A plan to remake Parkside Shops in Sandy Springs is moving forward.
The Sandy Springs Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of the project, which would redevelop a portion of the shopping center.
Jamestown, the developer that owns Parkside Shops, first revealed plans back in August.
Jamestown is now looking to rezone the property to allow for a buildable height of six stories. It’s currently zoned for three stories.
The developer wants to transform part of the roughly 160,000-square-foot center into a mixed-use project with a community greenspace, 190 apartments, 23 condos, 5 townhomes, loft office space and new restaurants and shops. The development team expects to incorporate The Springs Cinema & Taphouse into the new project.
At a Nov. 17 meeting, Planning Commissioner Dave Nickles made a motion to require the six-story apartment building to include at least 10 percent affordable housing.
“I’m getting tired of hearing that our first responders and folks who work here can’t afford to live here. And it’s time for developers to pitch in and help the city start solving that problem,” he said.
But, his motion died for lack of a second.
Sarah Sanderson, president of the Hammond Heights homeowners association, spoke in favor of the zoning change to the neighboring property.
“We have met with the landlord several times and are very excited about the opportunity. The neighbors are looking forward to the retail shops in the green space and we are fully in support of the new area,” she said.
The Sandy Springs Council of Neighborhoods board supports the application based on the conceptual site plan presented to the public, Ronda Smith, president of the board, said.
“We would hope that fully engineered, this project, as presented in the application, will be a case of what you see is what you will get. I’m certain the nearby neighborhood residents that attended the community meetings and engaged with the applicant and city staff at length about the proposal want exactly the same thing,” she said.
City Council is expected to hear the case on Dec. 21.
The post Parkside Shops redevelopment moves forward appeared first on Reporter Newspapers & Atlanta Intown.