Lynwood Park church site, roundabout corner up for rezoning

Two rezonings that would change the look of Windsor Parkway in Lynwood Park go to the Brookhaven Planning Commission on Wednesday.

One would turn the Lynwood Park United Church of God in Christ property into eight new homes. The other would put a two-story building with a restaurant, a coffee shop and offices on the vacant corner at the Osborne Road roundabout. City staff recommend approving both, with conditions, according to the staff reports in the Nov. 4 agenda packet.

The Planning Commission only recommends. The City Council has the final vote, at a public hearing set for Tuesday, Nov. 17. Both sites are in Council District 1, represented by Michael Diaz.

Eight homes on the church property at 1424 Windsor Parkway

Six Point Homes has applied to rezone the 1.52-acre church site from RS-75 to RS-50. That would allow an eight-lot subdivision of single-family houses, according to the city staff report for case LUP26-00003. The owner of record is Windsor Estates Venture LLC.

The report sets out the site’s history:

• Lynwood Park was laid out in the early 1930s. The city calls it the first predominantly Black subdivision in DeKalb County.
• The 1934 plat divided this land into eight lots, each with a house.
• The Lynwood Park United Church of God in Christ was established on the site in 1959.
• The last of the houses were demolished between 1993 and 1999, when the church parking lot was expanded.

Most of the congregation no longer lives in the area, the report said. The church is selling the property to buy a new home closer to its members.

Under today’s RS-75 zoning, six lots could be created without a rezoning, each at least 75 feet wide. Staff said that would not match the neighborhood, where most lots are 40 or 50 feet wide. The proposed plan shows:

• four lots 55 feet wide, running the full depth of the site
• two shallower lots, 70 feet and 88.8 feet wide
• two end lots about 60 feet wide

Staff recommend capping the subdivision at eight lots and limiting construction traffic to Windsor Parkway. Four neighbors attended the developer’s community meeting on Sept. 15 and raised no objections, according to the developer’s report to the city.

A cafe, restaurant and offices at the Osborne Road roundabout

On the northwest corner of the roundabout, 1334 Windsor Partners LLC wants to rezone four small parcels from C-1 (Local Commercial) to NS (Neighborhood Shopping). The land is at 1330 and 1334 Windsor Parkway and 3146 and 3148 Osborne Road. It sits next to the strip that holds Avellino’s and Pro Cleaners, according to the staff report for case LUP26-00006.

The site plan dated Aug. 31 shows one two-story building:

The lot is 0.351 acres. Staff said it lost land to the roundabout and is too small to build on under its current zoning without relief.

The owner is asking for four variances:

• impervious coverage up to 84% of the lot, instead of 80%
• a buffer of 10 feet next to the house to the north, instead of 25 feet
• 15 parking spaces, instead of 22
• a trash enclosure whose service opening faces the street

Staff back a narrower version of the buffer request. The 10-foot buffer would apply only during construction. After that, a 16-foot buffer would have to be planted densely enough to form an 8-foot screen, behind an 8-foot solid fence with sound screening. Other recommended conditions include downward-facing lighting and public art on the site before it opens.

The neighboring owner at 3152 Osborne Road, Brady S Holdings LLC, filed a written objection to the buffer cut. Its letter said a 60% reduction would compromise privacy, remove tree canopy and expose the property to noise and light.

At the developer’s Oct. 1 community meeting, neighbors asked about overflow parking on Victoria Street, late-night hours and crosswalks, according to the meeting summary filed with the city. The developer said the businesses are not meant to open late, and that it was exploring shared parking with neighbors. The applicant’s traffic study, as summarized by staff, estimates about 434 trips a day.

The city’s Windsor-Osborne Special Area Plan calls for the C-1 parcels at this corner to be rezoned to Neighborhood Shopping for small, neighborhood-serving businesses, the staff report said.

Also on Wednesday’s agenda

A third case, LUP26-00004, would let the owner of a run-down duplex at 2715 and 2717 Archway Drive tear it down and build a new one. A duplex is not allowed under the lot’s current single-family zoning. The staff report recommends rezoning to RSA-8, capped at two homes. The agenda lists the request as RSA-5.

What it means for you

• Speak at the hearing: the Planning Commission meets at 7 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall, 2665 Buford Highway. Each case has a public hearing before the vote. The meeting page carries the full packets and a Zoom link.
• The final say is Nov. 17: the City Council holds its own hearing on both Windsor Parkway cases on Tuesday, Nov. 17.
• Lynwood Park is changing fast: the city also agreed in October to buy 1.3 wooded acres on Mendell Circle to add to the park.
• Housing rules are on the same agenda: commissioners also take up the citywide workforce housing amendment.