Dunwoody Planning Commission shoots down senior age-restricted housing proposal

During a lengthy Dunwoody Planning Commission meeting on June 10, the panel voted unanimously to defer a zoning change for age-restricted apartments that in essence killed the plan.

Dunwoody citizens came out in force to oppose the construction of a five-story, 220-unit affordable senior housing complex on Ashford Dunwoody Road, saying that the time isn’t right with the city ‘s new comprehensive plan still under consideration.

A dozen speakers who spoke in opposition to the plan also cited issues with its proximity to single-family housing, the density of the complex, the potential for traffic congestion, the limited number of parking spaces compared to the number of units, and the need for owner-occupied units within the city rather than rentals.

“This rezoning is premature, with the comprehensive plan coming out soon, I am before you asking you to deny this application until the city council approves the comprehensive plan,” said longtime resident Susan Mitchell. “Let’s grow by design, not default.”

The property under consideration, at 4891 Ashford Dunwoody Road, is a 3.42 acre parcel located at the intersection of Ashford Center Parkway. It now contains a 15,700-square-foot medical office, which is owned and occupied by the LifeSouth Community Blood Center.

Dominium, a property management and development company, wanted to rezone the property from O-I (Office Industrial) to PD (Planned Development) to allow the site to be redeveloped into an age-restricted, income-restricted housing community with 220 rental units, a 248-space underground parking garage, and eight surface visitor parking spaces.

The units would range from one to three bedrooms, according to the plan submitted to the commission. One-bedroom units would rent for $1,242 a month, while two-bedroom units would be $1,491, and three-bedroom units would top out at $1,722.

The city’s Development Review Committee, which includes Dunwoody City Manager Eric Linton, Economic Development Director Richard McLeod, Planning and Zoning Manager Paul Leonhardt, Public Works Director Michael Smith, and Economic Development Director Michael Starling, voted unanimously on April 2 to recommend approval of the application, with five conditions.

While presenting the plan, Dunwoody Senior Planner Madelyn Smith said that the senior housing complex conforms with “the policy and intent of the [current] comprehensive plan.”

Dominium Vice President Shaun Reinhardt said the company has been focusing its efforts in the last decade to building ground-up senior housing, and that it intends to own and manage the community after it is completed.

Planned amenities include granite countertops, nine-foot ceilings, vanities in bathrooms, and shared community spaces, Reinhardt said, adding that the complex would be a good option for Dunwoody residents who want to age in place.

Most speakers achknowledged the need for aging-in-place housing in Dunwoody, but want cluster homes, or a patio-home community that would be owner-occupied.

During a question-and-answer period, chairman Thomas O’Brien commented that the development’s income restrictions would mean that most residents who want to age in place in Dunwoody would not qualify.

After the panel seemed to be leaning towards deferring the project to address some of the issues brought up by the residents and commission members, Leonhardt said the developers wanted a definitive decision that night.

“A deferral tonight to them is the same to them as a denial” because of deadlines for Dominium to make application for federal financing, he said.

The commission, however, passed unanimously a deferral of the request until the July 8 meeting, while acknowledging that it was aware that the action most probably meant the demise of the request.

“A denial from the planning commission would have been preferable, but as Dominium said a deferral would make funding unattainable. I trust this matter is concluded,” Mitchell said after the vote. “A dozen neighbors spoke in opposition; no one spoke in favor of this project. Clearly the community is not embracing this plan on this site.”

In other business, the commission voted unanimously to approve a rezoning from IO to PD that would allow a the construction of a Raising Cane’s restaurant in the Perimeter area on Ashford Dunwoody Road.

However, the commission also granted, at the request of the applicant, a deferral until Sept. 9 for an accompanying request for a Special Land Use Permit that would allow the restaurant to install a drive-through window at the location.

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