The Augusta Planning Commission has voted to recommend rezoning a historic building downtown to be restored as apartments.
During its monthly meeting Monday, the commission heard the petition of Atlanta-based HD Historic Properties to rezone 739 Broad St., the site of the 108-year-old Marion Building, from B-2 General Business to PUD Planned Unit Development.
The developer plans to refurbish the 10-story office building, which has been vacant for decades, for mixed-use, with 56 studio and one-bedroom apartments, as well as more than 1,100 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor.
The rezoning request had been postponed from last month’s Planning Commission meeting, citing issues with parking.
“It’s never had parking beyond what’s at the site now,” said Ryan Sanders of HD Historical Properties, noting that he had conferred with the Augusta Marriott regarding the nearby Convention Center Parking Deck on Reynolds Street. “Transitioning the building from the original office usage to a new multifamily usage has been challenging because you have to bring parking into the mix.”
Staff recommended approval of the rezoning with conditions, among them that developers provide at least 28 off-street parking spaces, and install four handicapped parking spaces on site, as well as bike racks. Sanders agreed.
The Planning Commission voted unanimously in favor of recommending the rezoning.
The owner of a used car lot along the Jimmie Dyess Parkway corridor will have to return to seek his rezoning.
Vernon Neely’s petition to rezone his property, a split-zoned three-acre tract, at 4040 Belair Road was the first item on the Planning Commission’s agenda Monday. Neely aimed to change portions of the property from Agricultural to B-2 to expand his business, Belair Auto Sales.
The letter of intent accompanying the rezoning request also mentioned residences currently existing on the property, one single-family unit and one multi-family unit.
Addressing code enforcement cases against his property for use as a scrap yard, Neely assured the commissioners that all inoperable vehicles had been cleaned from the lot, which planning staff confirmed.
Neely told the commissioners that he intended to expand the used car lot and was considering the possibility of opening a paint and body shop. The latter was not included in the letter of intent, and in light of this the planning staff, initially, withheld recommending whether the commissioners should approve.
Neely said that he was not committed to launching the body shop and was willing to proceed with the request to accommodate the expansion of the car lot, rather than withdraw the rezoning application.
Commissioners voted to postpone the item until the end of the meeting, to give time for Neely to confer with the planning and legal staff on how he would like to proceed.
When the commission revisited the item, county attorney Samuel Meller noted several other discrepancies: the auto repair business that now operates on the property may not fit on the portion that is currently zoned B-2; auto shops may not do body work under B-2 zoning, save for special exceptions; and the doors of the repair shop face those of the residences on the property, which is also restricted by ordinances.
“No matter what we do today, we might mess it up,” said Meller to the commissioners. “So I would recommend postponing or withdrawal in order for us to solve all of these issues, to have a comprehensive presentation to you in the future.”
The commissioner agreed, voting unanimously to postpone the item without prejudice.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
