Plaza shopping center anchored by Goodwill. A small arm of the office property extends south to Scientific Drive near its intersection with Technology Parkway.

This corridor is the route of the proposed trail connection to Technology Park. The site plan submitted by the applicant indicates three points of entry into the development: the existing right-in/right-out driveway along Peachtree Parkway, the existing full access driveway along Scientific Drive and a new full-access driveway along Spalding Drive opposite the main Spalding Drive entrance to Peachtree Parkway Plaza.

Peachtree Summit Mixed-Use
Peachtree Summit Mixed-Use Conceptual Rendering Driveways

Most properties surrounding the subject property are zoned light industry with the exception of the Bank of America property which is zoned neighborhood business. Across Spalding Drive, the shopping center is zoned general business as are the Wells Fargo and Christ the King properties across Peachtree Parkway.

The proposed residential development would be located on 9.47 acres or 60% of the site area. The remaining 40% of the site would be comprised of non-residential (office) use.

The site plan shows 251 total housing units (one and two-bedroom units only) on the 15.69-acre site. This equates to a density of 16 units per acre which is well below the maximum of 32 permitted in the proposed zoning regulation.

The Peachtree Parkway properties were not the subject of past rezoning cases. However, the vacant Spalding property was the subject of a county rezoning request in 2006. This request to rezone to allow for a restaurant was denied.

The Community Development Department analysis concluded that since the property lies in the Central Business District Character Area, it is desirable for mixed-use development and higher density than may be appropriate elsewhere in the city. Additionally, the Tech Park area encourages redevelopment to take the form of mixed-use projects, including housing and commercial space, which can benefit employees and employers.

The rendering submitted with the rezoning request shows modern designs with flat rooflines and rectilinear massing which appear to blend with the contemporary aesthetic of Technology Park and the existing office building, according to the staff report.

The site plan also includes numerous amenities that would benefit residents, office workers and hotel guests. These include a dog park, garden, sports courts, pavilion, walking paths, swimming pool, fire pit, food truck court and connectivity to the city’s trail system.

Staff recommendations

After a review of the proposal and other relevant information, city staff recommended that the application be approved with conditions. Here are a some:

  • The maximum number of units is dependent on-site conditions, compliance with zoning conditions, and fully engineered plans that meet regulations and consist solely of one- and two-bedroom units.
  • The property shall retain the existing office building in its existing configuration, square footage and use.
  • Retail and restaurant use shall be located on the ground floor of Buildings No. 1 and No. 2 along the entire building frontage facing Peachtree Parkway.
  • The proposed full-access driveway at Spalding Drive shall be evaluated by city traffic engineering staff to determine if signalization, construction of a roundabout, reduction to right-in/right-out, deceleration lanes or other traffic reconfiguration measures are warranted. Any such required changes shall be funded by the developer.
  • The developer shall construct the trail connection from the center of the site to Scientific Drive. Such trail connection shall be in the form of a five-foot wide sidewalk constructed to have as little impact as possible on existing, mature, road front landscaping.
  • The development shall incorporate and preserve the 44-inch white oak tree located on the southwest corner of the property.
  • The development shall include no more than the three access points as shown on the submitted site plan.
  • The developer shall provide sidewalk connectivity between all buildings and dedicated trails within the site and provide pedestrian sidewalk connections from the development to the Bank of America site and onto the public sidewalk network along Spalding Drive and Peachtree Parkway. In addition, a driveway connection shall be provided to the adjacent hotel site.
  • Amenities will include a pool, pavilion, bocci ball courts, dog run, fire pit and food truck court.
  • The master plan campus shall be equipped with vehicle license plate recognition camera technology at all access points.
  • The development shall incorporate public art in the form of a large wall mural on the side of the multifamily/retail building visible from Peachtree Parkway or in the form of a sculpture located in the amenity plaza fronting Peachtree Parkway.
  • 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.

The Peachtree Corners Planning Commission is set to meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 19 at City Hall. To view a live stream of the meeting, click here.

Arlinda Smith Broady is part of the Boomerang Generation of Blacks that moved back to the South after their ancestors moved North. With approximately three decades of journalism experience (she doesn't look it), she's worked in tiny, minority-based newsrooms to major metropolitans. At every endeavor she brings professionalism, passion, pluck, and the desire to spread the news to the people.

Continue Reading

Business

Waramaug Hospitality Acquires Atlanta Marriott Peachtree Corners

Published

on

Waramaug Hospitality, a privately held investment firm focused on select-service and full-service hotels, announced on Aug. 23, it acquired the Atlanta Marriott Peachtree Corners. 

The 222-room Atlanta Marriott Peachtree Corners features a fitness center, indoor pool and outdoor fire pit seating area. All meeting and event spaces are equipped for various events, from industry conferences to happy hours and lifecycle events. 

“As the second full-service Marriott Hotel and 16th Marriott-branded property in our portfolio, said Ferit Ferhangil, Principal of Waramaug Hospitality, “we see tremendous revenue growth opportunities for this asset in a thriving market.”

