Update as of Oct. 6
Z-21-74 was Amended in OCTOBER) – The 3 Sections of this ordinance are covered well in the Fact Sheet Amended in SEPT. CPNO will vote on the 3 sections of this ordinance separately as NPU-N is planning to do as well.
- Amends the current MR-MU code and has been heavily edited in September and in October. The latest changes came to us on October 1, and included unit size limits in MRMU (2500 sf for the 1st unit, 2000 sf for a 2nd unit, and 1500 sf for units thereafter), variable and reduced lot coverage (1-4 units would be limited to 55% lot coverage, same as R-5-C, 5-8 60% lot coverage and 9-12 units 65% lot coverage – this is a change from the previous allowable 75% lot coverage for any number of units in MRMU)
- Removes Residential Parking Minimums across the City leaving the choice of on site parking in the hands of homeowners and developers.
- Creates more flexible options for ADUs including allowing for “attached ADUs” which may be additions, basement or attic apartments. This will affect all residential zoned areas of Candler Park, which, in fact, already allow detached ADU construction.
Update as of Sept. 24:
The NPU (and neighborhood) Vote on ordinances Z-21-73 (proactive rezoning) and CDP-21-43 (land use amendment) will be delayed.
In a note from Councilmember Farohki and Commissioner Tim Keane, “
We want to allow for additional time to work through specific elements of the proposed proactive rezoning with individual neighborhoods before moving forward with a vote on the proactive rezoning paper. …Our teams will hold neighborhood meetings with each neighborhood in the ½ mile walkshed of MARTA stations over the coming weeks and months to discuss the proactive rezoning and work with neighborhoods on how to best move this work forward in their communities.
However, Ordinance 21-O-0456 (aka Z-21-74), text amendment paper, will stay on the will stay on the October NPU agenda for a vote.
This paper proposes changes to three main elements of Atlanta’s zoning code: removal of residential parking requirements, updates to MR-MU zoning district regulations, and increased flexibility for accessory dwelling units. The goal of these text amendments is to improve the City of Atlanta’s zoning code to allow for a much needed increase in housing supply and more moderately priced housing typology. We believe these changes have the potential to make Atlanta more inclusive and affordable city while still maintaining core elements of our city’s physical character and identity. The City Planning team be at every NPU again in October to present on the contents of this ordinance and answer any final questions you have before your NPU vote.
Amended Legislation
At the CPNO Membership meeting on September 20, 2021, Will Tucker from the Atlanta Dept of City Planning gave a presentation and answered questions on the proposed MRMU rezoning legislation. There have been some updates to the ordinance and the properties included in the proposed rezoning and land use amendment that goes along with it.
There are about 471 properties in Candler Park that are proposed for rezoning, see the revised NPU-N Maps below for the pdf provided by the city which includes maps and a list of properties.
FULL PRESENTATION (PDF)
This is a lot of information to take in but this chart from the Atlanta City Planning office is helpful in explaining, more detail and links to current documents are below.
- The Yes/No vote on this legislation will be in OCTOBER.
Z-21-73 Amended – Rezone properties to MR-MU within ½ mile of MARTA Stations – REVISED NPU-N MAPS – MR-MU = Multi-Residential Multi-Unit – The proposed rezoning within ½ mile walkshed of MARTA has been updated to keep block faces in the same zoning where possible. See below for details.
Note from the City: These walksheds were generated from a street network dataset that was built by Atlanta DOT and customized to more accurately represent pedestrian experience. Around the outer limits of the walksheds, in the interest of block-by-block continuity, we adopted a strategy of including parcels near the boundaries of the walkshed if a majority of parcels (fronting) on that block face fell within the half-mile limits. (And, conversely, omitting block faces when fewer than half of their parcels were within the half mile.) You can see how this played out on the western edge of Candler Park, for example, by drawing in the full block of Josephine St (at the boundary of the Inman Park walkshed) and drawing out Elmira Pl (at the boundary of the Candler Park walkshed). We also tried to avoid “unbalanced” situations where only one side of the street was included in a walkshed; this would sometimes supersede the “blockface majority” rule in instances where T-intersections bisected one side of the block but not the other. There were a couple of instances where these rules could not be reconciled without significantly deviating from the actual half-mile walking distances; in these cases, we allowed for mid-block cutoffs that honored the half-mile walkshed as closely as possible.
Z-21-74 Amended (Amended Ordinance 21-O-0456) – in conjunction with the rezoning above, this ordinance amends the current MR-MU code. Ordinance Fact Sheet Amended.
Updates to the proposed MR-MU code amendments include the addition of a front yard setback (25 feet), requirement for front porches where front porches exist on the block, addition of a minimum lot size (5,000 sf) and lot coverage maximum of 75%. Side setbacks remain 5 feet, and rear setbacks remain at 10 feet. There are no F.A.R. limits (floor area ratio to lot size). Height limit remains the same as in R-4 and R-5: 35 feet or about 3 stories.
Land Use Amendment 21-O-0455/CDP-21-043 – in conjunction with Z-21-73, summary and full CDP-21-043
Legislative Timeline
- September: NPUs Review and Comment
- October: NPU vote on Ordinances above
- Nov. 4: Ordinances 21-O-0454 and 21-O-0456 go to Zoning Review Board
- Nov. 29: Zoning Committee of the City Council votes on 21-O-0454 and 21-O-0456
- Nov. 30: Quarterly CDP hearing at City Council CDHS committee meeting with CDP amendment vote on 21-O-0455
- Dec. 6: Final Vote by Full City Council on all 3 Ordinances
Even more info can be found at the Atlanta City Design site