Peachtree Corners allows stream buffer variance

With consideration given to environmental impact, the Peachtree Corners City Council approved a stream buffer variance last week for a portion of a 19.6 acre project at Peachtree Parkway near Forum Drive.

The project, part of the city’s future Town Center, will allow encroachment into the 50-foot undisturbed buffer and 75-foot impervious stream setback line to construct a retaining wall and accommodate parking, a walkway and a small portion of one building.

The steep topography adjacent to the stream necessitates the use of retaining walls. A similar variance was approved in April, 2015 for the other side of the stream. In that situation, the encroachment was also the result of a retaining wall adjacent to required parking. To compensate for the buffer loss, the Downtown Development Authority is developing a two-acre town green that will be used as both passive and active open space.