Planning and Zoning Commission - A. MAX BACON CITY HALL - COUNCIL CHAMBERS — Minutes
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August 11, 2025 6:00 PM City of Smyrna Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting 2800 King Street SE Council Chambers Page 2 of 6 WP South Acquisitions LLC is requesting a rezoning from OI (Office-Institutional) to MU- Conditional (Mixed Use) to allow a mixed-use development with 250 multi-family units and 2,500 sq. ft. of retail on 6.73 acres. The subject property is zoned OI and has been used as an overflow parking area for 3200 Highlands Pkwy. The existing parking area will be modified for the construction of the mixed-use development. An amenity area, pool, and courtyard will be incorporated within the development. The development will consist of 120, 1-bedroom units, 115, 2-bedroom units, and 15, 3-bedroom units. The average unit size is 993 sq. ft. The proposed building will be five-stories, with 250 multi-family units and 377 parking spaces. The mixed-use building will be setback approximately 100 feet from Highlands Pkwy with a buffer of 20 feet from the residential along the rear property line. The project consists of a 10 ft. landscape buffer along the side of the property. The proposed building will utilize stone, brick, and fiber cement paneling on all elevations. The applicant has provided architectural renders with the zoning application for reference. Community Development has reviewed the zoning proposal against the city’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan and Future Land Use Plan. The zoning proposal to Mixed-Use is not a compatible zoning district with the I (Industrial) land use and a change to Mixed-Use is required. Community Development has reviewed the proposed development against the requirements of the Zoning Ordinance with respect to the use as a mixed-use development. The proposed development meets some of the zoning requirements for a mixed-use development; however, the development requires the following variances: 1. Allow an increase in the maximum front setback from 20 feet. (Staff Does Not Support) 2. Allow an increase in the maximum side setback from 20 feet. (Staff Does Not Support) 3. Allow an increase in density from 25 units per acre to 38 units per acre. (Staff Does not Support) 4. Eliminate the requirement that there be a consistent building edge along a public sidewalk. (Staff Does Not Support) 5. Eliminate the requirement that off-street surface parking shall be prohibited between a building and the adjacent street. (Staff Does Not Support) 6. Allow more than 15% of units to be rental units. (Staff Does Not Support) Community Development is not supportive of the change in zoning from OI to MU- Conditional and the accompanying land use change from Industrial to Mixed Use. No land use changes have occurred to the surrounding area since the adoption of the 2040 Comprehensive Future Land Use Plan, thus, there are no changing conditions to support the proposed zoning and land use change. Land Use Analysis: • Highlands Pkwy is a corridor with many properties within the Industrial Land Use designation and is the major industrial employment center in the city. • The Industrial Land Use designation is characterized by manufacturing, distribution facilities, and equipment that are disruptive to residential properties. • Modifying the land use category of one property from Industrial to Mixed-Use on Highlands Pkwy would be inconsistent with the intent of the Comprehensive Plan and Future Land Use map.