Veterinary Clinic Voted Down at Planning Commission Meeting
The Peachtree Corners commission recommended against changing zoning on the two-story office building to permit an animal hospital.
Photos
On Tuesday night the Peachtree Corners Planning Commission voted against allowing a veterinary clinic to open in the first floor of a two-story office building.
Alberto Bazan, who lives nearby in the Wellington subdivision, had planned to buy the building and convert the first floor of the Parkway Office Suites to a veterinary clinic that his sister, a veterinarian, would operate.
"We feel there is a need for it," said Dick Carothers, Bazan's attorney. He pointed out that the Bazan family were long time Peachtree Corners residents and that their plan for a veterinary clinic would benefit the community. "This will be like a doctor's office for pets," he added.
Addressing the Planning Commission Bazan said: "This is actually the first building we looked at - we continued looking for a year. We like this location because we live nearby.
"We wouldn't do anything that is deemed to be a negative impact on the community," said Bazan.
But eight nearby residents who stood up during the Public Hearing didn't agree; all expressed a similar sentiment, there are more appropriate places for a veterinary clinic.
Lisa Proctor who also has an office on the second floor told the Planning Commission that if the the 25 businesses were required to leave, they would more than likely have to look elsewhere for office space as there were very few options with space and accomodations that the office suites provide.
Speaking in behalf of the UPCCA, Gray Terry, V.P. of Land Use for the organization said, "While we welcome the idea of a high end medical facility for animals to be located in Peachtree Corners, we submit that a more suitable location be encouraged and identified."
Diana Wheeler, the city's Community Development Director had recommended against the zoning change as well citing the 1996 zoning modifications restricting the property for a number of uses including "animal hospitals or veterinary clinics."
"Animal hospitals and veterinary clinics are not usually part of an office building possibly because of incompatibility." Wheeler said she saw the potential of conflict on a number of significant issues such as professional image of the businesses operating on the second floor, concern over air circulation, sound mitigation, the lack of outdoor space for owners to walk their dogs.
"Because of so many conflicts, I'm not sure this is the best location and we recommend denial of this request," she said.
After hearing presentations and comments Matt Houser made his recommendation against the request.
"The restrictions were placed on the property in the 1990s with the expectation that it would be office space, not a veterinary clinic," said Houser. The other commissioners agreed and the commission voted 4-0 against the request.
The request for a change in conditions will now go before the City Council, who will consider the the Planning Commission's recommendation and Bazan's request and make a decision at its April 2 meeting.
Read also:
Veterinary Clinic Wants to Move into Office Building
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In This article
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City of Peachtree Corners
147 Technology Pkwy, Norcross, GA (Suite 200) -
Parkway Office Suites
4989 Peachtree Pkwy, Norcross, GA (Peachtree Corners) -
United Peachtree Corners Civic Association (UPCCA)
P. O. Box 922324, Norcross, GA
kevin adams
8:18 am on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Surprising to me... I would of thought the planning commission would of voted for approval based on the abortion they approved on Spalding Terrace.
They ruined my neighborhood and caused much anger among some residence, why not this office building.
Brian
9:10 am on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Wow, the planning commission approves abortions? Is that in the City Charter! LOL!! Now that's an expansion and abuse of power not even I could predict!
Robert J. Nebel
9:47 am on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
If Peachtree Parkway Plaza is not taken over by Wesleyan and has a future, then it would make sense to give it a face-lift and allow the clinic to open over there. If not, what about Interlochen Village? There are also strip centers on Holcomb Bridge with plenty of space for a clinic. Indeed, it would be odd for a clinic to be located in an office building.
Marisant
10:31 am on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
They could take over the office space that was a Veterinary Hospital. Same area as Office Max
debi
5:40 pm on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
What is the address of theocation they were turned down 4
Judy Putnam
5:45 pm on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Debi, the address is 4989 Peachtree Parkway, you can click on the link in the story photos and more info.
Alberto L. Bazan
5:47 pm on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Just to clarify. The zoning change is not to move the Animal Hospital into the bottom floor. The plan would be to purchase the "entire" building and make the whole thing into a state of the art animal hospital for our area. Therefore, the incompatibility is not an issue.
As far as the area next to the Office Max goes, we looked at this building and spoke with the owner but it is not for sale, and his leasing demands are not beneficial for us.
We’ve looked all over Peachtree Corners and we believe this to be the best place to service our community.
