Public Hearing: YES ☒ NO ☐ Department: Planning & Sustainability
SUBJECT:
Title
Commission District(s): 2 and 6
Application of Chad Jacobs to rezone property from O-I (Office-Institutional) zoning district to MR-1 (Medium Density Residential-1) zoning district to allow for a single-family attached (townhome) development, at 729 Old Briarcliff Road.
Body
PETITION NO: N7-2026-1106 Z-26-1248177
PROPOSED USE: Townhome development.
LOCATION: 729 Old Briarcliff Road, Atlanta, GA 30306
PARCEL NO. : 18 057 05 035
INFO. CONTACT: Adam Chappell, Sr. Planner
PHONE NUMBER: 404-371-2155
PURPOSE:
Application of Chad Jacobs to rezone property from O-I (Office-Institutional) zoning district to MR-1 (Medium Density Residential-1) zoning district to allow for a single-family attached (townhome) development.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommended Action
COMMUNITY COUNCIL: (August 2026) Approval with a condition.
PLANNING COMMISSION: (September 1, 2026) Pending.
PLANNING STAFF: (September 2026) Approval with Conditions
STAFF ANALYSIS: The O-I zoning district primarily allows nonresidential uses associated with offices or institutions (public/private schools and universities for example); the property to the immediate south and east at 1551 Briarcliff Road is also zoned O-I and is used as a television broadcasting studio. The O-I zoning district does permit certain residential uses - multifamily dwellings in particular are permitted by-right. The property is located in a Traditional Neighborhood (TN) character area per the DeKalb County 2050 Unified Plan, which aims “to preserve the style and appeal of older traditional neighborhood communities... The characteristics include higher pedestrian orientation, sidewalks, and more grid-like street patterns. They have on-street parking, small, regular lots, and buildings closer to the front property line” (DeKalb County 2050 Unified Plan, page 39). Regarding new development, the TN character area encourages “new well-designed, small-scale infill multi-family residences and other innovative housing types to increase housing choices, income diversity, and limited neighborhood density” (page 39). The existing lack of pedestrian infrastructure along Old Briarcliff Road does raise some concerns. In spite of its classification as a local street, Old Briarcliff Road appears to function more as a collector or arterial road between Briarcliff Road and Clifton Road to the northeast. While a sidewalk was originally proposed along the property’s frontage (which are the minimum requirements for a development requiring an LDP), a large of portion of Old Briarcliff Road extending from its intersection on Briarcliff Road north to the Michael Kaminski Intramural Park (owned by Emory University) does not contain any. The portion of Briarcliff Road (a minor arterial and a state route) from Fox Lane to the south to the bridge crossing the South Fork of Peachtree Creek to the north is one of the few sections of Briarcliff Road that does not contain sidewalks on either side of the ROW. Furthermore, existing topographic conditions and a channelized T-intersection make the intersection of Briarcliff Road and Old Briarcliff Road potentially hazardous for pedestrians. Two (2) ROW improvement projects have been proposed for Briarcliff Road in the vicinity of the development site, however. The replacement of the bridge spanning the South Fork of Peachtree Creek is currently in the construction phase of GDOT Project #0013991; sidewalks on both sides of ROW are proposed south of the bridge extension just short of Briarcliff Road’s intersection with Old Briarcliff Road. In addition, the DeKalb County Department of Public Works has preliminarily approved plans (#3021688) to extend sidewalks on Briarcliff Road starting at this pO-Int southbound past its intersection with Briar Hills Drive; the plans notably provide a sidewalk extension only on the western/southbound side of Briarcliff Road, however. Primary concerns raised by participants at Community Council have been in regard to the potential amount of disturbance that may take place on-site. The applicant has been amenable to limiting disturbance and preserving greenspace, as well as potentially providing additional sidewalks beyond the property’s frontage to address connectivity issues. Topography, especially near the intersection of Old Briarcliff Road and Briarcliff Road, may make a full extension unfeasible or disproportionate to the proposed scope of development. From a strict land use perspective, the proposal represents an adequate transition in building form and density comparable to surrounding developments and evokes a layout and building form that is encouraged by the TN character area (Sections 7.3.5. (A) and (B)). The number and orientation of units is a downsizing of originally approved LDP plans and would likely have little to no impact to adjacent properties (Sections 7.3.5. (D) and (F)). The potential lack of space for certain infrastructure raised by other departments could be a cause for concern, but this is something that can only be confirmed for compliance at the permitting stage. This and the lack of existing pedestrian infrastructure (Section 7.3.5. (G)) are the key elements keeping the proposal from fully meeting the criteria of Section 7.3.5. of the Zoning Ordinance; the applicant has been amenable, however, to providing additional infrastructure that goes beyond the minimum requirements. Therefore, based on review of the applicable criteria under Section 27-7.3.5 of the DeKalb County Zoning Ordinance, it is the recommendation of the Planning & Sustainability Department that this application be granted “Approval, with the attached conditions”.
PLANNING COMMISSION VOTE: (September 1, 2026) Pending.
COMMUNITY COUNCIL VOTE/RECOMMENDATION: (August 2026) Approval (11-0-0) with the following condition: The remaining, undeveloped portion of the parcel be dedicated to a permanent conservation or tree preservation easement.