Don't bring suburbia here.

That's what community leaders in the Home Park neighborhood, between Georgia Tech and Atlantic Station, are telling the Sembler Co.

Sembler's proposed development, Westside Crossing, at 14th Street and Northside Drive, would have a big-box store, several other retailers and ample surface parking.

Home Park says that's the wrong kind of development for 14th Street. It ought to be lined with multistory buildings and greenspace and become a signature roadway connecting the east and west sides of Midtown, neighbors say.

"They are trying to shoehorn a suburban-style plan into one of the most glorious intown settings that's left, and the site doesn't deserve this," said Nelson Burke, president of the Home Park Community Improvement Association.

Many of Home Park's houses date to the 1940s and earlier. The neighborhood used to be run-down, but Atlantic Station has sparked redevelopment there and boosted its image.

Jeff Fuqua, Sembler's president, says Westside Crossing will be similar to the company's Lindbergh Plaza project, which includes a Home Depot, Target and Best Buy —- all between 52,000 and 134,000 square feet in size.

"There will be large-box tenants there," Sembler spokesman Nick Gold said about Westside Crossing. "That's the life blood of the center. That's what makes it feasible to have the smaller boutiques."

Sembler, based in St. Petersburg, Fla., also is trying to build a 77-acre mixed-use project at Briarcliff and North Druid Hills roads. Its other projects include the Prado in Sandy Springs, the Edgewood Retail District near Little Five Points and Midtown Place on Ponce de Leon Avenue.

The Georgia Tech Foundation has contracted to sell the Westside Crossing site to Sembler. The company expects to close the sale later this year, Gold said.

"The ultimate solution must come from the parties directly involved," said John Carter, the foundation's president and chief operating officer. "The Georgia Tech Foundation has a long history of being a good neighbor and will attempt to continue in this role as this process evolves."

Home Park leaders say they've been told Westside Crossing will have a "major home improvement center," but no tenants have been named. Sembler's conceptual site plan shows a 108,272-square-foot building and a 28,086-square-foot "outside sales" building, presumably a garden center.

The neighbors say they're not opposed to big-box stores per se; they laud Atlantic Station, which has a Target and Ikea. Instead, it's the preponderance of parking and lack of greenspace they find objectionable.

"This is the lowest common denominator, in my mind," said Shaun Green, who chairs the neighborhood association's planning committee. "This is not in the long-term interest of the city of Atlanta. It's bigger than Home Park. This is going to be here for 30 years."

Suggestions from Home Park are welcome, Gold said.

"We anticipate that the Home Park representatives will get back to us soon with some options to consider to the site plan," he said. "We are certainly open to their input."

But Burke said the company has shrugged off Home Park's ideas.

"Sembler's taking the approach that anytime we suggest something, like multilevel parking, that 'it's too expensive. We can't afford that,' " he said. "They're just not listening."

Home Park's 6-year-old master plan calls for park space at that site and buildings that encourage pedestrian activity.

The Upper Westside Livable Centers Initiative plan recommends that buildings there be no larger than 15,000 square feet.

The LCI program, under the Atlanta Regional Commission, advocates development that's not car-dependent.

Home Depot spokeswoman Sarah Molinari said "it's too early for me to really talk about this site. We haven't yet confirmed all the details."

Seven years ago, Home Depot abandoned a plan to build at Howell Mill Road and I-75, less than two miles north of Westside Crossing. The home improvement giant cited cost, but the project also faced strong neighborhood opposition.

Meanwhile, Pollack Partners plans to build 600 apartments next to the Sembler site. Burke said Pollack has worked closely with the community improvement association.

"They're acting like they're going to be very good neighbors," he said.

 Staff
Graphic illustrates a map of the area of proposed westside crossing with an area of detail showing the Atlanta area interstates in relation to the plan.