We appreciate and understand everybody’s concerns and will continue to strive to try to find the best solution for the community as a whole. We’ve been resident’s here since 1982 and we understand the responsibility we all have to our community.
kevin adams
11:07 pm on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Alberto I was being facetious, I don't understand their actions either.
Brian
1:20 pm on Thursday, March 14, 2013
I love that the Patch allows for additional dialogue on a topic, particularly for those who are the subject of the article. This sounds much more reasonable than what was protrayed in the original article.
Also, citing zoning decisions from the 90s doesn't seem like a particularly good argument for why rezoning should not be considered now. This is where the comprehensive plan will come in handy, I'm guessing. It seems to me that this property is isolated enough that, as the sole tenant/owner, it would be an appropriate place for this type of facility.
Judy
5:26 pm on Saturday, March 16, 2013
"Alberto Bazan, who lives nearby in the Wellington subdivision, had planned to buy the building and convert the first floor of the Parkway Office Suites to a veterinary clinic..."
According to Mr. Bazan, the intent is to buy the entire building and turn the whole place into an animal hospital, not just the first floor. How can the commission vote on anything if their facts aren't accurate? I think it's a great idea. As for the current tenants who would have to relocate, seems there is a lot of vacant office space in the immediate area.
Jimmy
8:03 am on Tuesday, March 19, 2013
How about Alberto decides he wants to buy your house, change the zoning and put a vet clinic in your basement...he promises to not let customers park in your driveway and to put in soundproofing so you dont hear dogs barking and you can stay living in the upstairs. But you're not so sure you want your kids playing in the yard when all those dogs have been 'walked' on their way in and out of the clinic, and your neighbors arent too wild about the idea either. I think its a great idea. You should have to move. There are plenty of houses for sale in the area.
Get it now?
Judy Putnam
6:11 pm on Saturday, March 16, 2013
Judy: Mr. Bazan's original plan, which he filed with the city, stated he was interested in converting only the first floor of the building. During the Planning Commission meeting, he presented the idea of using the entire building. The Planning Commission made its recommendation to not approve his request based on the fact that the building's current zoning specifically states that veterinary clinics and animal hospitals may not operate in the building.
Alberto L. Bazan
1:42 pm on Monday, March 18, 2013
Judy,
Thank you for your support. Our plan is and has always been to purchase the entire building. I was invited to speak at a UPCCA meeting about the Animal Hospital by Gray Terry, the VP of Land Use for UPCCA. At the meeting, the people most concerned with the project where Peachtree Corners residents who where also tenants in the building. My goal was to be supportive and to try to find a way to work together with tenants if they wanted to stay. I thought the “free market” would determine if this would work or not. I came away from the meeting feeling very positive.
Then the city development director, Diana Wheeler, stated in her report that she did not recommend the change in condition because of incompatibility between the offices and the animal hospital. Therefore, in order to take care of the issue of incompatibility, we stated we would use the entire building for the Animal Hospital.
For some reason, the Planning Commission voted against it. I’m still not sure why the decision was made. What I remember hearing is that Matt Houser stated that when he looked at the building it looked like an office building to him and therefore he voted against it, and the rest of the planning commission agreed.
Needless to say, I am puzzled by the decision.
Alberto L. Bazan
1:43 pm on Monday, March 18, 2013
One important thing to note is that everyone in the building is on a 30-day lease that must be renewed. Also, there is a 60-65% turnover rate as well.
Finally we will be retaining BDA Architecture, bdaarc.com, a leading veterinary architecture firm with over 500 successful designs in 42 states and 6 countries. The firm has been awarded 25 Veterinary Economic Design Awards, including Hospital of the Year in 1998, 2001 and 2007. In 1997 BDA founded CMP Inc., their in-house construction division. Since 1997 CMP has completed construction on over 40 veterinary facilities. They specialize in the issues of acoustic control and odor mitigation through design methods and specialized construction techniques. These techniques include sophisticated ventilation, filtration and exhaust systems and equipment, sound isolation, noise abatement and absorption systems, as well as design layout that removes and minimized the stimulus for the noise source itself.
We feel, as though there is a need for an animal hospital in this current location to service all the homes in the area that are not satisfied with the clinics in the area. The building is already zoned C-2 which allows animal hospitals, but in the 90’s a special stipulation was introduced that excluded veterinary hospitals as well as a number of other uses.
