When the 32-story Ritz Carlton Residences tower was built in 2009, the adjacent parking deck was constructed to support a 2nd tower and the air rights retained. Developer Atlas Capital Ventures, who purchased the building pad in 2019 for nearly $9 million, has been working to deliver a Ritz-Carlton Hotel tower ever since. A recently issued permit by the city of Atlanta faces challenges and opposition from the Development Review Committee and residents of neighborhoods surrounding the proposed development.
Both the Committee and residents are concerned about the project’s impact on traffic, which will certainly be affected considering the plans include 15,000 square feet of meeting space in addition to 85 residential units and 256 hotel rooms. It will undoubtedly also impact the improvements already in progress sanctioned by the Buckhead Community Improvement District and City of Atlanta around the intersection of Wieuca Road and Phipps Boulevard where traffic backs up regularly.
Challenging the Application
The 3630 Peachtree Master Condominium Association (which includes the Ritz Condos, plus retail, and offices on lower floors) claims that Atlas Capital Ventures didn’t first obtain the Association’s consent prior to submitting the SAP application, even though, according to records obtained by Buckhead.com, the City has already approved the Application and authorized the construction. The Association has filed an appeal arguing that the city approved the SAP application without going through the proper channels, which includes presenting a completed application to the Special Public Interest District 12 committee, a development review committee that encompasses the commercial core of Buckhead where the new project would be located.
The appeal is scheduled to go before the city’s Board of Zoning Adjustment on July 1, 2021. If the appeal is denied the new Ritz Carlton hotel and condo tower project will proceed. The initial estimated completion was slated for the end of 2022, but now it is unclear at this time how much the original plan to break ground this September will be delayed.
