A six to 12-story Marriott Hotel, 310 apartment units, and tens of thousands of square feet of retail and office space -- that’s what won’t be coming to Smyrna’s quadrant of the Braves Stadium intersection any time soon after City Council unanimously rejected such a proposal Monday night.
Westplan Investors Acquisitions had sought to annex and rezone 8.7 acres on Spring Road currently occupied by a shopping center anchored by a Chin Chin Chinese restaurant franchise. The property is across from The Battery on one side and Cumberland Mall on the other.
Both city staff and the zoning commission cited numerous concerns in recommending denial of the plan. Overall, staff said it lacked the pedestrian-friendly cohesion that would make it compatible with a Livable Centers Initiative plan for Spring Road.
“This area specifically, with its proximity to The Battery and all the opportunities that come with that, again, we get one chance to get this right,” said Councilman Derek Norton, who represents the district. “I don’t think this is the right thing at this spot.”
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