Public Hearing: YES ☒ NO ☐ Department: Planning & Sustainability
SUBJECT:
Title
COMMISSION DISTRICT(S): 3 and 6
Application of Director of Planning & Sustainability to amend the land use plan from Light Industrial (LIND) character area to Suburban (SUB) character area, at 1734 Henrico Road.
Body
PETITION NO: N9-2026-0826 LP-26-1248113
PROPOSED USE: Suburban (SUB) character area.
LOCATION: 1734 Henrico Road, Conley, Georgia 30288
PARCEL NO. : 15 045 02 186
INFO. CONTACT: Kidest T. Mulat, Planner
PHONE NUMBER: 404-371-2155
PURPOSE:
Application of Director of Planning & Sustainability to amend the land use plan from Light Industrial (LIND) character area to Suburban (SUB) character area.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommended Action
COMMUNITY COUNCIL: (June 2026) Full-Cycle Deferral.
PLANNING COMMISSION: (July 7, 2026) Pending.
PLANNING STAFF: (July 2026) Approval.
STAFF ANALYSIS: Case Background: DeKalb County Planning and Sustainability is seeking to amend the Future Land Use Map (FLUM) to change the land use character area of 1734 Henrico Road parcel from Light Industrial (LIND) to Suburban (SUB). For this July Cycle case, a companion case has been filed, (2026-0824), to also change the land use character area of 1670 Henrico Road. DeKalb County Planning and Sustainability has also filed a deferred companion case (2026-0150) to change two other parcels’ land use from LIND to SUB. Along with this, companion rezoning case (2026-0151), the applicant is proposing to rezone properties from M (Light Industrial) zoning district to R-100 (Residential Medium Lot-100) zoning district to allow a single-family residential development. This current County FLUM initiative is in response to the past March Cycle deferred case (2026-1050) LP-26-1247932. Staff recommended a “Two-Cycle Deferral” to the July 2026 zoning agenda for that application. The proposed residential development was stated to result in an intermingling of residential land uses and industrial land uses; this is inconsistent with DeKalb 2050 Comprehensive Land Use Plan with the subject changes. Deferred case (2026-1050) LP-26-1247932, proposed a list of factors in support of residential development that included: The proposed residential development in line with the 2050 Comprehensive Land Use Plan’s goal of “Housing Variety and Choice”. This development will help bring in “new and diverse housing types will help the County meet market demands and support continued growth.” (P. 14). The land use change would provide adjacent residents on Pius Drive, Wanda Way, and Dees Drive with a greater buffer from industrial land use. It would eliminate the potential for a new industrial development to come in directly bordering their properties. Opposition to residential development included issues of encroachment of industrial truck parking lot to residential areas with no proper transitional buffers of land, proposing negative impacts on health of residents. Staff recommendations was to present to Board of Commissioners to change the FLUM of all four LIND parcels on the North side of Henrico Road (Map 2 of staff report.) to SUB. Changes would provide a physical buffer on all three side between the residential uses and the surrounding Industrial uses: Henrico Road to the south, 675 to the West and I-285 to the North. Surrounding Property Analysis: This section will outline adjacent and surrounding land use designations of this case’s properties along with property history. Please refer to Map 1 (attached to staff report) for adjacent and surrounding (half a mile from properties illustrated within circle) land use where grey is LIND and yellow is SUB. ● Adjacent lot to the North of 1670 Henrico Road is LIND. Adjacent lot to the East of 1670 Henrico Road is LIND. ● Adjacent lot to the West of 1670 Henrico Road is the right of way of I-675. ● Adjacent lot to North of 1734 Henrico Road is SUB. ● Adjacent lot to the East of 1734 Henrico Road is SUB. ● Adjacent lot to the West of 1734 Henrico Road is LIND. ● Southern land use of both properties is LIND. Lots half a mile from the proposed cases: to the North, majority SUB. To the East, majority SUB. To the South, a mix of LIND and SUB. To the west, majority I-675 interstate and LIND properties. Property History: ● 1670 Henrico Road: Current illegal truck parking identified as Auto Service Garage under the Tax Commissioner website. ● 1734 Henrico Road: Truck parking and residential units. A letter has been addressed to owner outlining explanation of zoning and current use of property. (Please see attached letter to staff report for clarification.) Surrounding Properties: Surrounding the properties half, a mile south - 4060 Koppers Court-owner’s existing truck parking use is identified as legal non-conforming based on a letter explaining the non-conforming status of the property. Because of the right of way buffer south of Henrico, intrusion of LIND uses should not be an issue in this case. Compatibility with 2050 Comprehensive Land Use Plan: The 2050 Comprehensive Land Use Plan identifies the subject sites as LIND. The existing land uses on the properties are inconsistent with this designation; however, the current and surrounding development patterns support reconsideration of the LIND classification. In other words, what is occurring on the properties today does not align with the current land use designation. At 1670 Henrico Road, the existing use is illegal truck parking, while 1734 Henrico Road contains residential units along with illegal truck parking on the same lot. According to the Comprehensive Plan, preferred uses within LIND include “warehouse distribution, wholesale trade, automotive, and entertainment” (Unified Plan 2050, p. 25). None of these recommended uses align with the current conditions on the sites. The proposed amendment from LIND to SUB, along with allowing single-family residential development, would create a more appropriate transition between established residential areas and nearby industrial or transportation-related uses. The Comprehensive Land Use Plan also states that “new and more intense development will be focused within activity centers, nodes, and corridors” (Unified Plan 2050, p. 4). Amending these properties to SUB would limit future expansion of intensive industrial uses in an area that already contains residential development. A land use amendment to SUB would also create more consistency with surrounding parcels. Protecting the character and integrity of existing single-family neighborhoods requires appropriate buffering and transitions. In this case, changing the land use designation to SUB would provide a greater buffer from nearby industrial uses. Buffers are also important for reducing negative externalities associated with truck parking, particularly environmental impacts on nearby residents. According to Miller et al. (2007, p. 53), carbon emissions from idling trucks in designated hotspots can present environmental concerns for surrounding communities. Staff recommends “Approval” of the FLUM amendment from LIND to SUB because the request supports land use compatibility, protects nearby residential character, and creates a clearer transition between residential and industrial land uses reducing impacts on air quality. These proposals directly address the factors identified in opposition to the March 2026 zoning cases - specifically those related to land-use changes - and ensure consistency with the Comprehensive Land Use Plan.
PLANNING COMMISSION VOTE: (July 7, 2026) Pending.
COMMUNITY COUNCIL VOTE/RECOMMENDATION: (June 2026) Full-Cycle Deferral (7-0-0) to allow time for a Small Area Plan (SAP) to be adopted so that the proposal can be reviewed against the SAP goals and recommendations.