A builder wants 36 homes on 9 acres of Preston Ridge office land, and a Canton Street house is up for historic status. Neighbors can ask questions Wednesday at City Hall.
A builder wants to put 36 single-family homes on 9.05 acres of land set aside for offices off Tradewinds Parkway. It is one of five zoning cases on the agenda for Alpharetta’s next Community Zoning Information Meeting.
The meeting is at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, in the council chambers at City Hall, 2 Park Plaza. The city posted the agenda for the Nov. 11 meeting on Friday.
This is the first public step for most zoning cases in the city. Neighbors can hear what an applicant wants and ask questions before anything reaches the Planning Commission or the City Council. No votes are taken. Our guide to building permits and zoning explains the full process.
The five cases
| Case | Where | What is asked |
|---|---|---|
| InLine Communities | 0 Tradewinds Parkway | 36 for-sale homes on 9.05 acres of office land |
| Bagwell-Lewis House | 184 Canton St. | Historic designation |
| Empire Homes | Cotton Creek Entry, Waters Ferry and Cotton Mill streets | Abandon 0.729 acres of road for a townhome community |
| Studio PrimaVera | 5755 North Point Parkway, Suite 42 | A beauty shop in an office zone |
| KAJ Asher Freedom Properties | 21 North Main St. | Downtown mixed-use building; postponed |
36 homes where offices were planned
The Tradewinds Parkway land sits in Pod G of the Preston Ridge master plan. That plan sets the use as office. InLine Communities is asking the city for three things:
- a master plan amendment to change Pod G from office to residential
- a change to the city’s land use plan, from “Corporate Office” to “Medium Density Residential”
- a variance to remove the undisturbed buffer the city’s development code requires
The homes would be detached and for sale, the agenda says. It gives no prices, house sizes or building schedule.
The buffer variance is the request neighbors will most want to ask about. An undisturbed buffer is a strip of land left in its natural state between a new development and the property next to it. The agenda does not say how wide the required buffer is or which neighbors it borders.
A Canton Street house up for historic status
The Bagwell-Lewis House at 184 Canton St., downtown, is proposed for historic designation.
The agenda lists only the request. It does not say who applied, how old the house is or what designation would change for the owner. The city’s Historic Preservation Commission holds hearings on historic designation. Our history and landmarks guide covers the city’s National Register buildings and museums.
The other three cases
- Road abandonment for townhomes. Empire Homes wants the city to give up parts of Cotton Creek Entry, Waters Ferry Drive, Waters Ferry Way, Cotton Mill Place and Cotton Mill Path, 0.729 acres in all. The agenda says this is tied to building a townhome community on a 29.24-acre property. It lists the case as the Camden Pond Road abandonment.
- A beauty shop on North Point Parkway. Studio PrimaVera is asking for a conditional use to run a beauty shop at 5755 North Point Parkway, Suite 42. The property is zoned office-institutional, where a beauty shop needs a conditional use.
- 21 North Main St., postponed. KAJ Asher Freedom Properties has put off its case, the agenda says. The plan is a three-story, 50,607-square-foot mixed-use building on 0.84 acres downtown. It asks for a rezoning from general commercial to downtown core, permission to park off site and variances on landscape strips, the front setback and the building footprint. It will not be discussed Wednesday.
A warning for applicants
On Nov. 2 the city warned of a scam aimed at people whose cases go to a public hearing. Scammers send emails that look like they come from the city, often with fake invoices for permits or services.
The emails can carry official-looking logos, real staff names and project details taken from public records. “Scammers often monitor public meeting agendas to target applicants directly,” the city said in its public hearing scam alert. The city said it is working with law enforcement on the case.
The city’s advice:
- Real city emails always end in @alpharetta.ga.us.
- The city does not take wire transfers for community development fees.
- Treat any attachment or link you did not expect as suspicious.
- Call Alpharetta Community Development at 678-297-6070 to check.
Fraud can also be reported to the Georgia attorney general’s consumer protection team at 404-651-8600 or the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center.
What it means for you
- If you live near Tradewinds Parkway or the Cotton Creek streets, Wednesday is the earliest chance to ask the applicants about the plans. Go to City Hall at 6 p.m.
- If you care about downtown, the Canton Street designation is the case to follow. The 21 North Main St. building will come back on a later agenda.
- Next step: most cases go to the Planning Commission next. It meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of the month, so its next meeting is Thursday, Dec. 3. The city has not posted that agenda yet.
- If you have a case before the city, do not pay any emailed invoice before you call Community Development to confirm it.
We list every upcoming hearing on our public notices page.
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