Ashton Woods Project Goes Before Sandy Springs Planning Commission

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The Sandy Springs Planning Commission on Thursday will consider making a recommendation on a large mixed use development that will accommodate the relocation of Mercedes Benz USA headquarters to the city.

The commission will meet at 7 p.m. July 16 in the Council Chambers at Sandy Springs City Hall.

The commission will consider a request from Ashton Woods to rezone 75.752 at 6615 and 6565 Glenridge Drive from R-2 (residential) to MIX to construct a mixed-use development featuring office and commercial space, single family residences and multi-family residential units.

The property is owned by CGM Management, LLC; Glenridge Land Holdings, LLLP; Caroline Glen Mason, as trustee of the Glenridge Foundation; and SunTrust Bank, N.A. as trustee of the Caroline Glenn Mayson Trust. It sits west of S.R. 400 along Abernathy Road.

The property, formerly owned by the Glen family and previously home to Glenridge Hall, currently has two single family residences with accessory buildings, according to the city staff summary.

See also:

• McDonald: “Betrayed” By Decision to Demolish Glenridge Hall
• Mercedes-Benz Names Sandy Springs Headquarters Location
• Report: Glenridge Hall Set To Be Demolished

Ashton Woods’ proposal calls for a total of 456,600 square feet of office space that will be developed in two phases for Mercedes Benz USA’s corporate headquarters; 38,000-square-feet of commercial space; 13 single family detached homes and 279 attached townhome units; 333 condominium units; and 399 apartment units.

The overall development includes two tracts: one north of Abernathy Road and the other south of Abernathy Road.

The northern tract will consist mostly of residential units, including townhomes, condominiums and single family detached home sites, with some neighborhood commercial space.

The southern tract includes the Mercedes Benz’s corporate offices, apartments, townhomes and neighborhood commercial space.

The first phase of the corporate campus will include a three-story office building, with 195,600-square-foot daylight basement and a 36,000-square-foot training facility. It will also include structured and surface parking.

Phase two will feature a nine-story office building and additional structured parking.

Ashton Woods is also requesting a use permit to increase the allowable height of buildings in the district from 60 feet to:

• 90 feet for buildings including condominiums and multi-family residential apartments, including any vertically integrated commercial uses;
• 64 feet for the office building set to be constructed during phase one; and
• 130 feet for the phase two office building.

It’s also seeking 20 variances from the city’s zoning ordinance and development standards.

Glenridge Hall was demolished earlier this year by its owners, a move that brought heavy criticism from historic preservation advocates.

Ashton Woods earlier this year announced plans to purchase the property. In addition to the purchase, the home builder will also sell 12 acres of that property to Mercedes-Benz, which will build its U.S. headquarters on the site.

You can view the Planning Commission’s complete agenda for its Thursday meeting by clicking here.

If the commission makes a recommendation, the case will move to the Mayor and City Council for consideration at its Aug. 18 meeting.

The Council Chambers are in Building 500 at City Hall, which is located at 7840 Roswell Road.

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Image via Shutterstock