Developments Around Town
Saturday, August 9, 2014 at 04:34PM There's a lot going on in Roswell these days. Here's a quick update on what's going on around town that I'm aware of. If you have any additional items or details, let me know and I'll add them.
Active Developments
New Elementary School (Name TBD) - Our new elementary school on Alpharetta Hwy is moving along. They are obviously working quickly to get it open for the 2015 school year. The site has been cleared (you can't miss that) and there has been some pretty extensive grading.
Canton Walk Apartments - This one is going vertical and is starting to make good progress. I've heard that they hope to start leasing toward the end of the year.
Forrest Commons - This one is in full swing as well. A number of foundations have been poured and as of this writing, there are three single family units that are framed. There are 9 detached units and 13 townhomes slated for this one and prices look to be starting in the $580's. This one is a Monte Hewitt project and you can find out more on their website here.
Providence Phase II - Lehigh Homes entered into a partnership with Frontdoor communities to build and sell the second phase of Providence which will have 17 townhomes and 3 single family residences. The site is being prepped and there is a lot of activity back there. I'd suggest not driving back on Webb St to check it out. These units are starting in the $580's and appear to be securely in the $600's for most of them. For more info, you can go to www.ProvidenceRoswell.com.
image: Frontdoor Communities
Long Circle - Another project by Lehigh Homes, this one will be putting in three or four single family residences (unsure but will get clarification) at the southwest corner of Long Circle. The site has been cleared and is being prepped currently.
The Porch Project - Not too far from the aforementioned Long Circle project, this is a single family teardown on Thompson Place that is being done by some friends of mine. Check out their website to see how they have been working to do all of the work with local Roswell businesses. www.theporchproject.com
image: Whole Town Solutions
Alstead (formerly Centinnial Walk) - This John Wieland project is in full swing. The last I saw, there woudl be 80 single family homes, 29 townhomes and 17,500 sq ft of retail on just under 28 acres. That may have changed. The site has been cleared which any East Roswell readers will already know as you can't miss the red clay as you pass by on Holcomb Bridge. There is a tiny mixed-use component to this one which is better than nothing but the original plans for this were significantly better when you think about how little true walkability exists in East Roswell (sidewalks and trails do not equal true walkability).
The Village on Pine - This one is at the intersection of Chattahoochee St and Pine St just south of Barrington Hall. I was never too happy with the overall design of this one as you can see here, but at the end of the day, it's happening. Acadia Homes has cleared the lot and homes should be going up soon. The price point on these is in the $400's but there isn't much additional detail available yet. (website)
Strickland & Valley - I'm not sure what the name of this one is going to be but the site has been cleared and at this point there's a bunch of red clay. There was a lot of debate on the site plan and rezoning request for this one. I personally feel we ended up with the worse option of the two for the site plan but man.. people can't have headlights shining in their windows.
Sprouts Buildout - For the organic food shoppers, the loss of Harry's to Avalon will leave a void. I'm guessing that Sprouts will be looking to fill that void. They are currently upgrading the anchor space in the shopping center behind Chipotle and Starbucks at Mansell & 9. I'm not sure what the timeframe is for opening but it could be before the end of the year.
Roswell Manor - This one is another piece of land that was a victim of the real estate crash. JEH Homes has resurrected it and this time around it's going to be built out as 73 single family homes. This one will collect on to Old Alabama. The address is 1580 Old Alabama Rd. The website advertises its proximity to Big Creek Park but this development could have done so much more to foster bike and trail connectivity especially given that it sits between Big Creek Park and the planned Big Creek Parkway. Prices start in the $300's.
Weatherford Place - It looks like there is a little bit of construction underway on this long stalled development of uber-eco-friendly homes off Minhinette Dr. These homes have all the environmental bells and whistles including solar systems and LEED certification.
Proposed
Goulding - This project is a favorite of mine for the connectivity that it will add to our street network. Frontdoor Communities is billing it as the largest infill development in Historic Roswell and it likely is. There will be 27 townhomes, 13 single family homes and a remodel of the existing Goulding house. Prices will likely start in the $700k to $800k range.
The Watertower (name TBD) - This project is on Woodstock Rd between the water tower and the cemetery. Lehigh Homes (builders of Providence and the Long Circle development mentioned above) is currently working through the approval process having had their neighborhood meeting and going before the Historic Preservation Commission and City Council in August and September. This project will be more townhome product and should be an interesting addition to the historic district.
835 Mimosa - This is a very interesting development that could energize Mimosa Blvd. The proposed plan will renovate or rebuild the existing home with a Neel Reed look and put 8 townhomes around the existing home. The architecutre would be similar to the Bricks in the Mill Village and is being designed by Lew Oliver.
Canton Street Townhomes - I'm unsure of the name of this potential development but it is just starting the approval process. It will be along Canton Street just between Woodstock Rd and Minhinette Dr.
Townhomes at Creekview Condominiums - Not many details are available on this one but from the looks of it, the owner of the property surrounding the unfinished Creekview Condominiums would like to develop townhomes on the areas of the property where the two other condo buildings were never built.
Image: @ScottLong
Hill Street Commons - Another proposed development in the Groveway district. This one looks to have 24 townhomes and will be on the lot on the southwest corner of the Myrtle & Hill St intersection.
