Public Hearing: YES ☒ NO ☐ Department: Planning & Sustainability
SUBJECT:
Title
Commission District(s): 3 and 7
Application of Mohammad Lodi for a Special Land Use Permit (SLUP) to allow an alcohol outlet (beer and wine sales) in the C-1 (Local Commercial) zoning district, at 4110 Glenwood Road, Ste. A.
Body
PETITION NO: N9-2026-1108 SLUP-26-1248172
PROPOSED USE: Alcohol outlet (beer and wine sales).
LOCATION: 4110 Glenwood Road, Ste A, Decatur, GA 30032
PARCEL NO. : 15 187 05 010
INFO. CONTACT: John Reid, Sr. Planner
PHONE NUMBER: 404-371-2155
PURPOSE:
Application of Mohammad Lodi for a Special Land Use Permit (SLUP) to allow an alcohol outlet (beer and wine sales) in the C-1 (Local Commercial) zoning district.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommended Action
COMMUNITY COUNCIL: (August 2026) Denial.
PLANNING COMMISSION: (September 1, 2026) Pending.
PLANNING STAFF: (September 2026) Approval with Conditions.
STAFF ANALYSIS: The applicant proposes a Special Land Use Permit (SLUP) to allow accessory beer and wine sales within an existing 3,036 square foot suite of a commercial building. The applicant indicates that the county issued permits and business licenses for a convenience store and recently renovated the building and recently re-paved and striped the parking lot. The applicant is offering to condition their application to remove the existing pole sign and replacing it with a brick monument sign. Additionally, the applicant is willing to be conditioned to placing planter along the front façade of the building. The surrounding area comprises apartments to the west, north, and east, and a drive-through package store and tire business to the south across Glenwood Road. The proposed request is consistent with the overall goals of the Glenwood Road & Columbia Drive Area Redevelopment Plan, which identifies the area as a Commercial Redevelopment Corridor and supports commercial and retail uses, reinvestment, and appearance upgrades (p. 12). The convenience store is an existing approved/permitted use, and the requested accessory beer and wine sales do not alter the site’s principal use. Further, the applicant’s proposed replacement of the existing pole sign with a brick monument sign, installation of planters along the building frontage, and recent building and parking lot improvements support the Plan’s objectives for improved aesthetic appeal and corridor revitalization. No fuel pumps exist or are proposed. Therefore, the request is not contradictory to the goals and recommendations of the Glenwood Road & Columbia Drive Area Redevelopment Plan. It appears that the proposed application complies with all supplemental regulations and distance requirements of the Zoning Ordinance. Therefore, it appears that the SLUP application is consistent with Section 7.4.6.B (Compatibility with surrounding properties) and Section 7.4.6.H (Consistency with Comprehensive Plan). Based on Section 7.4.6.H (Consistency with the Comprehensive Plan), the proposed request is consistent with the overall goals of the Glenwood Road & Columbia Drive Area Redevelopment Plan, which identifies the area as a Commercial Redevelopment Corridor and supports commercial and retail uses, reinvestment, and appearance upgrades (p. 12). Further, the applicant’s proposed replacement of the existing pole sign with a brick monument sign and installation of planters along the building frontage provides for improved aesthetic appeal and corridor revitalization. Based on Section 7.4.6,B (Compatibility with adjacent properties), it appears that the proposed application complies with all supplemental regulations and distance requirements of the Zoning Ordinance, and no new construction is proposed. Therefore, based on review of the applicable criteria under Section 27-7.4.6 of the DeKalb County Zoning Ordinance, it is the recommendation of the Planning & Sustainability Department that this application be “Approved with the attached conditions”.
PLANNING COMMISSION VOTE: (September 1, 2026) Pending.
COMMUNITY COUNCIL VOTE/RECOMMENDATION: (August 2026) Denial (5-3-0), citing issues with the cameras in the property, proliferation of liquor stores in the area, and a suggested increase in distance restrictions between alcohol establishments.