East Point, the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) and MARTA commissioned a very expensive TOD Plan for the area around the East Point MARTA Station. Down to the parcel, it provides a detailed and practical plan for area development.

Since 2019, our development team has been working diligently at great expense to bring the TOD Plan for 2688/2684/2676 N Martin St & 1496 Norman Berry Dr to life. The TOD Plan asks for 3-5 Story Midrise Multifamily housing on these parcels, saying on Page 88: "New three-to-five-story multi-family developments, which provide additional opportunities for residents to live in close proximity to downtown, include greenspace and additional internal roads to connect to the existing street grid network. Some mixed use development is appropriate off of Norman Berry Avenue, directly across from Tri-Cities High School. The plan capitalizes on the existing strength of the Historic Warehouse District to grow East Point's office presence and provide additional housing options."

Unfortunately, the zoning of these parcels does not allow them to be developed in accordance with the TOD Plan. These parcels are currently zoned RT, Residential Townhomes. So in order to build 3-5 Story Multifamily near East Point MARTA Station and Tri-Cities High, the parcels need to be rezoned from RT to R4 to allow for Multi-Family. Further, we need 2 variances within this zoning to allow for the height of a 5-story building and the smaller setbacks required to provide the internal street/parking spaces.

in 2020, we received the approval recommendation of staff and a 7-1 vote from the Planning and Zoning Commission on this but were denied by Council. Since then, we have invested heavily to find a way to develop these parcels into Townhomes as of right, but it's just not the best use for these parcels and the numbers don't work unless we do either a very small high-density or very expensive townhome product. We'd rather not do the former, and the market right now can't handle the latter because of interest rates and construction costs, let alone how high that would drive area prices. One of those two options are all we have if not allowed to develop in agreement with the TOD Plan.

After an expensive exhaustion of townhome options that took years of waiting for City responses/permits/approvals, we decided to return and ask again for a rezone that allows us to develop these parcels in accordance with the TOD Plan. Again, we have received the approval recommendation of staff. But this time, we received unanimous approval from the P&Z Commission, along with an extra 10' approval above what we're asking for on the height variance in hopes that we will be able to include some rooftop amenities! We believe East Point is ready for these 48 1 & 2 Bedroom units of 1000 sq ft or less that will bring to the area around the East Point MARTA station a more intimate version of what is offered next to the College Park Station.

We have been ready to go on this for 5 years now. All we need is for the Council to vote Yes and allow us to do what the City of East Point published that they want done on this land. Please sign this petition and encourage them to vote Yes!

There will always be the fear of something new, or the knee-jerk "NIMBY" reaction of "Not in My Backyard." We of course need to take care to protect East Point from gentrification. But this residential option does not currently exist near MARTA in East Point, or at all in East Point (until the Commons is completed). This kind of home exists with great success in other parts of Tri Cities that feed into Tri Cities High, and our boutique offering is very small - less than 50 units. We believe Martin Street Flats are the perfect test project for this concept. A Council vote of Yes on this will not be voting Yes to turning East Point into Hapeville or Old Fourth Ward. It will not be voting Yes to a skyscraper that will stick out like a sore thumb in the area. It will be a Yes vote to taking a small area, just over one acre of land, and developing it in accordance with what East Point, the Atlanta Regional Commission, and MARTA specifically asked for here. The City wants it, MARTA wants it, the Atlanta Regional Commission wants it, Staff wants it, the P&Z Commission wants it, Residents want it, and we have an entire team who wants to pay for and build it standing by ready to make it happen. We just need Council to say Yes. East Point is at a very critical juncture in deciding what its future will look like. This time in its history will be the decision point affecting East Point for many generations to come. Please say Yes to this small pilot project that will help prove the principle that East Point can have nice things and still stay true to itself.