DUNWOODY, Ga. — The Dunwoody Planning Commission voted Feb. 13 to recommend rezoning 2.6 acres of undeveloped land along Perimeter Center Parkway, allowing developers to build an apartment complex on the site. The resolution was to allow for the addition of 300 units and a hotel.
Property (Location: 245 Perimeter Center Parkway), It is the last undeveloped portion of Park Center and is owned by KDC, a Dallas, Texas-based development company.
The award-winning master-planned Park Center was the largest development of its kind in Metro Atlanta when construction began in 2014.
In 2022, KDC reacquired the two office towers, parking garage, and 2.56 acres of adjacent land in a sale-leaseback agreement with State Farm.
Dunwoody senior planner Madalyn Smith said the parcel is near the Dunwoody MARTA station.
“Essentially, they were approved in 2015, but now they’re coming back wanting to modify the mix of uses that are allowed on the property,” she said.
The City Council approved rezoning the approximately 13-acre site in 2015, establishing a planned development zoning classification with extensive conditions.
A 2015 General Development Plan incorporated into the rezoning guided construction. Since then, the campus has received state and national recognition from the National Association of Industrial and Office Realtors as a shining tribute to commercial urban development, as well as numerous other awards.
Park Center One was completed in 2016, so it was excluded from the overall development plan.
Renderings for the proposed mixed-use development at 245 Perimeter Center Parkway show “a conceptual view of what the largest addition would look like,” according to Cooper Carey architects. It is said that it has been done. The Dunwoody Planning Commission recommended approval of a zoning change Feb. 13 to allow construction of a hotel and apartments.
original plan
The 2015 rezoning gave KDC 1.8 million square feet of office space, 90,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, and 7,000 structured parking spaces for the three-building development.
Other conditions include height up to 35 stories above plaza level.
Since 2015, the owners have constructed all three buildings, two of which consist of approximately 1 million square feet of Class A office space, 4,117 multi-storey parking spaces, and 56,414 square feet of retail and restaurant space. It has been.
KDC also meets the requirements of the 2015 rezoning, which includes streetscapes, landscaping, and green space with a pedestrian bridge over Perimeter Center Parkway to access the Dunwoody MARTA Station.
Park Center Two is a 621,000 square foot office tower completed in 2020.
The following year, Park Center Three, a 440,000 square foot office tower, was completed.
Under the terms of the 2015 General Development Plan, Building 4 and the land at 245 Perimeter Center Parkway will have 729,613 square feet of office, 33,586 square feet of retail and 2,833 parking spaces .
However, KDC is applying for a major change in zoning conditions for this last vacant parcel.
The application seeks to amend the 2015 zoning to allow up to 300,000 square feet of office space, 175 hotel rooms, 22,000 square feet of retail space, and 300 multifamily units. .
KDC proposes to develop the site with an eight-story parking garage, one residential tower, and one hotel and office tower.
One amendment to the original development plan sets the maximum height for Building 4 at 37 stories.
The 2015 Comprehensive Development Plan does not allow requests for the construction of apartment complexes or hotels.
During the construction of Buildings 2 and 3, stormwater infrastructure was installed in anticipation of the construction of Building 4.
Following the 2015 rezoning, a community impact study was developed in anticipation of the construction of Buildings 2, 3, and 4.
The Atlanta Regional Commission and the Dunwoody Regional Development Authority have determined that the proposed Perimeter Center 4 development will not cause any adverse impacts and therefore no additional study is necessary.
KDC representatives, including lawyers, engineers and architects, hear from senior planners Madalyn Smith, left, discuss the proposed mixed-use development at Park Center. The Planning Commission recommended that the rezoning of the property at 245 Perimeter Center Parkway be approved on Feb. 13.
market changes
However, the economic impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic has significantly reduced the need for new office development.
Dunwoody's 2023 Edge City 2.0 report focuses on perimeter area planning, detailing a vision and roadmap for community-supported perimeter center development over the next 20 years.
Dunwoody planners argued that the Edge City 2.0 report indicates a need for residential development and that the proposed mix of uses would benefit the Park Center campus and surrounding area.
Attorney David Kirk, who represents owner KDC, told the Planning Commission about the site plan for the mixed-use development.
Representatives from KDC, traffic engineers from Kimley Horn, and architects from Cooper Carey joined Mr. Kirk in the meeting.
“There have been significant changes in the market that support the development of Park Center Four, which is slightly different than originally envisioned,” Kirk said.
He also emphasized that the site plan complies with Edge City 2.0, MARTA's proposed transit-oriented development, and the Dunwoody Comprehensive Plan.
Kirk, city staff and the Planning Commission agreed to amend Condition 6 regarding the installation of public art. This makes it clear that the developer will install one piece of public art worth $50,000, he said.
Commissioners spent 45 minutes clarifying aspects of the development proposal with architects and engineers.
Monitoring the eight-story parking podium from a pedestrian perspective, creating a “true live-work environment” and providing affordable housing options are among several proposals provided to the KDC team. did.
The Development Review Committee, made up of Dunwoody department leaders, voted unanimously on Dec. 5 to recommend approval of the rezoning request.
Following a unanimous recommendation from the Planning Commission, the rezoning will be submitted to the Dunwoody City Council at a future date, where it will be considered for final approval.
