Dresden Walk + Brookhaven Overlay Ordinance

Months ago we blogged about Dresden Walk- a development going in across from Village Place (Kaleidoscope, Verde, etc.). Looks like our post was pretty close to the mark! This week the Atlanta Business Chronicle posted about the new multi-family apartment complex that Hines is planning on launching. This will not be a a condo complex as we previously had heard (Brookhaven Two), but will be a more appropriate (for the area) apartment building. The building will be a 215-unit complex. Not sure if any mixed-use areas will be incorporated, but with the crazy overlay and zoning ordinances they will most likely have to.

The Brookhaven Overlay Ordinance is a design/development guideline for new buildings (or major renovations) in our area- mainly focused along Peachtree (see map to right). Released in 2007, it calls for developments to comply with certain rules such as:

• Pedestrian-Friendly 
• Street-Fronted Buildings
• Minimum of Two Stories
• Landscape & Hardscape Requirements (see image below)
• Parking Requirements
• And many others- to read the full overlay ordinance, you can download a PDF of the document- enjoy. 

If you are curious as to why certain developments (like the MARTA parking lot redevelopment) have taken so long, or why Savi Market still looks a hell of a lot like Mom n' Pops, the Overlay is probably the answer. Not always development friendly, they are still a great way for local neighborhoods and communities can have some control over how their area looks, feels, and what it attracts, just can take a lot longer to get a property redeveloped. There are definitely pros and cons, but if analyzed, planned, and executed properly overlays can have a tremendous positive impact on the surrounding community.