Two controversial redevelopment projects go before Atlanta City Council’s zoning committee

The Atlanta City Council’s zoning committee is expected to address two controversial redevelopment projects at its meeting Monday. The committee is typically the last stop for developers before their projects go to the full council for a final vote.

Portman Holdings’ proposal to transform Amsterdam Walk from a small-scale shopping center into a large mixed-use development is on the agenda. Also on the agenda is the Galloway School’s request for a special zoning designation to advance the redevelopment of its Buckhead campus.

Both projects faced significant resistance in their communities. The city’s Zoning Review Board, an advisory committee, agreed with those opposing the projects and recommended denial of both projects earlier this month.

Some Virginia-Highland and Morningside residents oppose the Amsterdam Walk project because it includes hundreds of apartments in an area surrounded by single-family homes. They also complain that traffic on Monroe Drive would get even worse.

The project would be built on an approximately 10-acre site near Monroe Drive. Residents and neighborhood groups have sharply criticized the project because, in part, they feel it doesn’t fit with their single-family home communities.

Galloway’s plans include destroying the school’s 112-year-old Gresham Building, angering neighborhood residents and preservationists. The building was originally constructed as the Fulton County Almshouse in 1911 until the Galloway School began operations in 1969.

Several people opposed to Galloway’s plans say razing the Gresham Building would erase an important part of Atlanta’s history.