Smart Growth Atlanta vows to keep fighting Fuqua’s Glenwood Park project despite denied appeal
‘This effort is far from over’
Legions of southeast Atlanta residents are planning to continue their fight against a massive suburban-style retail center in Glenwood Park despite losing a major appeal with the city.
Smart Growth Atlanta, a group residents of Grant Park, Ormewood Park, and other surrounding communities, were dealt a huge blow yesterday when the city’s Board of Zoning Adjustment denied its request to overturn a special permit that the Office of Planning granted to Fuqua Development last July.
While Atlanta developer Jeff Fuqua can move forward for the time being with his shopping center, one that would boast a 143,000 square-foot anchor tenant that’s rumored to be a Walmart, one source tells CL the community group is planning to appeal the BZA decision.
Lauren Rocereta, Grant Park Neighborhood Association’s president, also says the neighborhood group plans to continue its opposition to the proposed Glenwood Park development along the Atlanta Beltline.
“The BZA’s decision knocked the wind out of our sails, but the good thing about wind is the fact it will blow again,” she tells CL. “A loss was to be expected at any point in this process, so we do have options to consider of which we also expected to be the case.”
Rocereta thinks the battle over the proposed Glenwood Park project matters to entire city, not just Grant Park, Ormewood Park, and other surrounding communities. And that’s why Smart Growth Atlanta will continue its struggle for the foreseeable future.
“We understand we’re not just doing this for Southeast Atlanta, but for all of Atlanta, and as long as people and neighbors want us to pursue this effort for the Atlanta Beltline that’s what we’ll continue to do,” Rocereta says. This effort is far from over.”