Woodstock Rejects Kia Dealership Request Near Outlet Mall

Photo credit: Patch file

The Woodstock City Council on Monday denied a request to rezone land to accommodate a car dealership near the Outlet Shoppes at Atlanta.

The council voted 4-1, with council member Bob Mueller opposing, to deny a petition from Carriage Woodstock LLC to rezone 5.95 acres so it could build a Kia dealership adjacent to the Brookshire subdivision.

A packed Chambers at City Center, filled mostly with residents from the community, listened and applauded when the council recorded its decision to deny the request. Residents from the neighborhood came out in droves and sported “I Love Woodstock” stickers on their shirts to show solidarity in their opposition.

The lands sits on the northside of Ridgewalk Parkway west of Interstate 575, and the request was to rezone the property from form-based code infill village to special district transect with nine variances to accommodate their proposal. The Woodstock Planning Commission during its Oct. 2 meeting recommended denial of the request.

A proposed site plan for the land — owned by Settendown Partnership LLC — was 41,000 square feet total, which included a 39,000 square feet building and a 2,500-square-foot car wash. It also showed a total of 490 spaces for vehicles. Broken down, that would include 18 vehicles that could be stored in an 18,000-square-foot sales area, 21 bays to service the same amount of vehicles, a car plaza reserved for 15 vehicles and storage for 436 vehicles.

Additional vehicle storage would have been provided in a parking deck and surface lot located on the north side of the property. The top level of the proposed deck was proposed at the level of street grade, and this storage area would have been screened from view with landscape materials.

Before the council made its decision, it heard from Parks Huff, the attorney for the applicant, and Tara Healy, a resident of Brookshire who spoke in opposition on behalf of the neighborhood.

Huff pointed out to the council that the development would be largely shielded from Brookshire residents, as the property sharply drops off towards Interstate 575. He noted the developer and the property owner worked together and “came up with this unique way to handle this property.”

Huff showed a video simulation of a car driving past the development, which indicated the property would have been mostly surrounded by heavy buffers created by trees and shrubbery. The only hint of the dealership’s presence would have been a significant distance from the entrance to Brookshire, he added.

The attorney also responded to some of the common complaints the applicant received during the rezoning process, such as concerns about noise and light pollution and the impact on traffic and property values. Huff contends the steep drop-off and the plans to use natural buffers actually protected Brookshire from any noise and light from the project. Additionally, plans called for no outside work to take place, as it would have an indoor, climate-controlled service facility on site.

He also said traffic to and from the dealership would be “less” than other potential uses that could go on the property and there was no indication the project would send property values declining. In fact, an appraiser hired by the applicant to review the parcel noted the interstate’s presence had “significantly a greater impact” on Brookshire property values than the dealership would, the attorney said.

The dealership, he added, was a $14 million investment that would bring roughly 70 new jobs to the Ridgewalk area. The average salary of an employee at the dealership would have been right around $50,000, Huff stated.

Despite the plans to bring new jobs to the area, Healy said the project is “not consistent with our corridor.” Additionally, allowing the development would open the door to more auto dealerships, she added.

Healy noted Prestwick Companies, the organization behind plans to bring its 275-unit Park 9 at Ridgewalk apartment complex on the south side of Ridgewalk Parkway west of I-575, sought out the area due to the city’s vision of promoting pedestrian friendly, mixed-use development along the corridor.

The Kia proposal would lower Prestwick’s chances of being successful, as its residents would be situated across the street from a car dealership, she added.

“The applicant does not believe they will increase traffic,” Healy later added. “This is a vacant promise, as it is diametrically opposed to their goal: to maximize exposure and traffic. They are counting on the exposure of this parcel to pull traffic from the interstate. It won’t be traffic from residents..., but from passersby who will not realize that this is meant to be a pedestrian friendly atmosphere. This type of traffic will put our families in danger.”

Councilman Chris Casdia pointed out that the parcel could be home to uses other than an auto dealership. Additionally, Councilwoman Liz Baxter said some of those uses wouldn’t even have to go through the public hearing process, as they would be allowed by right. Some of those uses include a funeral home, office buildings or theaters, said Community Development Director Jessica Guinn.

A funeral home would have to apply for a permit to operate a crematorium on that site, however.

Healy noted her neighbors understand an office building or even a hotel would be allowed on the parcel, but reiterated she did not want to see the city open the door to allowing dealerships near their homes.

Casdia, who added this was a “big case,” said he’s analyzed the proposal in every way possible. The biggest concern for him is, if approved, he doesn’t see how the city would be able to deny any future requests for car dealerships that could go on the other parcels in the area.

“When we laid out the vision for this area, it wasn’t car dealerships for the area,” he added, noting the city has cited hotel and office use when it discusses its vision for Ridgewalk.

Councilman Warren Johnson, who represents the area where the dealership was slated to be built, said he agreed with Casdia’s assertion.

“I don’t think the vision includes car dealership, and I have the same concerns that if we open the door to one, that it’s going to open the door to others,” he said.

However, Councilman Bob Mueller said he would be a “good opportunity to have good paying jobs there.”

For his part, Mayor Donnie Henriques also said that while he can “appreciate” the high paying jobs, Ridgewalk is not the area for a car dealership.

“But I go back to what you two guys said,” he said, referring to Casdia and Johnson. “I agree with you. I don’t think this is what we were looking for when we developed this form-based code.”

A hotel somewhere in the area would fit “nicely,” as it would be close to the outlet mall.

Councilman Bud Leonard also expressed the same opinion.

“While I would love to have a Kia dealership somewhere, I just don’t want to stick it in front of a subdivision,” he said.