Roswell Road Neighbors Hope to Control Density of Looming Mixed-Use Development

Neighbors of a large new development proposed by JLB Partners on Roswell Road near Windsor Parkway asked Planning Commission members, Thursday, to be mindful of density before sending a vote of zoning approval to City Council.

“We’re in favor of an attractive mixed-use development but have many concerns about the project as proposed,” said Jane Kelley, Windsor Park Place HOA, and residents on Hedden Street.

“Our biggest worry is that if the city approves this density and variance here, they will cascade up Roswell Road like wildfire,” Kelley said. In other words, more multi-use projects to come.

Neighbors and representatives from JLB Partners said both sides are working closely to resolve density concerns. The project would raze Chastain and Versailles Apartment communities.

Trisha Thompson, zoning chair for Sandy Springs Council of Neighborhoods, said current plans would increase density from the current 436 apartment units to 700 units - an increase of 60 percent. She and Kelly suggested a compromise of an increase of 25-30 percent density.

JLB Partners, who is also feeling pressure from the seller to close the deal, indicated they are considering it.

Vision for the new luxury apartments

During the Planning Commission meeting, JLB laid out their vision for the development, which includes 700 luxury apartment units and 125,000 square feet of retail and office space. Anchored by an organic grocery store, plans include several restaurants with a roundabout and landscaped patios. The developers said the apartments would be only one and two bedrooms with high-end features, such as 10-foot-high ceilings, 8-foot entry doors, granite countertops, hardwood floors, and a resort-style pool and fitness center. Rent would start at $1,800.

“The vision is to make this something we can be very proud of," said John Graham, with Core Property Capital, the retail developer. "We want to be a place of gathering.”

Planning Commission members are concerned that the developers have not accounted for enough parking.

"...Apartments are not readily embraced, right now," Lee Duncan, Commission Chair.

The project has raised concerns about the percentage of rental to owner occupied housing in Sandy Springs. In April, Sandy Springs City Councilwoman Karen Meinzen McEnery told Patch that renters account for 50 to 57 percent of occupied housing; meaning a heavy transient community that is not invested in how the City of Sandy Springs operates and its neighborhoods, she said.

The new Roswell Road project would create an even greater imbalance, said Kelly, on Thursday.

The project would also bring a realignment of the Windsor Parkway intersection. The new intersection would raze the funeral home that shares a parking lot with Gallery 63 auction house.

Patti Berkovitz, with the Watershed Alliance of Sandy Springs, believes the project is creating competition for the city’s new downtown plans. “I just wonder how much competition we’re creating for our Town Center - that we’re paying for - along with the additional costs of Windsor Parkway that the taxpayers are going to have to cough up in order to make this development happen.”

The Planning Commission deferred its decision to Mayor Eva Galambos and City Council members. The project is on the June 18 City Council meeting agenda.

In the meantime, Commission chair Lee Duncan advised developers to answer residents' concerns in writing. “And let staff integrate that into a zoning condition that would be advanced to the Mayor and City Council,” he said.

See also:

Roswell Road/Windsor Parkway Intersection Gets an 'F'

Impact of Huge Roswell Road Multi-Use Development Concerns Councilwoman