Staff backs 368 apartments near King Memorial, including 56 affordable units

A mixed-use proposal for 368 apartments about 0.2 miles from King Memorial MARTA station has conditional backing from Atlanta planning staff. The proposal at 460 and 478 Decatur Street SE includes 312 market-rate apartments and 56 identified in the staff report as affordable.⁠[1]

High Street Atlanta Development seeks to rezone the 2.537-acre site from light industrial to mixed residential-commercial while retaining the Beltline Overlay. Case Z-26-49 is scheduled for the Zoning Review Board's Nov. 5 meeting at 6 p.m. in the second-floor City Council Chambers. Staff's recommendation is not approval of the rezoning.⁠[1][2]

The new recommendation moves beyond the board's October recommendation for a 30-day delay, which we previously reported. At that point, the applicant wanted more time to work with the neighborhood planning unit, and staff supported postponement. The Nov. 5 report instead recommends approval with driveway conditions.⁠[1][3][4]

One telling number: 433 proposed parking spaces. The staff report says no minimum parking is required under the Beltline Overlay and high-capacity-transit regulations. The proposal also lists 50 bicycle parking spaces.⁠[1]

The zoning request also needs a change to the site's comprehensive-plan designation. Staff says its current Low Density Mixed Use designation is incompatible with the proposed zoning; a concurrent application seeks High Density Mixed Use. Staff nevertheless finds the project an appropriate transition from medium-density housing inside the neighborhood to higher-density residential and nonresidential uses along Decatur Street.⁠[1]

The recommended access conditions would make the Decatur Street driveway entrance-only. If an administrative variation allows a second Decatur Street curb cut, staff would require a one-way service and loading driveway entering from Decatur and exiting onto Todd Street, with signs directing traffic.⁠[1]