Express Oil Change is looking to open a location in Greater Decatur, Georgia, but faces some issues with zoning requirements, Decaturish reports.
The store planned for 2240 Lawrenceville Highway near Shamrock Plaza is seeking variances from DeKalb County to reduce the required pedestrian and landscape improvements with a C-1 (Local Commercial) zoning district.
The owner of the property wishes to reduce the streetscape frontage from a 10-foot path to an eight-foot path, as well as to shrink a six-foot landscape strip to a two-foot landscape strip.
According to the project manager, the property has limited depth, and in order to keep the deceleration lane and 50-foot transitional buffer toward the rear of the location, the variances must be granted.
County staff, however, has recommended a denial be made of these variances, as there are six parking spaces on the east of the building that could be removed or relocated and avoid interfering with pedestrian and landscape improvements, especially with the redevelopment of North DeKalb Mall coming up potentially meaning an increase in pedestrian traffic.
“The requested variances may not be the minimum necessary to afford relief and may grant special privileges inconsistent with the limitations upon other properties in the zoning district,” stated the staff report.
