About Sandy Springs reporter. (Sandy Springs, GA) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 2024)
DUNWOODY Zoning change approved for Mount Vernon Shopping Center By Cathy Cobbs Dunwoody’s Planning Commission recommended a zoning change, with several conditions, for a nearly empty shopping center in Dunwoody to allow for a greater variety of uses. Branch Properties representatives say they want to change the Mount Vernon Shopping Center’s zoning designation from Neighborhood Shopping to C-l to allow for a greater diversity of uses beyond a grocery store, which has seen a revolving door of failed retail ventures in the last 10 years. The planning commission discussed the rezoning at its October meeting, but deferred it after hearing complaints about the variety of uses that a C-l designation could bring to the center. At the Nov. 20 meeting, Dunwoody Senior Planner Madalyn Smith said Branch has agreed to restrict several of the allowed C-l uses, including capping the square footage for schools and special event facilities to 5,000. Attorney Laurel David of Galloway Law Group, representing the owners, said Branch also proposed to mandate closing hours to 11 p.m. from Monday through Thursday and midnight on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. FFowever, several speakers, including former Dunwoody Mayor Dennis Shortal, commented that the proposed closing hours are “probably a little late.” The planning commission took into consideration those statements and unanimously passed the zoning change to C-l, with the mandate that the yet-to- be-determined business would close at 11 p.m. on Sunday. After the meeting, Branch Partner and Chairman NickTelesca said he is pleased with the ruling. “I appreciate that the board considered it thoroughly and made a rational decision,” Telesca said. “They made an effort to see both sides.” Telesca said the closure time restrictions may be a factor as the company seeks to find a suitable tenant for the 35,000-square-foot space that formerly housed several grocery stores. Discussion at the November meeting was a sharp contrast to a contentious neighborhood meeting in late July during which a majority of attendees opposed most of the ideas proposed by its owners. Telesca said at the July meeting that the company has had interest from “eater-tainment” or lifestyle-focused uses like food halls, pickleball courts or entertainment arcades like PuttShack or Main Event, which would have a sporting element to them as well as food and WESLEYAN Where authentic Christian mission and academic excellence aren't mutually exclusive more EXPLORE WESLEYAN AT WWW.WESLEYANSCHOOL.ORG/ADMISSIONS Nick Telesca of Branch Properties tried to outline possible uses for an empty Dunwoody shopping center space during a public meeting over the summer.. (Photo by Cathy Cobbs) alcohol options. Branch officials said the possibility of putting in yet another grocery store has been shut down by all of the companies they have approached. The February closing of Lidl is the fourth time that the anchor tenant in the Mount Vernon Shopping Center has been shuttered in the last 10 years. It was once a FFarris Teeter, then an Ace FFardware, followed by a Sprouts Grocery before its three-year stint as a Lidl. Sprouts was open from 2014-2018 before disappointing sales and the looming end of the five-year lease prompted its closure. Lidl opened in August 2020 to great fanfare, but regular shoppers said they noticed that the store’s business had never been robust nor well-staffed. The zoning change recommendation will now move to the Dunwoody City Council, which will hold a public hearing at its Dec. 9 meeting. Signage project gets mixed reviews for size, location By Cathy Cobbs Dunwoody’s long-awaited gateway signage plan has its first installations, with mixed reviews about the one at Georgetown regarding its size and location. The granite and forged steel “Dunwoody” sign at the corner of Chamblee Dunwoody Road and Cotillion Drive is one of 16 signs of various sizes to be installed at city borders and is getting most of the attention from observers. While several people said they have taken pictures in front of the Georgetown sign and say they support an emphatic message that welcomes people to the city, others decry that it draws attention to a less-than-classy section of the city, in front of a Shell USA Gas Station and near a McDonald’s. Still others say that the $ 1 million price tag for the entire project could have been better used for paving, parks, or pickleball courts. The other recently installed sign is located on Perimeter Center Parkway NE near the bridge at 1-285, but it hasn’t gotten as much attention. According to city officials, the signs represent five guiding principles for the city: ■ improve amenity awareness within the Perimeter market ■ create a unified Dunwoody ■ create a sign package that is unique to Dunwoody and timeless ■ create a sense of place ■ focus on pedestrians as well as vehicles. City officials have been discussing gateway signs since 2010. The current plan dates back to 2019. “Discover Dunwoody spearheaded the effort after finding in two separate surveys that visitors didn’t know they were in our city, making signage a priority,” the city’s gateway project website said. The sign designs were approved by city council in January 2020 and signed off on the Gateway & Wayfinding plan in December of that year, and the construction contract was approved in August 2023. The plan is funded through a combination of federal funding, hotel/ motel funds, and general capital project funds. Conceptual drawings of the Georgetown signs include extensive landscaping, which will partially block the direct line of sight into the Shell station. 12 | DECEMBER 2024 ROUGHDRAFTATLANTA.COM
