Build Brownstone & Live Work Units @ Magnolia & Canton

This is the 13th post in a series of posts this December that will chronicle the 25 things we would most like to see in Roswell. None of these are actually happening... at least in the way we'd like them to. Please enjoy and have a happy holidays!

I would love to see a nice classy row of Brownstones and Live Work uints at the intersection of Magnolia and Canton.  They would complete the block by extending the buildings down to the corner south from Pastis and over to Mimosa.  The way I see it, the Wachovia building would go and the auto shop next to Pastis would be repurposed and get a facelift.  Additionally, the gas station across magnolia would get reversed.  Essentially the building would be brought to the street and the gas pumps would be behind the building,  hidden from the street.  Here's an example of the 'gas backward' concept that was coined by architect Seth Harry.  It's not the best image but you should get the gist.

This would continue to revitalize the Canton Street/Atlanta Street corridor within the historic district and start to  move some development further south from Canton.  My vision would be similar to the homes in Canton Street Walk just off of Canton Street behind the antique store.  I can see some issues with the traffic volume at that intersection which is why you would need to buffer the homes with wide sidewalks and trees along Magnolia.  The live work units along the road would further buffer the actual residences from the street by putting business on the first floor.

Here's an example of some live works that work pretty well on a well traveled street in Smyrna.  The frontage and setback would need to be a little different in Roswell but the idea is very similar.

images: Jay Woodsworth @ Flickr, Hamden.com, Google