Crown Towers developers went before the Dunwoody City Council April 25 for the first reading of rezoning and special land use permits requests to build a mixed development at the former Gold Kist site.

The main sticking point between the developers and city officials is the percentage of the total 380 condo units that should be occupied by their owners. Doug Dillard, zoning attorney for the developers, is asking the city to approve 50 percent rental and 50 percent owner-occupied, with the owner-occupied units being raised to 75 percent after the first five years the building is open.

Crown Towers plans to construct a multi -unit condo tower with a parking deck

and a mixed -use condo tower with a hotel, residential units, accessory uses, and parking, as well as a retail building. Crown Towers 1 and 2 would have a combined 380 residential units.

The city’s Planning Commission is recommending 75 percent of the units be owner-occupied and the Dunwoody Homeowners Association also wants 75 percent owner-occupied before it agrees to support the development.

However, DHA President Robert Wittenstein said at the April 25 meeting that Crown Towers may be agreeable to a “voluntary impact fee” of $1,000 per condo unit to go toward building park space in the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts.

“There is not a lot of green space in the PCID and this would be another incentive [for DHA] to support the development if they consent to a voluntary impact fee of $1,000 per condo unit to be devoted toward park space in the PCID area,” Wittenstein said. “So that’s $380,000 to put toward parks.”

“They’re very receptive to that idea. And if so, perhaps we [DHA] can agree to give them five years to get to 75 percent,” Wittenstein said.

Charlie Brown with Crown Towers said he thinks “it’s a pretty good idea.”

The DHA voted last month to support the proposed Crown Towers mixed-use development only if developers promised 75 percent of residential units are owner-occupied and agree to reduce office space from about 2.4 million square feet to 2 million square feet.

DHA is slated to discuss the idea of the $380,000 at its Sunday, May 1 meeting. A second reading for the rezoning request is scheduled to be considered at the Dunwoody City Council on May 9.