Update, May 12: Oakwood City Council gave its final approval of the development on Monday, May 9.
Update, March 14: A vote on a proposed retail development, including restaurants, off Winder Highway was postponed by the council Monday until the April 11 meeting.
Council members sought the delay because the developer filed an updated site plan Friday, March 11, before city officials could fully study it.
Update, Feb. 14: Votes on a proposed retail development on Winder Highway/Ga. 53 have been postponed until March.
Oakwood City Council voted Monday, Feb. 14, to table action on Atlanta-based Halpern Enterprises Inc.'s rezoning and annexation requests.
Halpern is seeking to build the 10-acre development, which could include restaurants, at 3437 Winder Highway, 3455 Winder Highway and 3471 Winder Highway.
A retail development, including restaurants, may be coming to Winder Highway across from the Publix-anchored Robson Crossing shopping center.
“We don’t have any fixed users lined up at this time,” attorney Wesley Robinson said on behalf of the developer, Atlanta-based Halpern Enterprises Inc.
“This project would be a series of four or five parcels we would connect together with either restaurant users or small retail buildings,” said Steve West of Halpern, speaking Tuesday, Jan. 18, to the Oakwood Planning Commission.
The property is at 3437 Winder Highway, 3455 Winder Highway and 3471 Winder Highway.
“Because we’ve got some driveway, traffic and site work issues to handle, we’ve only really begun to talk to … who might be interested in the site,” West said. “We believe there’s strong interest from a number of people who want to be here.”
The project would involve installation of a traffic signal on Winder Highway that would be shared by the new development and Robson Crossing.
The land itself has its challenges, with a steep dropoff at the back of the property to a creek.
“It’s a significant amount of grading and probably some retaining walls to create some developable pads there,” West said.
“So, you have a hill and a hole?” Planning Commissioner Tony Millwood asked.
“More hole than hill, but yes,” West said.
Halpern is trying to rezone a total of 10 acres to highway business for the development, including 3.6 acres that would be annexed.
The planning board recommended approval of the project to the Oakwood City Council, which will hold a public hearing and final vote on the matter at a later meeting.