I am starting a new series of social media posts looking into the prescriptive, and often inflexible, nature of residential zoning and building codes in the City of Atlanta. Part critique, part design challenge, and part comic relief, this series will delve into the housing crisis in Atlanta, one poorly zoned lot at a time. The posts will feature basic info on the lot, its zoning requirements, and details into what if anything you can build on it. I will try to make them as informative as possible, with possible recommendations for how the City of Atlanta can make the site actually usable for future residents. Without further ado, here is Site #001: 1730 Hortense Place, Atlanta.
ATL, CYBOTL Lot 001: 1730 Hortense Place
Site description 
1730 Hortense Place IRL 
Site buildable area 
Simple tiny house attempt 
Smear tiny house attempt 
Conclusion
As you can see, 1730 Hortense is a unique lot with unique constraints. It is much smaller than its neighbors. It originally hosted an 80-plus-year-old house, which was effectively grandfathered into current codes since it was never updated. Now that the lot has been cleared, any new structure will have to conform with the requirements set forth in the most recent zoning codes, which limits virtually all construction without a variance. This would make it very prohibitive for most builders to quickly develop the site for a single-family residence. But if you are feeling adventurous and are looking for a design challenge, this might be the site for your next home.