Be Afraid.. Be Very Afraid
Sunday, October 6, 2013 at 08:57PM The witching month is upon us and some local ghouls, pundits and politicians would have you believe that one of the most terrifying moments in Roswell’s history is looming. They will have you believe the Unified Development Code (UDC) will cast a shadow of doom over our great city that will be wrought by our current crooked city council and their greedy developer cronies. These oracles will try to convince you, the naive and credulous, that this new code will usher in smothering density, rampant apartments, skyrocketing crime, soaring infrastructure costs, high-rise buildings, dysfunctional schools, choking traffic and the most ghastly of all... URBANISM!!!
The UDC does allow for increased density and apartments in certain areas. Will it be smothering? Is Vickery Village in Cumming a smothering Place? Are the Providence Townhomes on Canton St smothering? How about the Bricks and Founders Mill? What about Liberty Lofts? I guess they’re right. Density is unbearable.
Some local examples of Unbearable Density. Clockwise from top left; The Bricks, Founders Mill, Vickery Village, Providence
What about the apartments? Our current apartment complexes are unmitigated disasters. Most were not well designed, poorly maintained and thoughtlessly located. They segregated residents by class and effectively created billboards of indigence. Lessons have been learned, just take a look at the Canton City Walk plans. We need new, well-designed apartments like these.
The latest renderings of Canton City Walk illustrate the power of a quality architectural scheme coupled with walkability.
Will we see skyrocketing crime? I have faith in the men and women in law enforcement here in Roswell and the laws we have in place to prevent criminal activity. It’s just not going to happen.
Infrastructure Costs will soar. Hmm.. Developers pay a lot of infrastructure costs up front and a tighter development pattern reduces infrastructure maintenance costs. The alternative is to continue a sprawl pattern of development which has proven to cost more to maintain in the long run.
Evaluation of Urban Residential vs Suburban Residential development in Sarasota, FL. image: Urban3
They’re bringing high-rises. It’s the ghost of Charlie Brown. Seriously folks, we have to move on. The parcel of land at 400 and Holcomb Bridge is too valuable not to redevelop. The UDC will permit buildings up to 8 stories in that area. Additionally, it will likely be a future MARTA station. It’s coming. Get over it. It’s only 8 stories. The next most towering height permitted is 6 stories at Hwy 140 & 9. There are 6 story buildings all over North Fulton. Several other areas permit a lofty 4 stories and the rest of the map allows up to 3 stories. (Correction: 6 stories are permitted in most of the industrial areas North of Mansell along the hwy 9 corridor and east into the industrial areas. I did not clarify that in the published column.)
Roswell East (aka Charlie Brown) is a little too intense for Roswell. The UDC isn't dictating that this type of development be built anywhere.
Density will destroy our schools. Huh? Transiency, poverty and social disorder kill schools not people. If we build a place where responsible people want to live, regardless of whether they are renters or owners, we won’t have a school problem.
We will Choke on Traffic. Our Transportation Master Plan that was approved in September helps address these issues but I challenge anyone out there to name any thriving city that does not have traffic? Cities and towns without traffic problems are dying cities and towns. Detroit’s done a fantastic job solving its traffic problem.
They’re mandating URBANISM!!! - Let’s set this straight. Urbanism is a design philosophy covering the spectrum from low density to very high density. Urbanism does not mandate Manhattan but it allows it, just as it allows single family residential. Urbanism promotes connectivity, proximity, mixed-use, walkability, bikeability, incremental change and value creation through effective and thoughtful land use.
The transect outlines development patterns from Rural to Urban. New Urbanism does not mandate high density.
Canton Street, the Mill Village, Milton Crabapple, Historic Norcross and Marietta Square are all examples of good URBANISM. So is Seaside which is the only place I can think of that consistently and genuinely has the idyllic “white picket fence” that seems to define the “small-town feel.” So, how is it that the world’s preeminent model of ‘urbanism’ provides exactly the idyllic, small-town feel that these public agitators preach will be destroyed by said ‘urbanism’? Go sell your Revelations somewhere else preacher men because I’m not buying it. (30-A stickers anyone?)
