A Letter to Santa from Roswell

This is an enhanced cross-post from my montly column, Community Design Matters, in The Roswell Current.  There may be some editorial differences.

Dear Santa,

First off, to eliminate any confusion you may have, we are the Roswell without the aliens.  This Roswell is a beautiful place full of great people and lots of nice neighborhoods. Unfortunately, similar to most US cities, we have a ton of mindless development, run down strip malls and disjointed subdivisions.  I’m writing this year to ask for a little help. 

We’ve been a good city this year.  We did a master plan for our historic district, passed a hybrid form-based code, started working on a unified development code, finished a strategic economic development plan, finalized our historic gateway transportation alternatives on top of passing a bond referendum that will pay for lots of great infrastructure improvements.  We are trying our best to fix our problems but we need a little Christmas magic.  Here’s what we want for Christmas this year:

An Identity - The other Roswell has Aliens.. We need something even cooler.  Our neighbor to the north is the Technology City of the South (kinda geeky but it pays well).  Our neighbor to the East is the number one suburban city in Georgia (not the identity we really want).  Our neighbor to the south is a national model for outsourcing city services (not everyone likes outsourcing).  We have the river, lots of cyclists, lots of history, tons of weddings and of course Canton Street.  What kind of identity can we create with those ingredients?

Appealing Gateways - Santa, do you even know when your sleigh enters Roswell airspace?  We don’t have a single gateway in our city that is worthy of being called a gateway. We need beautiful gateways at every major entrance to the city.  Especially at Holcomb Bridge/400 and Hwy 9 at the River. 

A Signature Project - Our neighbors have them so why can’t we?  Alpharetta has two, City Center and Avalon.  Sandy Springs has their City Center.  Could you maybe bring us a boutique hotel at our square?  I feel bad for all the wedding guests that come to our downtown and then have to leave to go back to their hotels by the freeway.

Connective Paths - Let’s face it Santa, even you can’t repair our road network any time soon.  It will continue to be a disjointed system that forces all the cars onto collector roads and arterials and creates mega traffic. But roads aren’t the only way to connect the community and increase our sense of place, how about we create a network of dozens of multi-use paths like the greenway that connect our subdivisions.   Let’s set a goal of creating 50 miles of multi-use paths that transect subdivisions and connect parks and schools within the next 10 years.  We could even pay for that ourselves, at 5 miles a year it would be about $2.5M/year.  I hear the storied Roswell Loop will take about $40M to build...

Remove the Reversible Lanes - Okay Santa, you don’t have to use them but take my word that these things are old and dangerous.  The traffic engineer that designed them should definitely be on the naughty list.  We need to fix them asap before someone really gets hurt.

More Jobs - I don’t know what the unemployment rate is at the North Pole but Roswell currently enjoys one of the lowest unemployment rates in Georgia at 6.5%.  Unfortunately, many of those jobs are outside of the city.  Our residents commute north to Alpharetta or south to Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Buckhead and Atlanta.  Can you bring some local jobs please?

High Quality Apartments - Now you might think this is a bit crazy to ask for but I really want to see some high quality apartments, especially in our most walkable areas.  The kids these days just don’t want to buy homes and the apartments in our city aren’t the kind they want.  If we are going to diversify and attract the next generation of talent to Roswell, we need some new apartments. 

I Almost Forgot... Can you bring us an outdoor recreation complex that would have a Major League Soccer stadium, a whitewater rafting center (like the one in Charlotte), an aquatic center and a velodrome all with a hotel and some retail?  You could even package them all together in one location and brand it as the Outdoor Recreation capital of the south (take that Alpharetta geeks!). What’s that Santa?  I’m crazy, you say all that can’t fit anywhere in Roswell? Not so fast Santa.. you could plop it down perfectly on the southeastern quadrant of the Holcomb Bridge/400 intersection... and you could even fit a MARTA stop there but the people on the naughty list don’t like trains (even at Christmas) :)  Here's a quick sketch if you need help imagining it.

Now, let’s get those elves to work!

p.s. This post has a different title than the column in The Current.  The title of the column was not written by me and I do feel that Roswell is very unique... actually moreso than our neighbors Alpharetta, Marietta and Sandy Springs which is why I love living here.  I apologize if the title offended any of my readers.

Steve Jobs vs. Urban Design

This is an enhanced cross-post from my montly column, Community Design Matters, inThe Roswell Current.

“Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication.” “Think Different.” Those are two of Apple’s most recognized taglines. They define the company, but even more than that, they define Steve Jobs. Last month marked the one year anniversary of the passing of Apple’s founder and two-time CEO.

He changed millions of lives with his incredible ability to blend technology with design. He sold millions of people on iPods, iPhones, iPads, and Macs.  He convinced us to buy music online and to watch cartoons. None of this happened overnight, and it was no accident. He created a product that leaves people saying ‘I want that’ and then keeps them coming back for more.

I often think about what the world would look like if Jobs had been an urban planner. Would there be more places that leave us saying, “I want more of that?” Would he have been into walkable urbanism, a promoter of drivable suburbia, or would he have been something different? The legendary planner Andres Duany has a great metaphor. He says that good urbanism is a Mac program trying to run on a PC operating system built for sprawl. Most of America is using a PC, making the Mac programs difficult to use.

Walkable urbanism really is kind of like a Mac OS. It’s easier to use, quicker to get around, multi-tasks well, and it’s so simple a kid can use it without constant supervision. The layout of the apps on the iPhone even looks like a street grid. Unfortunately, this is largely a thought experiment, as Jobs’ didn’t dive into the subject much. Luckily, the world got a brief glimpse of his thoughts on the built environment in his final public appearance before the Cupertino City Council in June of 2011.

In his talk, he presented his vision for a new 175-acre Apple campus in Cupertino, Calif. First, the design channels his inner environmentalist by increasing green space by 350 percent. Today, the land has an 80:20 ratio of buildings to open space. That ratio would be reversed. The building would be something right out of a sci-fi movie. A single, enormous four-story circular building that would increase existing office space by 20% to 3.1 million square feet. There would be a 60 percent  increase in trees, from 3,700 to 6,000. The number of employees would increase by 40 percent  from 9,500 to 13,000. All of this would be done while reducing the total amount of surface parking by 90 percent. Jobs stated, “The overall feel of the place is going to be a zillion times better than it is now with all the asphalt.”

A rendering of the campus presented to the Cupertino City Concil

All in all, the proposal is unique and nothing if not Jobsian. It could be argued from a New Urbanist standpoint that the new design is a modernist nightmare but it can’t be argued that it is less interesting than what is there currently. In Jobs’ own words, “We want to take the space and in many cases we’re making it smaller. We’re putting more of a desirable thing on the space.” This is what he did time and time again. He took an existing product and tweaked the design and functionality to make it more desirable. Everyone had cell phones but the iPhone was a game changer. Everyone had watched cartoons, but “Toy Story” made us love them again.

However, the design itself would likely fail the community design litmus test. The building becomes isolated, and the only people interacting would be Apple employees and their guests. Knowing Apple’s focus on secrecy, this would work for the company but it wouldn’t work for a community.

The project would be mostly single-use and would keep Apple employees segregated from the city.

That being said, this was his first stab at urban planning, and perfection is rarely reached on the first try. Painstaking care and thought go into Jobs’ designs.  Thinking of how people will interact with the product from hardware to software was paramount, which is why I believe that another few projects would have given us something revolutionary.  It might not be New Urbanist in style, but I think he would have eventually leaned that way.

All of that being said, Steve Jobs may have influenced cities and urban life more through Apple than he ever could have as a planner. The advent of the smartphone, specifically the iPhone, and all of the technologies that are replacing the big, clunky slow old way of doing things has helped make living, working, and playing in walkable urban places easier and sexier than any time in the last 70 years. Thank you, Steve, for giving us great designs!

Avalon Gardens: Finally, Real Urbanism in Alpharetta

I generally like to keep my longer posts focused on Roswell but I couldn't pass on this one due to the impact it will have on new urbanism in North Fulton.  Unless you have been living under a rock, you already know that Avalon will bring true mixed-use to Alpharetta.  We have seen the renderings and videos of the commercial and apartment section of Avalon but we haven't gotten a clear picture on what the homes in Avalon will look like.

Recently, I had the opportunity to take a look at the plans for Avalon Gardens, the residential portion of the Avalon project put together by Monte Hewett Homes (builder) and Lew Oliver Inc (designer).  Monte Hewett Homes has a couple projects in North Fulton, Heatherton in Roswell and Lake Haven in Milton.  Both of these are very nice and are quality product but lack good urbanism. However, the addition of Lew Oliver to the equation is what sets the design apart.  Lew Oliver is a renowned local designer and town planner.  Locally, he put together the Milton Crabapple Master Plan Visioning Study (pdf) which promises to expand upon the walkability and sense of place that already exists in that area.  This team should deliver a high quality product combined with top notch placemaking that is unparalleled in North Fulton.

