Public Hearing: YES ☒ NO ☐ Department: Planning & Sustainability
SUBJECT:
Title
COMMISSION DISTRICT(S): Commission District 03 Super District 06
Application of Darius Williams for M Entertainment for a Special Land Use Permit (SLUP) to allow a Late-Night Establishment in the C-2 (General Commercial) zoning district and the I-20 Overlay District, Tier 1, at 2339 Brannen Road (Rear).
Body
PETITION NO: N9-2025-0968 SLUP-25-1247608
PROPOSED USE: Late-night establishment.
LOCATION: 2339 Brannen Road (Rear), Atlanta, Georgia 30316
PARCEL NO. : 15 117 01 124
INFO. CONTACT: Lucas Carter, Planner
PHONE NUMBER: 404-371-2155
PURPOSE:
Application of Darius Williams for M Entertainment for a Special Land Use Permit (SLUP) to allow a Late-Night Establishment in the C-2 (General Commercial) zoning district and the I-20 Overlay District, Tier 1.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommended Action
COMMUNITY COUNCIL: Approval with conditions.
PLANNING COMMISSION: (Sept. 9, 2025) Approval with Conditions.
PLANNING STAFF: Approval with Conditions.
STAFF ANALYSIS: The applicant requests a special land use permit (SLUP) for late Night Establishment to allow a special event facility to operate during late night hours after 12:30 am at 2339 Brannen Road (Rear), Atlanta, GA 30316 (Parcel 15 117 01 124) in the C-2 district and the I-20 Overlay District, Tier 1 The site presently operates as a photography/film studio and event space during day-time hours within an approximately 8,200-square-foot tenant space. The subject property falls within a commercial corridor within a Town Center (TC) Character Area. The context of the area is commercial, bounded by I-20 to the north, a gas station/mechanic to the west, an upholstery shop to the east, and a vacant parcel to the south - an environment well-suited to late-hour, indoor commercial activity. Operations and site logistics are compatible with adjacent uses and infrastructure. The applicant reports weekday and weekend studio hours from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. for film/photography/studio rentals and 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. for event rentals; licensed private security is standard, with off-duty officers used for major events. Parking is addressed through a lease for a ±3-acre off-site lot at 2341 Brannen Road SE with staffed management, mitigating spillover and queuing on public streets. Access, utilities, and public services are adequate; no historic resources are affected; and late-night activity is confined to an internalized, non-residential setting buffered by the interstate and existing commercial uses. The request aligns with the Comprehensive Plan’s Town Center Character Area policies that emphasize compact, walkable development, reinvestment in established activity centers, and support for a diverse mix of uses that reinforce the area’s role as a civic and commercial hub. Locating late-night, indoor activity at a C-2 site adjacent to I-20 advances those policies by activating the corridor edge without displacing neighborhood-serving functions or undermining pedestrian orientation within the center. The I-20 Overlay, Tier 1 standards will further regulate site design, lighting, and frontage conditions to ensure compatibility, reduce off-site effects, and preserve the quality and character of the Town Center environment. Based on review of Section 7.4.6 of the Zoning Ordinance, Staff recommends “Approval with the attached conditions”.
PLANNING COMMISSION VOTE: (September 9, 2025) Approval with modified conditions 5-4-0. Commissioner Costello moved, Commissioner Cooper seconded for approval with ten (10) conditions per Staff recommendation, with a modification to condition #9 to read as follows: “The SLUP shall be issued to Darius Williams and shall not be transferrable”. Commissioner West, Commissioner Moore, Commissioner Patton and Commissioner Snipes opposed.
COMMUNITY COUNCIL VOTE/RECOMMENDATION: Approval (9-0-0) with the following conditions: 1) Establishment shall close by 2 a.m.; and, 2) Nightclub use is prohibited. Discussion included the need to make sure the business was for a special event facility for private occasional events and not a business that was open daily to the general public.