On Monday, July 14th, the Dunwoody City Council again discussed the proposed text amendment to Code Section 8-1(e)(1) “Construction Classification and Building Height”, which would require all buildings taller than three (3) stories to be constructed with noncombustible materials, such as steel or concrete. The staff has suggested changes to mitigate the effects of this proposal, including increasing the threshold to 200,000 GFA from the initial 100,000 GFA, and introducing a waiver request process.
Council President and CEO Michael Paris testified before the City Council, expressing deep concerns that this proposed code change was not the most effective approach to address the problems that the City of Dunwoody may be trying to solve and further places Dunwoody in an uncompetitive economic position. He suggested that the City Council defer a vote and convene a working group of stakeholders across sectors to asses the issue and make recommendations. To see the letter that Mr. Paris submitted to the City Council, click HERE.
The Council did not vote and deferred it back to planning staff, suggesting further work on the language and perhaps a consideration of allowing waivers as part of a PD application.
The Council for Quality Growth will continue to work with the City of Dunwoody on this issue, and will keep our members abreast of any new information.