On Monday, October 5, 2026, Atlanta City Council takes up Selig Enterprises' rezoning of the Ponce de Leon block across from Hotel Clermont. It is item 12 on the consent agenda, ordinance 26-O-1428, case Z-26-38. The headlines settled months ago: up to 375 apartments, 10,000 square feet of street-level retail, and a building about 13 stories tall that steps down to nine where it backs up to the single-family homes on Maiden Lane.
If you're weighing a home on Maiden Lane, St. Charles Avenue, or the stretch of Bonaventure Avenue north of Ponce, the height matters less than a question the public record doesn't answer yet. The site plan provides 389 parking spaces. The conditions now attached to the ordinance bar any driveway on Bonaventure and limit any Ponce driveway to right-in, right-out turns. They set façade and entrance standards for Maiden Lane but say nothing about a curb cut there.
Two Conditions That Weren't There in July
The neighborhood planning unit, NPU-F, voted on this case at its July 15 meeting. Kevin Cronin moved approval with 15 conditions dated June 3, and the motion passed 13 to 3. The Zoning Review Board approved the change from C-1 commercial to MRC-3 mixed residential commercial on August 6, with the same conditions.
The case then took longer than that pace would suggest. City Council's Zoning Committee held it on August 24. Council returned it to committee on September 8, the committee held it again on September 14, and Council returned it once more on September 21. The committee finally recommended it on September 28 by a 4–0 vote, with three members absent. A committee amendment form dated August 24 gives one line of explanation: "Amend to add conditions."
Put the two condition lists side by side and you can see what was added.
| Topic | NPU-F list, July 2026 | Council file, current |
|---|---|---|
| Number of conditions | 15 | 17 |
| Site plan binding | Kimley-Horn plan dated May 14, 2026 | Same |
| Maximum height | 160 feet | 160 feet |
| Bonaventure Avenue driveway | Not addressed | "There shall be no curb cut on Bonaventure Avenue" |
| Ponce de Leon driveway | Not addressed | Right-in and right-out only, and only if relief is granted for a new curb cut on an arterial street |
| Bulb-outs at Ponce/Bonaventure and Maiden/Bonaventure | Subject to ATLDOT and GDOT approval | Same |
| Traffic calming with VHCA | Coordination required | Same |
The Ponce condition is stricter than it first looks. It doesn't grant a driveway on Ponce. It sets the terms that apply if a new curb cut on an arterial street is approved through an administrative variation. Bonaventure is closed to driveways outright, and a Ponce driveway needs separate relief before it can exist. Maiden Lane is the one frontage on the parcel where the conditions say nothing about curb cuts.
Where the Cars Go Is Still an Open Question
That gap affects someone buying on the blocks behind Ponce. The text we could extract from the Kimley-Horn site plan names Maiden Lane and Ponce de Leon Avenue and labels a residential lobby and leasing area. It doesn't show legible driveway locations, and it doesn't say where the two residential loading spaces sit.
Traffic has been the main concern from the start. Selig's attorney, Jessica Hill, told the Zoning Review Board that neighbors' concerns were "predominantly around traffic," and said a traffic study had been done at the request of the Virginia-Highland planning committee. NPU-F's July minutes point residents to the Virginia-Highland Civic Association's Planning Committee page for that study. The VHCA page for the Selig project now links three documents: the June 3 conditions, a March 26 summary of traffic-calming conditions, and Selig's February 23 presentation.
If you're writing an offer on Maiden Lane or St. Charles this fall, those VHCA documents and the full site plan PDF on the city's legislative portal are the place to start. Find the garage entrance on the drawing, not in a rendering. A home a few doors from a parking-deck entrance and a home a few doors from a landscaped buffer are on the same street, but they won't live the same way.
The Height Cap Sits Well Below What the Zoning Allows
The 13-story figure got the attention, but the ceiling is the number that holds. Condition 2 sets the maximum building height at 160 feet. The site plan's own zoning table lists 225 feet as the maximum allowable height. The 65 feet between those two figures is height the developer has given up in writing.
Condition 1 does similar work across the whole site. It ties development to the Kimley-Horn site plan dated May 14, 2026, and allows only minor changes, approved by the Director of the Office of Zoning and Development. The ordinance directs the Bureau of Buildings to issue a building permit for the property "only in compliance with the attached conditions." If you're buying next door, the conditions tell you what can be built there more reliably than any rendering does.
