A church whose tall white steeple towers over one of the busiest intersections in Buckhead is seeking a special-use permit from Atlanta so it can clear four tracts and create green space on the east side of its campus.
An ordinance passed recently by the City Council Zoning Committee would allow the special use for Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church, 2715 Peachtree Road NE.
The church owns four parcels, at 66, 76, 80 and 86 East Wesley Road NE, that have homes dating to the 1940s and 1950s, according to church administrator Jeff Miller. The buildings had been divided up into 16 apartments that were rented out by the church. “They have fallen into disrepair, so we have made the decision to take them down,” Miller said.
The properties have been vacant since last summer. The special-use permit would allow a worship facility and private school on the land, but Miller said that’s not in the current plans. “We’ll take the buildings down and landscape, have some walking trails, maybe a little picnic area – but no construction,” he said.
Second Ponce is one of three large churches in close proximity that give rise to the name “Jesus Junction” where Peachtree, Wesley and Andrews Drive meet. The other houses of worship are the Cathedral of Christ the King, mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta; and the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Philip.
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