Up front, it is obvious that Avalon Gardens will quickly blow any new development in North Fulton away in terms of walkability.  In terms of placemaking, it looks to be a cross between Vickery Village and Rosemary Beach. In my opinion, there are three things that set Avalon Gardens apart.  Those are Proximity, Design and Housing Options. 

The first differentiator, proximity to amenities, sets Avalon Gardens apart from virtyally every development in north Atlanta.  This will be one of the only places in the outer burbs where someone will be able to live in a place that doesn't require them to get into a car to make most of their daily trips.  The commercial side will have a grocery store, dining options and entertainment options.  There is even the possibility that people will be able to live in the same neighborhood that they work.  WHAT?

Design creates the place and this will be quite a place if the final product remains true to the plans.  Below is a rendering of the housing that will surround the center lawn wilt a vew of the urn fountain that will serve as the centerpiece of the neighborhood.  There are also 14 lots reserved for icon architecture.  Most "architecture" in the burbs is reserved for very pricey single family estates and it has little appetite for enhancing the public realm in which it is placed.  Most subdivisions in North Fulton lack anything that one could truly define as creative.  That will not be the case here.  

This plan is significanlty more pedestrian focused than what was originally shown to the public.  The designs have eliminated some of the auto-oriented streets in favor of two small lanes that will provide access to the homes for residents and visitors.  A number of pedestrian ways cris-cross the neighborhood interconnecting the property.  The reduction of car-oriented streets helps create a more distinct place while also lowering infrastructure costs.

The last of my three main differentiators is housing options.  There are a total of 108 residences planned.  Most subdivisions that size have one or two type of housing stock.  You may get all single family, all townhomes or a mix of the two.  In the case of Avalon Gardens, potential buyers will find nine different housing types to choose from.  Listed below along with the quantity of each: 

• Courtyard Terrace (21)
• Grand Terrace Homes (8)
• Tower Homes (2)
• Courtyard Homes (35)
• Park Homes (7)
• Garden Cottages (5)
• Urban Lofts (3)
• Shop Front Homes (5)
• Terrace Homes (12)

Here's the plan.  Westside Parkway is to the west, Old Milton Parkway borders on the south and the mixed-use commercial section of Avalon is to the east (click on image for larger view).

In all, the plans for Avalon are giving every indication that it will be a stellar place.  And that's what it is, a "place" not a destination or shopping center or lifestyle center or power center any of the other buzzwords for commercial developments.  I believe this truly will be one of the two defining places in Alpharetta ten years from now.  The other will be the Alpharetta City Center area.  So, regardless of whether you like it or not, Real Urbanism which provides walkability, thrives on design and gives more options for housing is coming to Alpharetta and once it is there, people are going to want more.  

images: Lew Oliver Inc

Red Light Cameras - A Love Hate Relationship

The Roswell Neighbor had an article today that caught my attention.  If you are familiar with NUR, you know that I firmly believe that roads should be designed for more safety.  That usually means narrower lanes, fewer straightaways and more intersections.  That doesn't make for what most consider a driver's paradise but it does make for a safer environment with fewer severe injury and fatality crashes.  I actually think the latter is a driver's paradise.  An environment that gets Americans home to their families a higher percentage of the time is what we should all want.

The article in The Roswell Neigbor by Joan Durbin, City May Ditch All Red Light Cameras, is bound to get people excited.  It certainly got a couple of commenters excited.  But, after I read the article, it left me disappointed in our city council, mayor and DOT for (in my opinion) not lookng at the big picture. 

The article leads one to believe that the city is strongly considering removing the cameras based on data from the two intersections over the 25 months preceeding camera installation and the 22 months following their installation.  In a nutshel, there have been three crashes related directly to red light runners pre-installation and three crashes post-installation.  In addition to this, the revenue generated from citations issued has declined significantly.

At first glance, you simply say, there has been no improvement in safety.  Then you may say, revenues have declined significantly and are just barely turining a profit.  You may then reach the conclusion as our mayor and council did, that givien that there is no improvement in safety and revenue isn't paying for the cameras, you should just remove the cameras.

NOT SO FAST!

