Council reviews variances for proposed Fifth Third Bank at 5560 Peachtree Boulevard

The Chamblee City Council heard a staff presentation and public testimony on a zoning application for 5560 Peachtree Boulevard, a 0.5‑acre outparcel at Chamblee Plaza proposed for a new Fifth Third Bank. Planning Director Matt summarized the applicant’s request for four variances and nine waivers, including a freestanding ATM on a storefront street, increasing parking from 9 to 11 spaces, reducing minimum drive‑through stacking from six to four vehicles, allowing signage on a third façade, and reduced fenestration percentages on Peachtree and Longview frontages.

Staff recommended approval of a subset of the requests — waivers 1, 2, 6, 7, 8 and 9 — and recommended denial of other variances and waivers tied to the standalone ATM, additional drive‑through facilities and extra signage, saying they found no hardship to justify those changes. "The standalone ATM would not be attached to the main building, and is not permitted by the UDO, and would therefore require variance," Matt said, noting staff could not find a hardship to support that variance.

The project team said the bank use is crucial to the site and sought operational exceptions. The developer (self‑identified in the record as "venture regio") told council the parcel had been marketed for two years and that a bank would complement the center after the former gas station was demolished. Architect Daniel Wixness (Praxis 3) provided operational data from nearby branches to justify reduced stacking and lower ceiling heights, saying the ATM and drive‑through features were "critical to the operation" and that peak drive‑through use averaged about two cars in the busiest half‑hour.

Councilmembers asked detailed design questions about fenestration, canopy coverage over ATM/teller bays, pedestrian connections along Longview Drive and whether moving the building forward would better achieve a pedestrian‑oriented frontage. One councilmember urged balance between the UDO’s intent to transition corridors away from car‑dependent uses and the practical requirements banks face to locate on the corridor. Josh Harrison, a member of the CID board, spoke in favor of the project, saying the bank would be an improvement for the corridor.

No final decision or formal vote on the variances was recorded in the meeting transcript; the public hearing was closed after proponents spoke and council entered further deliberation and questions.