Friday, August 31, 2012

C  I  T  Y    O  F    A  T  L  A  N  T  A

Legislation introduced calling For distance requirements for new discount/Bargain stores within the Cascade Heights and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Neighborhood Commericial District

ATLANTA – Concerned about the proliferation of small discount retailers within the Cascade Heights Neighborhood Commercial District, Atlanta City Council Members Keisha Lance Bottoms, C.T. Martin and H. Lamar Willis have introduced legislation calling for a distance requirement between new discount/bargain stores.

The measure would also allow for the impacted Neighborhood Planning Units to review a future retailer’s business application. In addition, a separate proposal was introduced that would establish interim development controls on the issuance of building permits for any new construction on vacant lots for commercial retail along the Cascade Heights and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive corridors.

The controls would be in place for (6) months to allow the City to review the current Neighborhood Commercial (NC) zoning district category in place for Cascade Heights Neighborhood Commercial District, and the possible creation of the same type of zoning district for the Martin Luther King Jr. corridor. The proposals (Legislative Reference Nos. 12-O-1136 and 12-O-1137) were forwarded to the City Council’s Zoning Committee for further discussion.

This comes after more than 200 residents turned out for an Aug. 14 community meeting at the Adamsville Recreation Center in opposition of a discount store planned for the corner of Benjamin E. Mays Drive and Fairburn Road. Others are planned for the area. An initial meeting of concerned residents of the Cascade area was held at Providence Missionary Baptist Church to address the same concerns in the community.

“Responsible retailers are always welcomed into our community.  However, the saturation of dollar/discount stores within our neighborhoods has created a great deal of concern for the Cascade Heights community,” said Council Member Bottoms. “This legislation empowers the community to have proactive, rather than reactive, conversations with those who wish to conduct business in the area.”  

Council Members said their offices have received phone calls in opposition of yet another discount retailer opening in an area already disproportionally saturated with similar stores.