For those who attended the East Atlanta Strut last weekend, it was hard to miss the presence of a local organization aiming to save some area trees.
Save Ormewood Forest had a decorated booth set up on the corner of Glenwood and Gresham avenues. And the group's float, complete with signs and painted trees, was named the best in the event's parade.
But what is the effort to preserve “Ormewood Forest” all about?
First, to clarify, the 6.1 acres in question is located in East Atlanta — not the neighborhood of Ormewood on the west side of Moreland Avenue. The name comes from the frontage of trees along Ormewood Avenue.
Heritage Capitol Partners, which bought the property over the summer, wants to rezone the land bordering Shadowridge Drive to build up to 24 cottage-style homes there. Dubbed the Cottages at Ormewood Forest, the construction would require the removal of about nine trees, which would be replaced, according to the developer's attorney, David Patton.
Grant Dollar, an adjacent property owner who is active with the protest campaign, said the neighborhood's “number one concern with the proposal has consistently been the density” — meaning the number of houses that would be built in the space.
And at an Aug. 10 Zoning Review Board meeting, the city shared this viewpoint.
“Although the East Atlanta neighborhood is a traditional, densely developed intown residential area ... the proposed development has a higher density and is not compatible with the surrounding properties,” according to a city staff report, which noted that “several trees” would be affected.
Dollar presented information during the zoning meeting that said "many dozens of trees" — not nine —would need to be removed. Using tree surveys on file from prior developers, Dollar said, comparisons showed that trees were excluded from the survey used in the rezoning application.
Staff and the Neighborhood Planning Unit both recommended denial, and the zoning committee deferred to give the developer 90 days to potentially revise the plan. If the rezoning request is denied, current zoning allows that the developers could build about 10 homes on the site.
The price point for homes in that plan, which would involve parcels consuming most of the six acres, would start around $500K, Patton said. The plan Heritage proposes would develop about three acres, with homes starting at $350K.
Either way, the land is going to be developed.
“The city can decide what they believe is appropriate for the site and best for the future of the city,” Patton said.
The East Atlanta Community Association established a committee to work with the developer on behalf of the neighborhood, independent of Save Ormewood Forest. So far, they haven’t seen any new plans that address concerns from previous proposals, according to land use and zoning chair Andy Schneggenburger.
A change.org petition, signed by 1,500 people, says the land in question serves as a "significant wildlife habitat" and provides "esthetic values that enrich the quality of life" for the commuity.
The topic of development cutting into Atlanta’s canopy is not a new one.
A "Save the Trees of Grant Park" was started in the nearby neighborhood to protest the removal of more than 100 trees for the construction of a parking garage. Earlier this year, a canopy of mature trees was cut down to make way for an 850,000-square-foot addition to Piedmont Hospital.
City Councilwoman Natalyn Archibong will meet with East Atlanta residents to discuss their concerns about Ormewood Forest Thursday at 6 p.m. at 810 Flat Shoals Ave. SE, according to Save Ormewood Forest's Facebook page.
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