Zoning board recommends not to rezone East Atlanta's ‘Ormewood Forest’

Save Ormewood Forest objected to Heritage Capitol Partners’ proposal to build 20 cottage-style homes in the area.

Save Ormewood Forest objected to Heritage Capitol Partners’ proposal to build 20 cottage-style homes in the area.

The city of Atlanta Zoning Review Board voted Thursday to recommend denial for the rezoning of 6.1 acres on the DeKalb County side of Moreland Drive.

Two community groups, the East Atlanta Community Association and Save Ormewood Forest, have opposed the project since it was proposed early last year. Heritage Capitol Partners, which bought the property in mid-2016, applied to rezone the land so it could build about 20 cottage-style homes there.

Homeowners in the neighborhood took up concern with the proposed density, meaning the number of houses that would be built in the space. A city staff report also noted that the proposal was “not compatible with the surrounding properties.”

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Current zoning allows that the developers could build about 10 homes on the site. To clarify, the land in question is not located in Ormewood Park, but alongside Ormewood Avenue in East Atlanta, a few blocks east of Hodgepodge Coffeehouse and Gallery.

The board's vote to deny the proposal determines its recommendation to City Council. The zoning committee then votes on the proposed ordinance, followed by the full council voting whether to adopt or deny. Finally, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms will have eight days to approve or veto the ordinance.

The application will be considered by the zoning committee Feb 25 and by the full council on March 5.

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