Pursley Friese Torgrimson is pleased to announce partner Julie Sellers was elected as chairman of the Atlanta Urban Design Commission after being appointed to the commission as lawyer in 2016 by the Atlanta City Council. Sellers will serve a one-year term as chair after previously serving as vice chair.

The Atlanta Urban Design Commission was established in 1975 as the city agency responsible for developing and administering the city of Atlanta’s historic conservation and urban design activities. The commission is comprised of 11 city residents with a professional interest in historic preservation, appointed by the mayor and Atlanta City Council. Membership includes two architects and an artist, historian, historic preservationist, land developer, landscape architect, lawyer, neighborhood representative, real estate professional and urban planner.

As advocates for historic preservation, the Urban Design Commission identifies, nominates and regulates properties designated as historic, landmark or conservation buildings, sites or districts. Any proposed exterior work to a designated property must go before the commission for review and approval, with a goal of ensuring any potential changes to the city’s historic buildings uphold the property’s original design principles and character of the neighborhood. More than 60 properties and 18 neighborhood districts across Atlanta have been protected by the commission, including Fox Theater, the Castleberry Hill neighborhood and the Hurt Building.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead the Atlanta Urban Design Commission and look forward to working with the community and our elected officials to preserve Atlanta’s rich history and protect the integrity of our city’s most significant sites,” said Sellers. “I also bring my legal background to the commission in recognizing there is a balance between the legal rights of property owners and the government’s ability to regulate.”

A partner in Pursley Friese Torgrimson’s zoning and land use practice, Sellers has more than 18 years’ experience  navigating zoning regulations and land use issues, approvals, permits and planning. She has extensive litigation and appellate experience representing land owners, developers and builders within the state of Georgia.

Sellers earned her bachelor’s degree from University of Florida and her law degree from the University of Florida Frederic G. Levin College of Law. She is an active member of Council for Quality Growth, CREW and Urban Land Institute.