Buckhead’s Brand Properties planned apartment & townhouse project on Peachtree spurs controversy

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Buckhead-based BrandProperties’ proposed development of 147 apartments along possibly 13townhouses, to be located along Peachtree Road between Club Drive and BellaireDrive, has the surrounding Historic Brookhaven neighborhood a little more thanon edge.

The controversy over thedevelopment was a key reason for a recent discussion by the Commission onBrookhaven of the urgent need for the new city of Brookhaven to coordinate withDeKalb County over what licenses and permits each entity will handle.

Artist's rendering of the proposed Brand Properties development 

The Commission onBrookhaven is the five-member group that was appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal to workthe past few months on developing transition options and recommendations forthe new elected officials of the city of Brookhaven, which begin cityoperations December 17.
Brand Properties, LLCapplied November 2 to DeKalb’s Planning & Development Department for an“Overlay District Certificate of Compliance” for the project which, in additionto eight townhouses fronting on Peachtree Road, includes plans for a U-shapedbuilding with five stories of apartments on top of a two-level parking deck.

Aerial view of the property along Peachtree Road (foreground) between
Club Drive and Bellaire Drive with the Historic Brookhaven neighborhood
behind and on both sides.  View taken Nov. 26. 

The development wouldstretch along Peachtree Road and be surrounded on the back and two sides by theHistoric Brookhaven neighborhood.  
The original plans callfor a Building B that would be within the city limits of Atlanta and wouldinclude five townhouses. That Building B, however, is not part of the presentapplication to DeKalb County and sources report plans for that portion of theproperty may change.
The Historic Brookhavenneighborhood is virtually split in half, including the golf course property,with half being within the Buckhead area of the city of Atlanta and the rest inDeKalb County and the boundaries of the new city of Brookhaven.   Residents along BellaireDrive have been joined by the Historic Brookhaven Neighborhood Association(HBNA) and the Brookhaven Peachtree Community Alliance (BPCA) in voicing theirobjections because they believe the “proposed development was too over-scaledfor the residential area surrounding it,” according to Jack Honderd, a BPCAboard member.

Above graphic from the submission to the DeKalb Planning & Development
Department shows the outline of the property along Peachtree Road with
Club Drive to the left and Bellaire Drive to the right, the U-shaped
building for 147 apartments, 8 townhouses along Peachtree Road and
Building B at left with 5 townhouses in the original plan submitted. 

Frank Clementi,president of HBNA, agrees, stating the neighborhood is “very concerned aboutthe density and the height of the buildings. We are in favor of smartdevelopment that fits in with the surrounding neighborhood,” Clementi added.“But six story buildings and 147 apartment units is not in line with what wewant.”
Honderd said the grouphad met with Brand Properties, the Buckhead-based owner/developer of theproperty, and with the DeKalb Planning Department to discuss the project andtry to work out a compromise that would be better for the surrounding residentialarea and the community.
“We are working with theneighborhoods to work out a plan that is beneficial to all parties,” said R.Brand Morgan, CEO of Brand Properties. He added that the small size of theproperty is somewhat restrictive in providing the opportunity to create enoughunits to make the project economically feasible, suggesting the only way to dothat is to go up.    Asked about plans forthe parcel of the property that falls within the city of Atlanta and Buckhead,Morgan replied, “Right now we are focusing on the DeKalb County part of thedevelopment.” He said his company had not determined what would be done withthe Atlanta portion of the development.

The above sketch shows the positioning of the U-shaped building with
apartments and 8 townhouses along Peachtree Road with entrances
onto both Peachtree Road and Bellaire Drive  from the DeKalb County
portion of the property. Atlanta property is the wedge at left. 

Sally Silver, chair ofthe city of Atlanta’s Neighborhood Planning Unit B in Buckhead, said she knewBrand Properties has been talking to the Atlanta’s Planning Department aboutthe project, but that nothing has been filed yet regarding what the developer plansto do with the small portion of the property that is within the Atlanta citylimits.
Silver said she hadheard there have been discussions of using that part of the property for anamenities area, but said she does not know if that has been decided upon. Shesaid she knows for sure nothing has been scheduled for a discussion of itbefore NPU-B at this time.
From Brookhaven’sperspective, Honderd said he believes the DeKalb Planning Department hasdetermined the project as originally planned does not meet all of therequirements of the “overlay district,” and Honderd added it is hisunderstanding “DeKalb will not be permitting the project as presented.”
Formed in 2004, the BPCAis a group of Brookhaven residents organized around the goal of guidingBrookhaven development along Peachtree Road and Dresden Drive.  The BPCAspurred DeKalb County to apply for the Livable Cities Initiative (LCI) study,which produced a 20-year development plan for Brookhaven.
The BPCA then workedwith DeKalb County Commissioners to codify the study’s recommendations in a newzoning ordinance for Brookhaven, called the “Brookhaven Peachtree OverlayDistrict.” The BPCA’s current role is to promote the LCI study’s goals forBrookhaven by monitoring new development to be sure it complies with the“overlay’s” requirements.
Honderd said he believesthe proposed Brand Properties development does not meet the “overlay”requirements in at least three major ways: required transitional setback, transitionalheight requirements and that the “overlay district” allowed density has beeninterpreted at 18 units per acre and the development is much greater than thatas presented.
The total acreage of theproperty in question is 2.771 acres, but the part in DeKalb that is part of theoverlay district is 2.04 acres, according the Brand Properties application andthe density is listed at 87.25 units per acre.
Brand Properties’ planfor the development calls for 147 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments inthe U-shaped building, ranging in size from 720 to 1,110 square feet insize.  The eight townhomes would be 1440square feet each. 
The plan calls for 278parking spaces in the two-level parking garage and an additional 10 surfaceparking spaces.  That averages to 1.7parking spaces per unit.
Hondred said the DeKalbPlanning Department’s ruling on these points “provides the developers and theneighbors a better idea for working on producing a project that better suitsthe surrounding area.”
Clementi said hisneighborhood “likes the idea of residential—townhomes or luxury high-endapartments—for the site” which is the last piece of property along Peachtreethat backs up to the Historic Brookhaven neighborhood. But they would like tosee something lower than four stories in height.
“It is a valuable pieceof property,” Clementi added. “Something really attractive will be an assetthere and would be welcomed.”