What firms are the anti-Fuqua?

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I get the impression that the powers-that-be in the city of Atlanta planning department are Fuqua supporters. Haven't nearly all of his projects have been approved, even when there was community opposition?

Money talks.

[brown_dog_us]

Originally Posted by Iconographer

Money talks.

This.

His projects are big and therefore have big fees and big increases in property taxes.

[jsvh]

"Money talks" is not the main driver here. A lot of the "anti-fuqua" developers / developments mentioned here have more money behind them than Fuqua. Fuqua / suburban style redevelopments bring in less tax money per acre than even run-down urban developments do.

It is the zoning laws.

I was involved in the neighborhood's fight over 800 Glenwood. We actually got city council to vote to stop the project. But it was thrown out in court because the underlying industrial zoning allows a Fuqua strip mall and you cannot just do a target rezoning to deny them that when you don't like what they are building.

Zoning is the main problem. You get what you zone for. If you zone for large setbacks, parking minimums, and separated uses you get Fuqua style strip malls.

This is why the work Tim Keane is doing with the Planning Department is so important. Many of the "anti-Fuqua" projects mentioned in this thread could not be legally built on the sites of Fuqua developments today.

[Street Advocate]

It’s just unfortunate the zoning overhaul will be live so many years into a construction/economic boom. It’s great what they are doing, but so many developments are going to leave their scars on Atlanta for decades to come.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by jsvh

"Money talks" is not the main driver here. A lot of the "anti-fuqua" developers / developments mentioned here have more money behind them than Fuqua. Fuqua / suburban style redevelopments bring in less tax money per acre than even run-down urban developments do.

It is the zoning laws.

I was involved in the neighborhood's fight over 800 Glenwood. We actually got city council to vote to stop the project. But it was thrown out in court because the underlying industrial zoning allows a Fuqua strip mall and you cannot just do a target rezoning to deny them that when you don't like what they are building.

Zoning is the main problem. You get what you zone for. If you zone for large setbacks, parking minimums, and separated uses you get Fuqua style strip malls.

At Lindbergh it was just the opposite. The property had been zoned years ago for high density TOD, and the NPU was adamantly in support of that. However, the city overruled that and agreed with Fuqua's request to rezone the property for lower density, auto-oriented development.

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by arjay57

At Lindbergh it was just the opposite. The property had been zoned years ago for high density TOD, and the NPU was adamantly in support of that. However, the city overruled that and agreed with Fuqua's request to rezone the property for lower density, auto-oriented development.

I am not as familiar with what all happened there. It looks like the rezoning was just between two different subareas of the same SPI-15 zoning.

I do know that all these special districts are a mess and contribute to developers like Fuqua being able to throw their muscle around and argue for these sort of changes where as a smaller developer would not be able to make that sort of investment.

So in that case yes, the "money" is making a difference in that a smaller / less monied developer would not be able to fight that system but the underlying cause is the shifty zoning laws that make it so Fuqua can twist these different SPI districts and their subareas as he sees fit.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by jsvh

I am not as familiar with what all happened there. It looks like the rezoning was just between two different subareas of the same SPI-15 zoning.

I do know that all these special districts are a mess and contribute to developers like Fuqua being able to throw their muscle around and argue for these sort of changes where as a smaller developer would not be able to make that sort of investment.

So in that case yes, the "money" is making a difference in that a smaller / less monied developer would not be able to fight that system but the underlying cause is the shifty zoning laws that make it so Fuqua can twist these different SPI districts and their subareas as he sees fit.

Yep, the NPU fought like a wildcat to retain the existing, high density TOD zoning. They won the first time, but the developer came back two years later and managed to push the lower density zoning change through.

It's hard for the Little Man to stop city hall.