Tucker, GA — An application to convert a Northlake office building into a residential development is moving on to Tucker City Council.

AHS Residential is planning to build 500 apartments at Tucker Exchange, located at 2059 Northlake Parkway. The main office building will become a live/work facility and three additional 8- and 9-story buildings will house one-, two- and three-bedroom units.

Tucker Exchange is a similar plan to the Florida-based company’s first development in Georgia.

After a long discussion on Feb. 17, Tucker Planning Commission voted to recommend the application for a Special Land Use Permit (SLUP) and four variances with amendments to the list of conditions by staff.

AHS’ plan includes workforce housing units based on a market study.

Kylie Thomas, Tucker planner, said 15% of units — about 75 units — would qualify as workforce housing, defined as affordable to households earning between 80 and 140% of the area median income (AMI). The AMI for this location is approximately $64,000.

Planning Commission Chair Katherine Atteberry asked to change the conditions to “a minimum of 15% of units should qualify, which would allow them to do 15% or more.” Other commissioners agreed.

“Density and bringing people to Tucker and all of those things are very good, but I just don’t think we’re there yet,” said Atteberry. “There are a lot of things I like about this development – the workforce housing, the mixed space – but I feel like there are too many design considerations that are creating a tension for this design for me to recommend approval. In full disclosure, I want to make sure we work through these conditions because of the motion on table, but I will not be voting yes.”

Planning Commission voted 5-2 to recommend the SLUP. Atteberry and Steve Smith voted no.

Amenities of the development include a 32,000-sq. ft. pocket park with a pool, a clubhouse and connection to the future Tucker PATH trail.

According to the AHS Residential website, the company “is on a mission to help solve the U.S. housing crisis by building high-quality apartments in growing metros where many renters are getting priced out by rising rents. The company does not rely on subsidies, grants, or public financing. Founded in 2012, the company owns and manages 11 communities and over 2,500 apartment units in Florida, and is targeting the production of 5,000 new apartment units annually between 2022 and 2025 across the Southeast.”

A first read is scheduled for the City Council meeting on March 14.

The Tucker Observer is a community news website owned by Decaturish.com. We provide locally sourced news about Tucker, Clarkston and Stone Mountain.

For more Tucker news, follow us on Facebook by clicking here. Follow us on Twitter by clicking here. 

Want the latest news from the Tucker Observer delivered to your inbox every morning? Click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter. 

To become a paying supporter of Tucker Observer, click here.