Doraville city officials have rezoned the land under the former General Motors plant to help set the stage for a mixed-use development on the 160-acre site.

At a Nov. 9 special called meeting, the Doraville City Council voted to rezone the site from a manufacturing to a commercial zoning district.

“This is just a ‘placecard’ zoning until we develop a mixed-use zoning and an applicant arises,” Doraville city planner Scott Haeberlin told the council during the meeting.

The city officials want to transform the site into an Atlantic Station-like mixed-use development which includes retail, residential and commercial uses.

The zoning change passed the council in a 4-2 vote.

Councilmen Bob Spangler and Pam Fleming voted to deny the change on the grounds that General Motors was not contacted about the rezoning. GM still owns the property.

Haeberlin said Doraville city code did not require property owners be notified on proposed zoning changes.

“We should have notified GM,” Spangler said last week during the meeting.

The future of the site has been a hot topic in Doraville since General Motors announced in 2005 it planned to close the plant, which began operations in 1948.

The plant officially shut down on Sept. 26, 2008.

The council is still adamant about not having a sports stadium built on the site.

As part of the rezoning, the council issued a restriction that no indoor recreation facility with a capacity of more than 1,000 people could be built on the site.

The restriction was proposed by Councilwoman Maria Alexander.

St. Petersburg, Fla.-based developer Sembler Co. is reportedly looking at the site for a new stadium for the Atlanta Falcons.

Last month the council passed a resolution against the construction of a stadium on the site.

When the site became available, five major developers expressed interest in buying it.

The developers were Atlanta-based Jacoby Development; Hines Development of Houston, Texas; New Broad Street Cos. of Orlando, Fla.; and Sembler.

GM has not disclosed to whom it plans to sell the site.

The council also voted to rezone two other parcels, totaling almost 12 acres, adjacent to the GM site to attract education and science-based institutions.

The land, off Peachtree Road and General Motors Drive, were rezoned from heavy industrial to light industrial specifically for engineering and architectural offices, colleges and scientific or research labs.

Three businesses operate on the site: an auto repair shop, a sign manufacturer and a limousine rental company.

The businesses will be able to operate despite the zoning change. The council approved exceptions for the existing businesses but future owners will be under the new zoning.

The rezoning of the parcels passed 4-2 with Spangler and Ms. Fleming dissenting.