The property, which will now be managed by Aimbridge Hospitality, is located within Technology Park, a regional technology and innovation hub. The 500-acre campus is a destination for technology innovation in the Southeast and home to over 2,300 businesses ranging from tech startups to Fortune 500 companies.

Continue Reading

Business

AJC names Cornerstone Christian Academy the Top Small Workplace in Metro Atlanta

Published

on

For the 13th consecutive year, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Energage have released their list of Top Workplaces in metro Atlanta. On August 10, Cornerstone Christian Academy, based in Peachtree Corners, was named the #1 Small Workplace in the metro area for 2023.

The honorees were determined based on employee feedback gathered from a third-party, anonymous survey. The survey measured multiple factors critical to the success of any organization. Of nearly 8,000 companies that applied, only 332 businesses were chosen to participate.

Colin Creel, Headmaster at Cornerstone, stated, “We were extremely humbled to hear that we were not only named on the list, but ranked first among small companies. I am very thankful our staff has received this public validation of the amazing work that occurs here at Cornerstone. Our staff deserves all of the accolades they are receiving; Cornerstone is a very special place because of them.”

Continue Reading

Business

Premier Racquet Sports: A Holistic Approach to Tennis Pro Shops

Published

on

Claude Badowski behind a racket stringer

Calling all racquet sport lovers! Premier Racquet Sports, a tennis pro shop, recently opened on March 15 in Peachtree Corners off Spalding Drive.

This is Premier Racquet Sports’ second location in Atlanta, the other being in Dunwoody. However, this pro shop brings something unique and special to the competition wherever it lands. 

Founded by Corey Matney, with partners Claude Badowski and Bobby McMahan, Premier Racquet Sports is a shop with an emphasis on a community-driven approach to the racquet sports industry. 

In an industry where it can be overwhelming and daunting to adventure into the realm of pro shops, Premier Racquet Sports aims to break the status quo by making tennis available to all. 

“Our goal is anyone who comes in, whether you’ve never played tennis before, never played pickleball before, or you are basically a professional, you will have time spent with you explaining what’s the best kind of choice for you,” said Badowski. “Learning about customers as a person and trying to really build a relationship makes it so that we can help people long term rather than just transact with them.” 

Some of the many pickleball paddles and tennis rackets offered in
store
Some of the many pickleball paddles and tennis rackets offered in store

More than a business

Matney began stringing rackets in high school to be able to afford tennis lessons and eventually went into college playing Division I tennis. Not only did a passion for the sport drive him to create Premier Racquet Sports, Matney also found an intense need for a friendly business based in the racquet industry. 

“…to be able to offer the community high-level technical services and be able to have everyone feel like they’re getting the same treatment that a professional tennis player would when they come into a tennis shop, and meet their needs,” said Matney. 

As a long-term tennis player, Matney found that service at pro shops could feel impersonal, furthering his drive to create a pro shop that was more than just a shop. 

One way the shop has accomplished this objective is through occasions such as demo days, events where the shop will demo rackets and bags while also running free tennis drills.   

“It’s a great chance for people to talk to us about what’s the best racket for them and what’s the best string for them to hit with it,” said Badowski. “They get to feel the difference, because there’s hundreds of rackets out there and thousands of string and string combinations. It’s very rare for people to be able to try them all and get instant feedback …they can feel the difference.”

Additionally, Premier Racquet Sports will have their next demo day on July 14. This event will feature all Wilson products as well as Wilson’s new racket called the Shift. 

Group of people smiling for picture
Community members celebrate the grand opening of Premier Racquet Sports in March

In-store action

However, this level of care and concern extends beyond their demo days. By walking into Premier Racquet Sports, customers are making their choice of supporting a business that keeps their clients in high regards.

“All of us enjoy being able to help players explore and go down the pathway of finding the right equipment for them,” said Matney. “This is mostly stringing, but also rackets, shoes or any portion of the necessary tennis items; just being able to have that connection to the player and have them know that we are a sounding base for their questions and will help them find what they need.”

Premier Racquet Sports prides itself on its collection of all things tennis. Within their store, they carry all major brands, rackets, shoes, grips and over 250 varieties of string. They claim to be able to have anything a player may desire shipped to their store within two days, too. 

Welcome Premier Racquet Sports to the Peachtree Corners community by stopping by, whether you are a tennis expert or a novice.

Learn more about Premier Racquet Sports here.

Continue Reading

Read the Digital Edition

Subscribe

Peachtree Corners Life

Topics and Categories

Trending

Copyright © 2023 Mighty Rockets LLC, powered by WordPress.

Get Weekly Updates!

Get Weekly Updates!

Don't miss out on the latest news, updates, and stories about Peachtree Corners.

Check out our podcasts: Peachtree Corners Life, Capitalist Sage and the Ed Hour

You have Successfully Subscribed!