Transit-Oriented Development Ordinance: Atlanta, GA
This newly-created zoning district established a new Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) district for the Lindbergh MARTA Station Area in Atlanta, Georgia. The new zoning district replaced the existing conventional auto-oriented zoning districts previously in place. The district was established through a series of community meetings and stakeholder visioning exercises and was adopted with unanimous support from the residential, business, property owner and elected official constituents.
The Lindbergh TOD District establishes progressive standards for uses, densities, open spaces, building heights, site development limitations, sidewalks, supplemental zones, relationship of building to street, urban design, signage, lighting, loading, curb cuts and parking. This district combines a balanced mixture of basic community planning concepts along with new and innovative provisions. All office developments greater than 25,000 square feet are required to produce and implement a traffic reduction plan. Bicycle requirements are regulated for all non-single family development.
Pedestrian bridges and drive-throughs are prohibited. Storefront treatments are required on certain streets to activate vital thoroughfares. Electric vehicle charging stations are required for parking facilitates greater than 100 spaces. Open space is required for all new development but newly-created public streets with on-street parking and newly-created public plazas, balconies, rooftop terraces and sidewalks are all eligible to be counted towards open space requirements. And portions of open space are permitted to be transferred off-site to a City-approved location, which allows greater consolidation of open space. Developers may be awarded density bonuses for providing affordable housing units. And a master regulating plan outlining newly-created streets and open spaces was also established and ultimately implemented as part of the TOD district.
