Planning Commission paves way for new Albany restaurant, hotel

ALBANY — Pending final approval by the Albany City Commission, the city of Albany will be getting a new restaurant and six-story hotel along Nottingham Way soon.

The Albany-Dougherty Planning Commission paved the way for the new establishments by approving separate rezoning and variance requests by Sherwood Properties LLC Thursday afternoon. The rezoning request must get final approval from the City Commission.

“We have one client who is offering to buy both pieces of property (at 2816 and 2818 Nottingham Way and at 2820 Nottingham Way), pending final approval of our requests,” Larry Walden with Sherwood Properties said after the Planning Commission meeting. “I’m confident we’ll close on the properties once we get commission approval.”

Walden said he’s not certain what restaurant or hotel chain the developer plans to bring to the property adjacent to the Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant.

“Right now, he’s just waiting for all the necessary requirements to be taken care of,” Walden said of the developer.

Rezoning, from C-7 (mixed-use planned development district) to C-2 (general mixed-use business district), of the 1.779 acres of property at 2816 and 2818 Nottingham would clear the way for construction of the restaurant, while the variance was required on the 2820 Nottingham property so that the building could be built at a height of greater than 35 feet.

The applicant asked for a variance that would allow a building up to 60 feet in height.

“Prior to rezoning, the City Commission had approved construction of a 60-foot hotel at that site, but rezoning placed height restrictions at 35 feet if they’re built within 100 feet of an R-3 (residential) district,” Planning Services Director Paul Forgey said.

Forgey and the Planning staff recommended the variance be granted but with a condition that a buffer of evergreen trees be placed between the property and the R-3 zoned neighborhood. The commission approved that recommendation 9-0.

Also at Thursday’s meeting, the Planning board voted 9-0 to move a special approval request forward to the Dougherty County Commission that would allow Bethel Holiness Tabernacle to build a 9,800-square-foot sanctuary on 2.67 acres of land at 1029 Fairview Avenue; voted unanimously to approve rezoning (from R-3 single-family residential to C-3 commercial) of two adjoining tracts of land totalling 0.708 acres at 235 E. Oakridge Drive; and voted 8-1 to OK a rezoning request (from AG agriculture to R-2 single family residential) of 52.675 acres of land at the corner of 901 Lockett Station Road and 2901 Oakridge Drive.

Owners of the 235 E. Oakridge Drive property want to establish a commercial business on the property.

“C-3 zoning would allow a variety of commercial uses, including restaurants, offices, retail or automotive,” Forgey told the board. “The owner could develop pretty much any kind of business you can locate on a small lot.”

Commissioner Jimmy Hall said the lack of limitations concerned him, but he voted with the board to approve the request.

Board member Gloria Gaines, while voting with the majority to approve the rezoning request at the Lockett Station/Oakridge property so that the owner may create a single-family residential development, said the location of that property concerns her.

“The Sable (Trail) compressor station when it is built will occupy land cater-corner to that property,” Gaines said. “Good luck selling it. I think (the five-story compressor station) will make that land much less desirable as residential property.”