We should expect more from our mayor, council and DOT.  How quickly do we forget...  This is from a 2010 article from NorthFulton.com titled Red Light Cameras Doing Job in Alpharetta, Roswell:

Roswell reported head-on collisions at Holcomb Bridge dropping drastically between last year and this year (even though at Mansell Road, such collisions went from none to one over the same period)

My take..  The city Making conclusions from data collected from two cameras within a mile of eachother to determine that they have no impact on safety is like looking at an overweight person eating a salad and determining that salads make you fat.  You have to look at a broader populstion.  The statistics are out there and they aren't debatable.  Traffic Cameras SAVE LIVES.  

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released their findings from a study on the subject last year (link).  They looked at 14 cities that installed cameras in the mid-00's. 

Researchers concluded that the rate of fatal red-light running crashes in cities with the cameras was 24 percent lower than it would have been without them. The study compared crash data collected in 2004 to 2008 with the period between 1992 and 1996 — before the 14 cities had any cameras.

Based on their calculations:

"if red light cameras had been in place for all 5 years in all 99 US cities with populations over 200,000, a total of 815 deaths could have been avoided."  

I'm not a fan of having cameras everywhere and those flashes are freaking annoying (there have to be better systems) but I am a fan of people not dying and getting maimed in car crashes.

Red light cameras are a tool in the city's arsenal that should be used at high velocity intersections (40 mph+) where right angle crashes due to red light runners have a high probability of killing or seriously injuring drivers.  Cameras coupled with smart road design (narrower lanes, fewer straight aways) can seriously reduce serious injury crashes.  Why? Because they force drivers to PAY ATTENTION.

As far as revenue is concerned, it makes total sense that revenue would be decreasing.  The article states that revenue dropped from $835k in 2008 to just over $100k in 2010.  That's not a sign that the cameras aren't worth the investment.  It's a sign that they are doing their job. Drivers are PAYING MORE ATTENTION at the intersections.  They are running the light fewer times.  

A small sample of intersections may not have shown a reduction in accidents but it has most definitely shown a reduction in people running red lights which is the actual key driver behind accidents at intersections.  Don't look at the accidents, look at what causes the accidents.  Then make your decision on whether they are helping make our city safer.

Bicycling - Safety vs Preference

I came across a great article today on what types of bicycling infrastructure is the most preferred and compares it to what type of infrastructure is the safest.  The studies cited go a little against conventional wisdom.  I really thought the scatter plot chart below was telling and city transportation engineers and DOT's should take note.  

The real surprise to me was that paved multi-use paths were the second most preferred type of infrastructure but they were also the second most dangerous.  

Check out the article for an interesting read.

Dedicated Bike Lanes Can Cut Cycling Injuries in Half - The Atlantic Cities

The Pollution We Don't See

This is an enhanced cross-post from my montly column, Community Design Matters, inThe Roswell Current.

They are there for our safety.  To protect us from others and ourselves.  They inform us and guide us.  But, until you sit back and look at all of them in their glory, you don’t realize that they suffocate us, degrade our environment and tell us just how stupid others think we are.  Most of them serve a purpose but many of them are redundant.  Virtually all of them have a colored front, a shiny back and are supported by a cheap steel bar.  They lack any level of charm and are often put in precisely the wrong place. 

I hope this isn't occurring frequently enough to warrant a sign

What I’m talking about are signs.  Just look around the next time you are at an intersection.  You would be hard pressed to find a place that has fewer than 10 signs of some sort visible.  We don’t accept litter, we regulate air and water pollution.  However, when it comes to sign pollution, the polluters know no bounds.  Case in point is the recent courtroom victory of georgia billboard companies versus north fulton cities that don’t want billboards polluting their cities.  Rather than siding with the people and the cities, the court has ruled that North Fulton cities must reimburse the billboard companies $4 million.  Get ready for more billboards!

Here’s a sample of the sign pollution that goes largely unnoticed every day: 

Entrance, Do Not Enter, Wrong Way, Stop, Yield, 4 Way Stop, 3 Way Stop, Yield to Oncoming Traffic, Keep Moving, Slow Traffic Keep Right, Blind Driveway, No Trucks, No Parking, Parking, Compact Cars Only, Handicapped Parking, Fire Lane, Turn Arrows, No Turn Arrows, Speed Limit, Round About Ahead, Stop Ahead, Speed Bump, Speed Hump, Dip, Gas, Lodging, Food, Mile Marker, No Left Turn, No Right on Red, Watch for Pedestrians, MARTA, Kiss-Ride, Airport, Low Flying Planes, Speed Monitored by Detection Devices, Slow Children at Play, Animal Crossing, Thru Traffic, Hospital, School Zone, Walk, Don’t Walk, Neighborhood Watch, Adopt a Highway, Body of Water Notice, Watershed Notice, Bridge May Ice in Winter, Use Headlights When Raining, City Limits, County Line, State Line, Overhead Clearance, Commemorative Road Markers, Keep off Grass, Historical Markers, Memorial Highway, Memorial Bridge, Tourist Interest Signs, Highway #, Billboards (electric and traditional), Subdivision Signs, Street Signs, Shopping Center Signs, Store Signs, Exit

