Ravinia Rendering

Developers are seeking permission to add a hotel, restaurant and retail complex in Ravinia office park, at the corner of Ashford Dunwoody Road and I-285.

DUNWOODY, Ga. — Two mixed-used, hotel-anchored developments are in the works at the Perimeter, and the Dunwoody City Council weighed in Nov. 18. 

One development would be part of the Ravinia office park at the corner of I-285 and Ashford Dunwoody Road. The second is less than a half mile up the road at the corner of Perimeter Center East.

Kathy Zickert, an attorney for the Ravinia development, said the Perimeter could handle two new hotels in such close proximity. Based on the amount of office space in the area, there is a need for about 7,000 more hotel rooms, she said.

The property at 11 Ravinia Parkway is currently undeveloped, and the owners are seeking a rezoning to PC-2, a type of mixed-used district specific to the Perimeter Center area.

The Dunwoody City Council previously heard the case in August but decided to send it back through the zoning process once a traffic study was performed.

One major change since the original proposal is that the developer’s requested height for the hotel has gone down from eight stories to five. At a Dunwoody Homeowners Association meeting and the Planning Commission, some asked the developers to go back up to eight-stories, arguing this would yield a higher hotel tax revenue with minimal impact on public services. 

“I think there are people in Dunwoody that think that because the Perimeter should be the densest area that we should fill every square inch of the Perimeter with the most-dense development we can do,” Councilman Terry Nall said. 

The plans also include retail, white-tablecloth dining and a rooftop restaurant

The council reiterated concern over the impact to trees on the site. They asked the developers and community development team what efforts were being made to save trees. They also had questions about the streetscape along Ashford Dunwoody. 

The property at Perimeter Center East is a vacant bank building. In 2008, the property was rezoned to allow for a 12-story hotel and 70,000 square foot fitness center, but that site plan was never built. 

Now, another team of developers is requesting modification to the zoning conditions to allow for a new site plan. Their plan includes two buildings of restaurants and retail and a separate 12-story hotel. 

“The existing zoning … pretty much the entire property was going to be paved,” said Laurel David, an attorney for the developer. “We’ve got a very different design and concept that includes more greenspace, more open space for patio seating and outdoor areas. It’s a scaled down version of what it’s currently entitled to.”

The new plan includes a potential road connecting Perimeter Center East to Ravinia Parkway. Community Development Director Richard McLeod said based on conversations with Ravinia so far, there was interest in a pedestrian or multi-use trail but not a roadway. 

Some members of the City Council said they were looking for more specificity in the plans before it comes back before the council Dec. 9.

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