Tucker City Council Denies ‘The Rise’ Development

Macauley Investments, the developer, hasn’t closed on the property yet. Council members were concerned about changing the zoning for a project that might not happen. If the development didn’t go through, it would limit what other potential developers could build on the 88-acre site.

More than 100 people were at Wednesday night’s 4 1/2-hour meeting, with overflow attendees finding seats in the hallway. A lion’s share of the crowd sported green-and-white buttons or stickers that read “I support The Rise.”

Virginia Rece, one of many who wore a button, said she was in favor of The Rise because she believes the work/play/live concept is the future.

“When you put all that time and energy into something you really feel would be great for the community, it’s heartbreaking,” she said.

But opponents of the proposal were happy with the council’s decision, like Laurel Jackson.

“Tucker just spent a lot of time and effort doing a comprehensive plan, and everyone agreed that we wanted to keep the small-town feel of Tucker,” she said.

Macauley withdrew its initial proposal in January, taking two months to go back to the drawing board before presenting The Rise. Council specifically called a special meeting Wednesday night to only discuss this topic because of the attention it has received from the community.

Although the council denied Macauley’s development, it doesn’t mean a Ponce City Market-esque development is out of the question. Since Sears still owns the property, the developer can still close on the site and build certain aspects of the proposal, minus a few items, such as a senior living center.

Stephen Macauley said he and his team would meet at 9 a.m. Thursday to decide what parts of the development they want to keep to go under contract and then work to close the deal.