Are half of those are even necessary?  Do we really need to be on the look out for Low Flying Planes and in the know that Speed is Monitored by Detection Devices?  Do we really need 8 Wrong Way signs at one off ramp?  Head on collisions are tragic but most are caused by drunks who would miss a hundred wrong-way signs. 

Are we truly safer with all these signs or is it DEsigns that make us safer?  There is a concept in Europe called a woonerf devised by a radical traffic engineer where all traffic signs and signals are absent.  It looks like chaos but it’s actually much safer than a standard intersection.  Why?  Because drivers are forced to pay attention.  When a driver feels uncomfortable, the driver pays more attention.  When drivers pay more attention, they crash lest often.  Our roads have been designed to make it easy to not pay attention.  Their straight & wide designs forgive us for texting, eating, looking down and generally not focusing on the road.

Do we need more signs or do we need better roads?  The next time your DOT wants to put up another sign, think about the true necessity of that sign and ask if we need a new sign on that road or a redesign of that road.

Above, I mentioned a woonerf which is a signless intersection.  The Strong Towns Blog which I follow regularly recently had a post with a number of video links that illustrate the power of the signless intersection.  This one was my favorite because it illustrades how the same intersection works with and without lights.  There are several more videos that get into more detail and examples that you can check out here.

Now, where could we put in a woonerf and create a shared space in Roswell?  I think there are two spots in particular that would serve as a perfect testing ground..  They are the Norcross St. and of Webb St. intersections on Canton St.  Traffic is slow enough that cars, pedestrians and bicyclists can all interact well with eachother.  I would go further and propose that the speed limit be reduced from 25 mph to 15 mph from Goulding south to Magnolia.

These are the types of ideas we need to be thinking about and implementing.  They are cost effective, decrease traffic and safer when implemented correctly.

image: fanpop.com

Demolition Approved

I apologize for the delay in posting this. As you are probably aware, the Historic Preservation Commission voted on Wednesday on whether to allow demolition of two properties in the Historic District.

I am happy to say that the request was approved contingent upon an approved plan be in place to replace the buildings. This ensures that we can move forward and we get something worthy of the historic district.

Thank you to everyone who took time to have their voice heard on this by either signing the petition or by speaking at the meeting!

Out with the Old.. In with the New

In yesterday's NUR Update, I mentioned that there is a vote this week on whether a demolition request will be approved for the old red building that sits vacant at 647 Atlanta Street and the old shed structure that sits behind it on Maple Street.  This is the first step toward realization of an incredible vision that was proposed by Andres Duany in the Historic Gateway Master Plan.  Please take the time to contact the Historic Preservation Commission if you are in favor of approval of this demolition and consider attending the meeting on Wednesday at 6pm at City Hall.  We need all the help we can get in order.  

Local resident and world renowned architect, designer and town planner, Lew Oliver, issued a call to action to ensure those who are in favor of progress are heard.  Read Lew's Letter.  The key point that Lew makes is this:

The issue is not that the structures are historic…they are in fact.  They contain 19th century materials and traces of the past.  They are, however, very much compromised, obscured, to use preservationist jargon.  The larger issue is that they are in the direct path of progress.  The progress I am referring to is not as it has been in our recent past, where great buildings, streets, or the environment are sacrificed for the sake of a degraded landscape, which currently surrounds and in fact forms the spine of our City.  The progress I am referring to is the implementation of the Andres Duany (DPZ) scheme for providing Roswell with a real heart, a commercial and civic realm with no equal in North Georgia.

Below are some images of the current situation versus what has been proposed and what is the vision that the land owners have in mind.

Current Structure

This building has been empty for 10+ years.  The one behind it on Maple St has been vacant much longer.  At some point, it's time to admit that this building has realized all of it's potential and it's time to move on.

Current versus the Master Plan Vision

The red shaded area is the space that the two buildings occupy.  As you can see, this spot is critical to realizing the overall vision.

