ATLANTA — Nearly 200 people logged on for a virtual meeting on Monday about the proposed Amsterdam Walk development.
Portman Holdings is planning a mixed-use development in the space that’s now Amsterdam Walk off Monroe Drive.
In April of 2023, Portman Holdings proposed a mixed-use development of 900 apartments and office space with up to 16-story buildings.
After input from neighbors, in May of 2024, Portman adjusted its plans to reduce the density of the residential units down to 840 and add affordable housing. That plan would also reduce the amount of traffic on Monroe.
However, neighbors and the Neighborhood Planning Unit, or NPU, voted against the project. Then, the Zoning Review Board denied the project as well.
The new proposal wouldn’t have to go through another NPU vote which was a large part of the community input. There also aren’t any more opportunities for public comment.
The new project will reduce the number of buildings from four to three nine-story buildings. Residential space will increase to between 940 and 1,100 apartment units with 1,435 parking spots. The plans also include reducing the amount of commercial space, adding 20 percent of affordable housing units, and Beltline light rail.
There also was no updated traffic study. However, the previous one has residents concerned.
“The proposal as it stands would add 4,000 extra car trips per day, plus Amazon, Uber eats,” resident Charlie Kaften said.
Channel 2′s Eryn Rogers contacted Portman Holdings for a statement, but they haven’t responded to her yet.
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Councilman Alex Wan who hosted the meeting came out voicing his opposition to the project but also said he believes Portman has a path forward getting the votes they need from other council members.
Some neighbors aren’t sold that density will be a major issue. They think the development will be good for the neighborhood.
“There is an amazing opportunity to bring in a lot of vibrancy to our neighborhood and expand our ability to go places within our neighborhood,” said resident, Ivan Schustak. “We should be more of a magnet than we are right now.”
However, Schustak agrees with his neighbors that traffic will only continue to get worse on Monroe Drive and thinks Portman should push the city to create the Beltline light rail officials have been proposing.
An ATLDOT spokesperson also confirmed to Rogers that the DOT is working on a project on Monroe Drive that will begin this year and last for two years. He said the current project design that will reduce the lanes from two to one and add a turn lane will reduce speed and improve roadway safety.
Right now, the proposal is in committees. The Zoning Committee meets on Monday the 10th, and the Planning Committee meets Tuesday. If both committees hold the proposal, it would be another two weeks until votes are taken again. However, if the committees vote the proposal forward, the plan would go to the full council for a vote at their March 17th meeting.
Councilman Wan said if the vote eventually passes, construction on the project would start by summer 2026 and take about 2.5 years to finish.
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