C I T Y O F A T L A N T A TIM KEANE KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS DEPARTMENT OF CITY PLANNING Commissioner MAYOR 55 Trinity Avenue, S.W. SUITE 3350 – ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30303-0308 KEYETTA M. HOLMES, AICP 404-330-6145 – FAX: 404-658-7491 Director www.atlantaga.gov Office of Zoning & Development MEMORANDUM TO: Zoning Review Board FROM: Keyetta M. Holmes, AICP, Zoning Administrator KMH SUBJECT: Z-20-52 for 21 Daniel Street, S.E. DATE: November 5, 2020 An Ordinance by Zoning Committee to rezone from C-2-C/BL (Commercial Service District Conditional/BeltLine Overlay) to MR-4A/BL (Multifamily Residential/BeltLine Overlay) for property located at 21 Daniel Street, S.E. FINDINGS OF FACT: • Property location: The subject property fronts 19.5 feet on the west side of Daniel Street, S.E. and begins on the west side of Daniel Street at a point 252.9 feet northwesterly from the northwest corner of Daniel Street and Gartrell Street. The site is located in Land Lot 45, 14th District Fulton County, Georgia within the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood of NPU-M, Council District 2. • Property size and physical features: The subject property is an irregular shaped lot with approximately 0.046 acres (1,874 square feet) in lot area. The property is currently developed with a two-story single-family dwelling. There is one tree, and a few shrubs located in the front yard of the property. Topography on the site is fairly level. There is no driveway access to the property. CDP land use map designation: The Future Land Use designation for this property in the 2016 Comprehensive Development Plan is Low Density Residential (LDR). The current land use designation is not compatible with the proposed MR-4A (Multifamily Residential) zoning district. The applicant is requesting to change the land use designation from the existing Low Density Residential (LDR) to a High-Density Residential (HDR). • Current/past use of property: The property is currently developed with a two-story single-family dwelling that the applicant proposes to expand with an attached two-story rental unit addition. Staff is unaware of any other previous uses. Z-20-52 for 21 Daniel Street S.E. November 5, 2020 Page 2 of 4 • Surrounding zoning/land uses: Surrounding zoning includes C-2-C (Commercial Service District Conditional) to the west and south, HC-20C SA-4 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Landmark District Subarea 4) to the north, and RG-3 (Residential General Sector 3) to the east of the subject property. All surrounding properties are within the Beltline Overlay District. Surrounding land uses include Low Density Residential to the north, Medium Density Residential to the west, Mixed-Use to the east, and Low-Density Commercial to the south. • Transportation system: The subject property is located on Daniel Street which is a local road that connects to Decatur Street which is classified as an arterial road. The closest form of public transportation to the subject property is the Atlanta Streetcar and the nearest streetcar stop is located at Edgewood Avenue and Hilliard Street/Avenue approximately 0.3 miles from the subject property. The nearest transit station is the Peachtree Center Transit Station which is 1.3 miles from the subject property. PROPOSAL The applicant has proposed to rezone the subject property from C-2-C/BL (Commercial Service District Conditional/BeltLine Overlay) to MR-4A/BL (Multifamily Residential/BeltLine Overlay) for a 1,200 square foot two-story rental unit addition to an existing 1,550 square foot two-story single-family dwelling. Development Specifications: Net Lot Area: 1,874 Square Feet (0.046 acres) Total proposed units: 2 units (2,750 sq. ft.) Building Height (Proposed): 2-Stories Total F.A.R. (Permitted): 1.49 (2,792) Residential F.A.R. (Proposed): 1.46 (2,750) Useable Open Space (Required): 0.43 (805.82 sq. ft.) Useable Open Space (Proposed): 0.48 (904 sq. ft.) Setbacks (Required): Side Yard: 15 f.t. (min) Rear Yard: 20 ft. (min) Setbacks (Required): Side Yard: 0 ft. North; 3 ft. South Rear Yard: 3 ft. Off-street parking (Required minimum): 1.46 spaces (0.73 /unit) Parking (Proposed): 0 spaces Lot size (Required minimum): 2,000 sq. ft. Lot size (Proposed): 1,874 sq. ft. CONCLUSIONS: 1) Compatibility with comprehensive development plan (CDP); timing of development: The Future Land Use designation for this property in the 2016 Comprehensive Development Plan is Low Density Residential (LDR). The current land use designation is not compatible with the proposed rezoning to MR-4A (Multi-Family Residential). The applicant is requesting to change the land use Z-20-52 for 21 Daniel Street S.E. November 5, 2020 Page 3 of 4 designation from the existing Low Density Residential (LDR) to a High-Density Residential (HDR). A Comprehensive Development Plan amendment is required. 