Alberto L. Bazan
1:43 pm on Monday, March 18, 2013
Thank you for your support and we will continue to strive for what is best for our community.
All this input has been very helpful.
Thank you to the Peachtree Corners Patch for having such a wonderful arena for us to communicate.
Please feel free to support us by emailing, calling, or faxing your local city councilman or councilwoman. You can get the necessary information at http://www.cityofpeachtreecornersga.com.
Also, feel free to attend the city council zoning presentation on April 2, 2013 at 7:00pm at city hall.
Jim Nelems
4:01 pm on Monday, March 18, 2013
There are several free standing animal clinics in Peachtree corners and surrounding areas, I see no reason not to have a zoning change to allow this one. Mr. Bazan, whom I do not know, seems to have done all the right homework on the issue.
Alberto L. Bazan
9:54 pm on Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Jimmy, I respectfully disagree with your analogy.
First a little background. I am buying the building. One of the building owners owns a business that leases the office space. This company will close once the building is sold. I tried to buy the building AND the business but we could not work it out so I can only buy the building. Whenever the owners sell the building, the “leasing” company will close and all the leases will end. Also it is important to note that all the leases are 30-day leases.
So in order to lease from me, we would have to come to a new leasing agreement as the current one would cease to exist.
As far as the analogy goes, the person is renting the house from an owner who can cancel the rent every 30 days and visa versa. The original owner has a rental company that does the business of renting. I would purchase the home and the rental agreement would cease to exist. The renter can then choose to rent with me or they could go somewhere else.
I think it is important to note that whenever this building changes hands, no matter who buys it, all the leases in the building will expire and new agreements will have to be made depending on what the building will be used for.
Jimmy
2:40 pm on Monday, March 25, 2013
I admit its not a perfect analogy Alberto...they rarely are. It was intended to highlight the foolishness of the previous poster's suggestion that the current tenants should relocate to accomodate you. If you dont buy the building, somebody else will. Maybe that person will manage it as an office building like the current owner does and all those business people can re-up their leases and stay there. Maybe even you will buy it and manage it as an office building and they wont have to move. The analogy also covered the part about how nearby residents are opposed to a vet clinic in that building. So at the end of the day the question remains- if it disrupts existing tenants, negatively affects nearby homeowners and there are more suitable locations nearby, why should the city change the rules just for you? Because you grew up here and your sister is cute? Good but not good enough.
Russ L.
7:38 pm on Thursday, March 28, 2013
Really Alberto?....It appears to me that you are intent on buying the building whether or not the Veterinary Clinic proposal is indeed approved.
It has further come to my attention that you plan on forcing the tenants to vacate their offices shortly upon sale even with no Vet Clinic just to exercise your control over the property. Or does it have to do with exacting a measure of punishment to those who oppose your plans? I'm sure glad I'm retired and not dependent on nearby office space.
Good luck with your plans whatever they are with the building when folks find out what kind of a businessman you are. I didn't realize you live in my neighborhood of Wellington Lakes. Hope we don't have to cross paths!
Stop and think about the noise, filth, odors and disease that a Vet Clinic will spread to your neighbors behind the building. Is this really what's best for the community as you state or for Alberto and his sister?
Robert Hilburn
5:08 pm on Thursday, March 21, 2013
Your plans for an animal hospital are far beyond what we currently have in the area. If your plan for a facility is accurate and in the City of Peachtree Corners, even at 4989 Peachtree Pkwy, I would want to bring my pets to your facility and I would recommend the facility to those I know.
However, I do agree with what was said by the planning commission when they denied their recommendation. One of the member's opinion was that when the space was originally rezoned the wishes of the residents at the time were to not to have a veterinary clinic and is it right to change that. Does it make sense to rezone an area with stipulations to allow the change approved by homeowners at the time and then just a few years later retract it if there is anyone that is not with the decision?
I would guess the people who requested the variance in the first place had a reason. There may have been concerns to how it may affect the value of the properties in the adjacent neighborhoods or how such a clinic may be disturbing to those that live close to the building. The point is there was reason and if homeowners close to the building prefer to not make any changes, it should not be changed.
Again, I love the idea of having the state of the art facility in Peachtree Corners you have planned. However, I think the wishes of those in the neighborhoods today and when the zoning was originally changed should be heavily considered in a vote to change the zoning.