City Green - This one will be a long term project but I like keeping tabs on it. The most recent news is that the design and engineering were funded with $587k set aside in the 2015 budget. This is big news and we should expect to see more details in the next few months. If you would like to show your support.. click here!
Kingswood Subdivision (12160 Etris Rd) - This is pretty standard single family home subdivision that ws approved for 25 lots. It will add a tiny bit of road connectivity to the intersection of Etris and Kent Rds.
Traditions at Roswell (Hardscrabble/Crossville) - This one is about 14 single family homes on about 5 acres. It's a pretty standard subdivision that does not add to road connectivity and opens up to Hardscrabble just east of the Crossville intersection.
Canton Street Walk Resurrected - I haven't heard much about this one since late last year but I'm keeping it on the proposed list until I hear otherwise. This project that I wrote about here will fill in an empty lot within the Providence development.
52 Sloan Street - The owner of this property is hoping to tear down the historic structure circa 1925 and build new. The building is currently badly burned but the HPC is not sure whether it is in need of demolition. More to come here. Either way, with the fire and the loss of the large tree, this property has seen better days.
This Google Streetview image shows the house in better times. The building is now badly burned, the large tree to the right is now a huge stump but.. you'll be glad to know that the street signs are still there in all their glory.
The proposed elevations look nice and if approved will be a quality addition to the street. They will definitely be an improvement on the charcoal facade that's there currently.
Rumored
Vickers - What I have heard here is that the property is under contract to be sold. The dollar figures are well over $1M. It'll be interesting to see what might go here.
Dolvin House - The word on the street is that a redevelopment of the property surrounding the Dolvin House (aka the Roswell White House) on Bulloch Ave bay be in the works. I think a cottage court style development surrounding the historic home would work well here. Given that the property is listed as under contract, I'd say there is definitely something in play.
image: Sonenberg Company
Dead Projects
Azalea Townhomes - This would have brought 22 townhomes and 2 single family homes to the lot at Azalea Dr across from Azalea park. The owner was also planning on donating some land on the river side of the property to the city to build a new boat house for the Crew teams that operate on the river. Oversimplifying, there were a lot of water concerns coupled with some vocal NIMBY opposition. It would have been nice to see added connectivity for the neighborhoods to the north to get to the river which would have eased some of the traffic at the 9/Riverside/Azalea and Azalea/Willeo intersections. Oh Well!
The Blacksmith House (1075 Canton Street) - This one is dead from what I understand. It would have added four townhomes behind the house at 1075 Canton St.
Holcomb Bridge @ Scott Rd - This proposed development has been fraught with challenges. A couple biggies were the site which has some water and topography issues. I was a big fan of the initial proposal which would have added connectivity into Martins Landing from HBR but apparently when solutions are proposed that will help alleviate traffic problems, the same people that complain about the traffic problems don't like the solutions... so a second proposal came back without the connectivity but as of last check, the developer has dropped their application.
Reader Comments (8)
One I didn't see: The condos at East Village near Target and Taco Mac and across from Holcomb Bridge Middle School. They are still on track as far as I know http://theprovidencegroup.com/the-towns-at-east-village.
Was there connectivity from the Azalea Drive project? The latest I can see on the City website is an "Emergency Access to be Gated" designation. It didn't look like clean connectivity that was reduced to gated by neighborhood pressure. There is some pretty insane topology in that spot. I missed the meeting but just googled the minutes and they are a good read. Mike i'm sure you read them but for others: http://roswell.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=3182424&GUID=02BCD199-7C07-4FD0-81D6-ECEA7D5DA9CE
Here's an item of interest - the minutes contain this quote from the applicant/developer: "The UDC is great if you are building a grid system on the plains. In a place that is topographically challenged as Roswell where it is all infill and all irregularly shaped parcels that you are subdividing, the UDC basically has made subdivisions unworkable without an incredible amount of variances. You basically killed anything that resembles normal zoning. Everything is spot zoning now." -- Don't know if i agree with the quote, but I highlight it because some were describing the UDC as a "gift to developers" -- this quote from a developer should give some comfort to those with that concern.
I do disagree with Jason's quote that you referenced. There will always be variances required to do anything out of the box with our without the UDC. We have legislated ourselves into the box in order to deter risk (i.e. creativity) and preserve the status quo.
Thanks for pointing out the Towns at East Village development. I will include that in my next update.
@Kevin I can't believe I forgot the Library. I will get that into the next update as well. Thanks!
Also, the former Ya Shu Yuen building on the property has had trees and utility infrastructure removed from the street facing side, hopefully indicating a reorientation of the building.
The property borders Champions Green Parkway, which connects to Holcomb Bridge Road via East Village (Towns at East Village is another Providence project). Unfortunately, the property does not actually connect to Champion's Green Parkway, so residents of the new development, if they want to take advantage of that connection, have to make a difficult left out onto Nesbit Ferry, then another left at the light back onto Champion's Green.
Regarding Roswell Manor connecting to Big Creek. They are blocked by the apartments next to them, and if i'm not mistaken, during the Big Creek Greenway / North Bridge planning, that apartment complex refused to allow connectivity to the greenway, no idea why or if they still feel that way.