The process has been rushed! I disagree. Our 2030 Comp Plan was adopted in Oct. 2011. Amongst other things, it aims to revitalize declining areas, add additional housing options and update existing codes to attract high-quality projects. Our current codes could not easily accomplish this task and in May 2012 the city brought in Code Studio to assist with the mammoth effort of updating and simplifying them. A stakeholder committee was formed and has worked diligently over the past 16 months to get to this point. There have been over 40 meetings since the process began and all of them have been open to the public. The process has been well documented and open to the public.
All legislation should have a clear purpose. The purpose of the UDC is to aid the city in implementing the 2030 Comp Plan and its Strategic Economic Development Plan. Those that proselytize against the UDC have no plan, they just don’t like this one. Some of their concerns have some merit but to spout off every worst case scenario to sack legislation is immature and disingenuous. The bottom line is that Roswell has a plan that was created through a very open process with SIGNIFICANT and UNPRECEDENTED community input and the UDC helps implement that plan.
The kicker is that almost everything the UDC allows could be done today but it would take a lot more effort between the city and developers, builders & property owners thereby wasting taxpayer money and sending a discouraging signal to anyone wanting to do business in Roswell. The UDC will help Roswell execute on its vision by reducing red tape, clarifying the vision and enabling the private sector to more efficiently and effectively put capital to work.
The Devil’s Advocate likes to say the Devil is in the Details.. I say the Devil is in Delay... NO ONE IS EVER GOING TO AGREE WITH EVERYTHING IN THIS DOCUMENT.
Let your mayor and council know that you support the UDC by sending them an email at RoswellMayorandCouncil@roswellgov.com
Reader Comments (5)
There are a number of glaring flaws with the overall implementation of the UDC process, and with the details of the draft plan. Not everyone who feels as such thinks that the UDC means that the sky is falling. I would contest a number of your assertions, but my strongest disagreement is with your assertion that: the UDC has allowed for 'SIGNIFICANT and UNPRECEDENTED community input.'
This city and it's government need to wake up to the fact that holding meetings that are 'open to the public' does not beget public input. A meeting in which people with opinions to express are allowed to attend, but not speak publicly has little to no value as a public meeting.
There is a track record now of the current staff and council deciding the course of action they feel is best with input from only a small number of like-minded cohorts, then jealously guarding that decision from any and all interference or counterpoint. Those who have an opposing view risk being labeled as rabble-rousers, loudmouths, and 'agitators'. Their, often valid, input is largely ignored, and generally quieted down.
There are however, a great number of Roswell residents and property owners who have legitimate cause to oppose some aspects of this UDC plan, and who wish to see it implemented more appropriately to the community in which we reside and have invested. Just because we disagree with you, and the current council and staff, does not mean that we are agitators.
Another massive flaw with the UDC process: it is changing too frequently, and without appropriate tracking or public accountability of those changes. The format, and large number of the meetings, as well as the massive scope of the endeavor, mean that even if you make it a full-time commitment to track what changes are made, you can't keep up.
The devil is in the details on this, and tracking of the changes to those details should have been implemented from the start. It's too late for that now. There is still time to ensure, however, that the UDC's implementation does as little irreparable harm as possible. Many parcels in Roswell will be upzoned by the currently drafted UDC. Once the draft is finalized, it should be locked for a period of at least two months for full review without changes. Any property owners wishing to contest a zoning designation of their own property, or a nearby parcel, should be allowed to petition for a full Planning Commission hearing to deal with their request.
However, the process for creating the UDC has a number of glaring flaws. Flaws which I illiterated in my previous comments. You chose not to address those comments, however. Neither did you address my suggestions for means of improving the implementation process, even this late in the game.
The main concern of my previous statement was how you have chosen to cast a wide and disparaging net over anyone who disagrees, whether in part or entirely, with this wholesale reshaping of Roswell's zoning code, and all of the defective logic and misrepresentation therein.