Residents Lose Battle in Building Height for Massive Redevelopment

Owen Parsons is concerned about traffic that may come from redevelopment of the Northpark office building. The 14-acre site is located at 1150 Mount Vernon Highway, near Ga. 400 and Abernathy Road. Developer Hines plans to increase the height of the building from 18 to 26 stories.  

“If you’re turning left from Chik-fil-A to go into Dunwoody, You will often have people cutting people off. I can’t imagine that building is going to add to [traffic] positively,” said Parsons, who lives in the Mount Vernon Plantation community in Sandy Springs.

You could say that Dunwoody and Sandy Springs boundaries are kissing cousins. In the Perimeter area the line dividing the two cities runs through La Madeleine restaurant on Perimeter Center West.

On Tuesday, John Heagy, of Hines, told Sandy Springs City Council that the properties firm wants to increase the height of the building in response to the needs of the corporate marketplace expressed by employers considering the Perimeter area.

During the meeting, Residents of Mount Vernon Plantation urged City Council to stop the developer from increasing the height of the office building.

Mayor Eva Galambos cast the deciding vote to approve a use permit to Hines, saying neighbors will be better off. Nearly 485,000 square feet of the 625,000 square foot building will be utilized, with a parking deck beneath the building. Retail stores and restaurants are also planned for the 14-acre site.