Fate of Tucker’s ‘Ponce City Market’ will be decided this month

A meeting planned later this month in Tucker conjures images of the Dallas Cowboys’ football stadium—that is, an arena where fans who can’t manage a ticket are invited to stand outside and watch the action on screens.

That’s because public interest in a specially called meeting to decide the fate of Tucker’s version of Ponce City Market—per a developer’s description—is expected to be huge.

Tucker’s mayor and city council have called the Aug. 30 meeting to vote on an 88-acre, mixed-use proposal by Macauley Investments called “The Rise.” Like Ponce City Market before it, the project would transform a sprawling site that formerly housed a large Sears distribution center.

Developers have said the proposed 200,000 square feet of retail, a 36,000-square-foot grocer, brew pub, and food hall would also echo the Old Fourth Ward’s adaptive-reuse sensation.

According to city officials, the meeting is being bumped from an earlier date to accommodate massive interest in The Rise plans and complex nature of the developer’s petition (a meeting last month stretched for more than four hours before an overflow crowd).

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Now, an “overflow area” is being established where residents who can’t squeeze into Tucker City Council Chambers can watch proceedings on closed-circuit television and queue to sound off during public comments.

Much is riding on the meeting. City officials will vote on a comprehensive plan amendment, rezoning petition, and special land use permit brought by Macauley Investments.

For those unfamiliar, Tucker is hugged up against the OTP side of The Perimeter, northeast of Decatur.

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Located a few miles from Stone Mountain, the mini-city development could also include 88,000 square feet of office space, an elementary school and daycare, and a mix of residential units appealing to everyone from millennials to seniors, totaling more than 700 new residences.

Renderings have actually called for “Millennial Renter Units.”

According to the DeKalb Neighbor, developers withdrew earlier plans that also included a hotel and post-production movie studio. In earlier meetings, the Tucker citizenry was reportedly torn, applauding the revised version of The Rise but also voicing concerns about greenspace preservation, available parking, public transportation, and of course, traffic.

via City of Tucker

• Near Stone Mountain, 88-acre mixed-use venture wants to be next Ponce City Market [Curbed]