Planning Commission reaffirms position, recommends downtown max height increase

The Auburn Planning Commission voted unanimously Thursday in favor of raising the allowable building height in the College Edge Overlay District to 75 feet, reaffirming its previous recommendation.

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Currently, the maximum building height in the CEOD is 65 feet, while the rest of the Urban Core can have buildings as tall as 75 feet. The CEOD includes parcels fronting College Street between Thach and Mitcham avenues, as well as parcels fronting Magnolia Avenue from Wright Street to Gay Street, according to the city's zoning ordinance. 

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With the Planning Commission’s recommendation, the City Council will vote on maximum building height on March 20.

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Forrest Cotten, city planning director, said 75 feet is a “sweet spot” for building construction standards as it allows for non-residential building uses, like office spaces and retail. 

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Steve Fleming, the developer of the Whatley Building, said he hopes to build his mixed commercial and residential building up to 75 feet tall.

“What I’m trying to build is my home,” he said. “I can do this at 65 feet, but 75 feet allows this to be a special building.”

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Fleming said he would give back to the city with the rooftop space of the building by hosting three parties a week there.

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“I want this to be a space where I open my home and invite people in,” he said. “An urban lifestyle is what I want. There’s just not that product available, so I’m trying to build it.”

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Linda Dean, a resident of Auburn, said she worries that the Planning Commission is listening to developers instead of citizens. She said that it is important to be sensitive to what the citizens of Auburn want.

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“We need development downtown. There are some really ugly places downtown. But it can be beautiful at 65 feet,” she said.

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Adjacent and nearby downtown property owners, including Trey Johnston, who owns the J&M Bookstore building, Drew Goodner, a co-owner of the old AuburnBank building on Toomer's Corner and member of the Board of Zoning Adjustment, and Nancy Davis, a local attorney representing owners of the Compass Bank building, all spoke during the public hearing to voice their support for raising the allowable height to 75 feet.

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Auburn citizens have said in surveys that they want to slow down development and fix the issue with traffic downtown, according to Auburn resident Susan Hunnicut. Cotten said the development will actually reduce vehicle trips and encourage pedestrian activity.

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“That’s why the city is investing so much in street lighting and side walking and streetscaping and making connections.” Cotten said. “So that we make this a walkable place that people will come to.”

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After the public hearing closed, Commissioner Charles Pick said the debate has turned into an emotional issue, but that the Planning Commission looks at it on a logical basis. 

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“The way we approached it … is based on construction standards,” he said. “There is a very logical construction and reasonable development standard at 75 feet that was exhaustively looked at back when we made our original recommendation to the City Council.”

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Commissioner Dan Bennett said that citizens won’t be able to see the 10-foot difference in height when they stand on the street. He also said that many buildings in Auburn are two stories tall and still ugly, referring to the buildings on Gay Street from Samford Avenue to Magnolia Avenue.

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Sarah Brown, Planning Commission chairwoman, brought a 10-foot board to the meeting to give the room a visual of the height increase.