2) Availability of and effect of public facilities and services; referral to other agencies: The location of the site and current use of surrounding properties indicates there are public facilities and services available to the subject property. However, staff is of the opinion that this rezoning to MR-4A would allow a density of eight-stories, which could overwhelm existing public facilities and services at and around the subject property. Staff also believes that the proposed additional dwelling unit and other potential high density residential developments allowable under MR-4A would add to the volume of on-street parking along Daniel Street (a one-way 30-foot, local road with on-street parking). This would cause a negative effect on traffic flow as well as other public facilities and services. Staff is of the opinion that the proposed rezoning would allow development at a density that is significantly higher than the existing surround density and may - negatively impact public facilities and service. 3) Availability of other land suitable for proposed use; environmental effect on balance of land uses: Zoning regulation indicates that this consideration is optional. The applicant has not indicated that they own other land in the area that would be suitable for the proposed development. However, the proposed rezoning to MR-4A with a high-density residential land use would not be suitable in the existing low density residential and commercial area. Abrupt changes in densities from low density residential to high density residential to low density commercial along Daniel Street would have an adverse environmental effect on the balance of land uses. A rezoning to MR-4A would fragment existing low density residential and commercial zoning and land uses along the subject property block face causing an imbalance of land uses. 4) Effect on character of the neighborhood: The proposal to rezone to MR-4A would have a negative effect on the surrounding neighborhood by allowing a high-density residential zoning district in a low density residential and commercial neighborhood. The subject property and surrounding properties are within the Traditional Neighborhood Redevelopment Character Area of the 2016 Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP). CDP policies for this area are to “Protect single-family detached residential neighborhoods from encroachment by non-residential uses and incompatibly scaled residential development.” The proposed zoning would allow incompatibly scaled residential developments. The CDP also lists the following compatible land uses for the Traditional Neighborhood Redevelopment Character Area: single family residential, low density residential, medium density residential, and low-density commercial neighborhood nodes. The proposed rezoning and land use are not compatible with the character of the surrounding low density residential and commercial neighborhood. Therefore, staff is of the opinion that the proposed would not have a positive effect on the character of the neighborhood. 5) Suitability of proposed land use: The 2016 Comprehensive Development Plan future land use designation for this area is low density residential. The applicant proposes to change the land use to high density residential which is not a suitable land use for the surrounding low-density neighborhood character. MR-4A zoning would allow an eight-story high-density multifamily development. Staff believes that the proposed land use is significantly more intense than the existing low-density land uses in the area surrounding the subject property. Therefore, staff is of the opinion that the proposed rezoning is not suitable. Z-20-52 for 21 Daniel Street S.E. November 5, 2020 Page 4 of 4 6) Effect on adjacent property: Properties adjacent to the subject property are zoned C-2-C (Commercial Service District Conditional) and, HC-20C SA-4 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Landmark District Subarea 4) with low density residential and commercial land uses. The proposed rezoning would allow a substantially higher density residential use at the subject property and negatively affect adjacent low-density residential and commercial land uses. Rezoning the property to MR-4A would significantly increase the density thus disrupting the intended low-density character of the neighborhood. 7) Economic use of current zoning: Staff believes that the subject property has reasonable economic use under the current C-2 (Commercial Service District) zoning. The current C-2 zoning allows a variety of residential types including multi-family dwellings, two-family dwellings, and single- family dwellings. 8) Compatibility with policies related to tree preservation: Development at the site will need to comply with the requirements of the City of Atlanta’s Tree Ordinance at time of permitting. 9) Other Considerations: Consistency with Atlanta City Design: The Atlanta City Design articulates Atlanta’s vision organized according to its five core values of Equity, Progress, Ambition, Access, and Nature. It focuses future growth into already-developed areas called Growth Areas, which are further categorized as Core, Corridors, and Clusters. Outside the Growth Areas are the Conservation Areas, which include Urban Neighborhoods, Suburban Neighborhoods, Rural Neighborhoods, and Production Areas.