The Midtown Development Review Committee (DRC) got its first look at the proposed student housing tower adjacent to The Varsity at 680 Spring St. during its Nov. 12 meeting.
Athens-based Landmark Properties presented plans for the 34-story student oriented building, which will have 560 units including 1,992 bedrooms with 554 parking spaces via a 6 ½-story podium.
The ground floor includes 8,100 square feet of retail space at the corners with a leasing/lobby area at center along Spring Street. Pedestrian and bike access is provided from multiple sides with a large bike room at the recessed southeast corner.
Vehicle service and loading is provided by a circular private drive accessible north and south of the building. The southern private drive is an extension of Ponce de Leon Ave. and provides a shared parallel loading area along with on-street parking.
The DRC’s concerns were primarily related to improving pedestrian access and enhancing overall building and site aesthetics.
Among its recommendations, the DRC asked the developer to Improve visibility and access to the retail spaces fronting Spring Street; decreasing the size of the parking deck and number of parking spaces; and to shift the extension of Ponce de Leon Avenue slightly northward for better alignment. A new 4’ wide tree-lined landscape buffer adjacent to The Varsity’s parking deck. See the full list of recommendations here.
The DRC expects to receive updated plans at next month’s meeting.
The parcel of property was previously a large surface parking lot owned by The Varsity. The iconic fast-food joint and its parking deck will remain a fixture at the corner of Spring Street and North Avenue.
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