By Maggie Lee / Staff

Alpharetta is seeking more homeowners, and is tweaking its land use policy to welcome the minor gentry of condominium customers once the property market recovers. 

The city council last week tabled a land use update that would have discouraged condo development. The proposed language defined such homes as "multifamily", and hence less desirable under the 2025 Comprehensive Plan.

The Plan right now says that 85 percent of Alpharetta residences should be "single-family" homes in two decades.

"For me, that 85 to 15 was just the owner-occupied [to rental]" ratio, said Councilman David Belle Isle, about the intention of the long-term plan published in early 2008. 

Belle Isle and his colleagues don't actually think it's important if the home is a condo or a detached house, just as long as the owner occupies it.  He, aong with lame duck mayor Arthur Letchas and three other council members at last week's public hearing sent the revised ordinance back to the planning commission to make sure multifamily condos are welcome.

Right now, about 75 percent of Alpharetta's housing is single-family units.  That means a condo developer might not be able to get a permit simply because the city technically has more multifamily housing than it wants. If condos are redefined as "single-family," they'll get a hearing.

"When this market recovers," predicted Councilman D.C. Aiken, "somebody's going to want to put up condos at North Point."