An executive order signed by Mayor Kasim Reed this week places an immediate moratorium on developers applying for new projects in parts of Buckhead.
The moratorium is in effect while rules aimed at reducing the number of parking spaces developers can build as part of their projects undergoes public review, according to a press release.
The law proposes to create the ‘Buckhead Parking Overlay District,’ an area where the maximum number of parking spaces — for retail, office, lodging, and residential buildings— would be reduced to what’s allowed in downtown Atlanta. The boundaries would include Peachtree Road and “high-density environs between I-85 and the city limit,” the statement said.
The exception to the moratorium is to applicants who conform to the proposed new parking ratios, but the amount of parking spaces or exact boundary limits were not announced.
City Councilman Howard Shook and Councilwoman Yolanda Adrean, who together represent Buckhead, introduced the proposal at Monday’s City Council meeting.
Shook said the efforts are “an attempt to stop trying to fit a fifth quart in a gallon jar.” With the construction of popular new apartment buildings, Buckhead’s traffic congestion “has morphed from a nuisance to a threat to our health, safety and welfare,” he said.
Current zoning allows out-of-date “suburban-style” parking allowances, according to Adrean. The reductions were prompted by an analysis of development patterns and projections in Buckhead’s commercial core.
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