The Sandy Springs Planning Commission moved forward the project that would add a hotel and office building on Barfield Road and Mount Vernon Highway.

The 14-year-old plan to bring two new buildings to Barfield Road at Mount Vernon Highway in Sandy Springs originally called for office buildings, but a hotel was later added, a change requiring city approval. The change initially drew heavy opposition from the Autumn Chace townhome community, but the developer agreed to regulations that garnered the residents’ support for the project.

The 3.7-acre lot at 6403 Barfield Road sits west of Ga. 400 and is adjacent to the Promenade at Northplace condo development. The original plan, under the name NorthPlace, was for two multistory buildings that have office space and retail on the bottom floor. Under the new proposal, one of those buildings would become a 10-story Aloft hotel, a brand owned by hotel chain Marriott.

The original designs were approved in 2004 by Fulton County, before the city’s incorporation. A hotel is allowed under the city’s new zoning rules, but the developer wanted to keep the project under the original approval under the old zoning, MidCity executive Kirk Demetrops previously said.

The footprint is identical, and the only change is the use of one of the buildings, Demetrops previously said.

The plan was originally scheduled to be voted on at the Planning Commission’s Dec. 19 meeting last year, but was removed from the agenda after the commission realized the developer added something to the plan the city asked for after a deadline. At that meeting, Autumn Chace residents came out in force to oppose the plan. But since then, the developer has agreed to a number of a conditions that brought the community’s support.

The residents were concerned not only that the hotel would bring all-hours activity, but also that it would come with a seemingly unrestricted amount of bars and entertainment spaces. Conditions would now limit those uses to the hotel and restrict their operation to 6 a.m. to 11:45 p.m.

A new condition clarifies that a hotel would only be allowed in one of the buildings and not both.

The Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval. The project is now expected to be heard at the City Council’s March 19 meeting.

“I want to commend developers who want to do something good for the city and make sure its good for the neighborhood as well,” Commissioner Dave Nickles said.