The site is also being redesignated in the city's long-range plan. Item 25 on the same October 5 agenda is ordinance 26-O-1468, which changes the land-use designation in the Atlanta Comprehensive Development Plan for 774 Ponce de Leon Avenue from Medium Density Mixed Use to High Density Mixed Use. The rezoning governs this project. The plan designation is how the city will describe that corner the next time someone files a case near it.
What the Maiden Lane Side Gets in Writing
The single-family edge has more specific design rules than any other frontage. Condition 5 requires the following on the Maiden Lane elevation:
- Varied façade treatments, materials and articulation on the parking-structure wall, to reduce how massive it looks from the street
- Changes in plane, step-backs and balconies, or the appearance of them
- Individual entrances on Maiden Lane for any sidewalk-level units, recessed at least two feet from the façade wall
- At least 40 percent brick, granite, stone, cast stone or similar on the unglazed façade above the parking structure
- Windows in those masonry sections recessed at least one inch to give the façade visible depth
The renderings show a greenspace buffer along Maiden Lane, with the section facing the homes stepping down to nine stories. Notice which of these are binding. The 160-foot ceiling and the façade materials are written conditions. The nine-story step-down and the buffer come from the rendering and from the site plan the conditions point to, so the plan document, not the image, is what to check.
What Stays Conditional on Someone Else's Approval
The traffic-calming measures neighbors asked for depend on other agencies. Condition 16 calls for curb bulb-outs on Bonaventure at the northwest corner of Ponce and at the southwest corner of Maiden Lane. Both are subject to approval by the Atlanta Department of Transportation and, where applicable, the Georgia Department of Transportation. Condition 17 requires Selig to coordinate with the Virginia-Highland Civic Association on traffic calming, which may include bulb-outs on every corner where Bonaventure meets Maiden Lane and St. Charles Avenue. In both conditions, "may include" and "subject to approval" mean the developer has committed to the process. Specific curbs on specific corners still need agency approval.
The housing mix is spelled out more firmly. The Housing Impact Statement estimates 57 units for households earning 50.01 to 80 percent of area median income and 318 units above 80 percent. According to the rezoning application, as reported by Urbanize Atlanta in August 2026, expected average rents for those affordable units run from $1,700 for a one-bedroom to $2,055 for a two-bedroom. The 57 units satisfy the BeltLine Overlay District's requirements.
A Vote Settles the Rules. It Doesn't Set a Date.
Selig officials told Urbanize Atlanta in August that no construction timeline had been set. The block's history counsels patience. Just west of Selig's parcels, Portman Holdings planned a multi-block redevelopment three years ago and then backed away, citing economic headwinds. Selig is in a different position. It has owned most of this block for about 60 years.
For a buyer, a Council vote fixes the limits: 160 feet, no Bonaventure driveway, masonry on the Maiden Lane side. It doesn't fix when work starts or how long a construction period you would live next to. If you plan to hold a nearby home for several years, assume the construction phase may fall somewhere in that window, and ask about it the same way you'd ask about a roof's age.
One small detail in the documents is worth catching before closing. The ordinance lists the Bonaventure parcel as 790 Bonaventure Avenue, also known as 792. The conditions attachment lists it as 730 Bonaventure Avenue, also known as 732. If a property you're considering is near either address, confirm against the legal description which parcel is actually in the rezoning.
FAQ
Is the rezoning final? Not as of October 3, 2026. The Zoning Committee recommended it on September 28, and it's on the City Council consent agenda for October 5.
Which businesses are affected? Selig's buildings at 780 to 798 Ponce have housed China Dragon, Gusto!, the first Honey Bubble Tea location and Java Jive, which closed in 2024 after more than 30 years. The Local, next door, won't be affected.
Where can I read the conditions myself? They're on the City of Atlanta's legislative portal, attached to ordinance 26-O-1428, along with the site plan and the Housing Impact Statement.
If you're considering a home on Maiden Lane, St. Charles or Bonaventure, Josephine Traina can go through the conditions, the site plan and the Council outcome with you and work out what they mean for that address before you make an offer. Book Your 15–30 Minute Consultation.
