City once again rejects Fuqua’s plans along Beltline

• Fuqua Development
• City says controversial proposal does not meet zoning district’s requirements

For the second time, city planners have told Atlanta developer Jeff Fuqua that his company’s plans for a retail center along the Atlanta Beltline and near Glenwood Park are not up to snuff.

Fuqua Development sought relief from Beltline plans that called for a street grid to be built in the middle of the 10-acre property. In addition, the firm wanted an exemption from streetscape requirements along a new road that would link the development to Kalb Street.

According to a Feb. 1 letter by Charletta Wilson Jacks, the director of the city’s Office of Planning, to Fuqua and Heather Correa, a partner at Fuqua Development, city planners could understand the latter request. But overall, the “application does not meet the requirements of the applicable zoning districts.”

Neighborhood Planning Unit W, which includes Grant Park, Glenwood Park, and East Atlanta, among other communities, has fought Fuqua’s proposal since last year. The citizen advisory group has maintained that the big-box, suburban design doesn’t jibe with the city’s plans and community’s vision for the area. It recently urged the city to reject Fuqua’s last application because it didn’t adequately explain the need for certain exemptions, was vague in certain areas, and posed a conflict of interest, among other issues.

“If the applicant does make another submission, NPU-W hopes that it will be one reflective of the Beltline Vision, and not that of a suburban shopping center which for some reason appears to be the only ‘vision’ applicant has offered thus far,” NPU-W Chairman Ed Gilgor wrote in an email informing members about the city’s decision.

We left a message at Fuqua’s office and will update if he responds. Wilson Jacks’ letter can be viewed after the jump.