The Master Plan Vision

This is the vision of what we could see.  This is looking south from Oxbo.  The property in question would be part of the development in the upper right of this rendering.

Move Roswell Forward.. A Call to Action from Lew Oliver

This post is an email that was distributed today to members of the Roswell community by local resident and world renowned architect, designer and town planner Lew Oliver.  Lew is passionate about seeing Roswell move in the right direction and has influenced countless plans and designs here in Roswell with one of the most notable being the redevelopment of the Old Bricks into an incredible cluster of high end residences in Mill Village.  Please take a moment and read his call to action regarding the upcoming vote on a demolition permit for two old structures in Historic Roswell...

This Wednesday evening at 6:00 p.m. The Roswell Historic Preservation Commission will convene to review a request for the demolition of 2 structures located on South Atlanta Street, just north of the Square (adjacent to and to the left of Spiced Right BBQ).  These structures contain historic material likely from the mid-late 19th century.  Adam Orkin will be the developer with the mission, a man brave and resolute in helping us in the reconstruction agenda.

The issue is not that the structures are historic…they are in fact.  They contain 19th century materials and traces of the past.  They are, however, very much compromised, obscured, to use preservationist jargon.  The larger issue is that they are in the direct path of progress.  The progress I am referring to is not as it has been in our recent past, where great buildings, streets, or the environment are sacrificed for the sake of a degraded landscape, which currently surrounds and in fact forms the spine of our City.  The progress I am referring to is the implementation of the Andres Duany (DPZ) scheme for providing Roswell with a real heart, a commercial and civic realm with no equal in North Georgia.  Andres is commonly known as the world's greatest living town planner.  I for one, will promote his brilliant vision above other agendas.  This new town center will provide our neighborhoods vital neighborhood services, increased pedestrianism, and will begin to transform Roswell from blight to brilliance. It is the next historic district. 

Most of you know that I am a former Historic Preservation member myself, having partnered with many of you in restoring the Old Bricks, amongst other projects.  I do not take this position lightly.  But there is the big picture to consider…one which will usher in new vitality to a musty historic district.  This is the course of great places.  To remain the same is decidedly non-historic in world history.  

Staff will likely recommend denial, unless their mission now includes the new vision.  All major projects in the Mill Village that we now accept as a part of our neighborhood fabric, (both phases of the Old Bricks) were not recommended by staff.  They are charged with  "preservation" agenda above the creation of place.  This is standard issue, one which is sanctioned by the Department of the Interior (whose presence is not evident here).   We must help them change. Please be present if you have something to say.

--

Lew Oliver

NUR Update - Demolition, Transportation and Canton

It's been a while but there are a few things cooking that I thought were worthy of an update.  First, if you haven't heard, there will be a bond referrendum on this November's ballot.  Check out the details at the Roswell Patch here.

Now here's what we've seen & heard around town:

If you haven't seen the initial drafts of the proposed City Hall square, you need to.  We posted on this previously, City Hall Square Gaining Traction in Roswell, and the Roswell Neighbor has a good article here.  This is a project that has captured the hearts and minds of many people within the city.  It has the potential to define Roswell for decades to come.  I personally think it can and should be re-worked into a large roundabout configuration and my freind Lew Oliver has drawn it out very well... unfortunately I don't have that drawing to show you but trust me, it builds on the initial draft and is amazing. 

Monday marks the opening of Pure Taqueria here in Roswell.  I've been a fan of Pure since it first opened in Alpharetta and it will be great to have one here in Roswell.  

The owners of the old red building on Atlanta Street just to the north of Spiced Right have requested permission to demolish both of the structures on the property.  Both of structures have been vacant for 10+ years and are in very poor shape.  I believe this to be the first step toward a potential development of the area into the pedestrian street that was proposed by Andres Duany in the Historic Roswell Master Plan.  I do hate to see the 100+ year-old buildings go but they have been neglected and vacant too long.  My personal philosophy on historic preservation is if what we get will be significantly better than what we lose, then make way for progress.  Otherwise, preserve the old.  

The owners of Table & Main and the future Osteria Mattone have requested permission to remove the attached garage and old shed from the Osteria Mattone property.  No loss there and we will soon (next summer) have a great Italian spot on Canton.

The renovation of the old Pasti's location seems to be slow goings right now.  The Irish pub/restaurant Mac McGee is supposed to be opening up there soon.  Their Decatur location seems to be doing well.  I'm looking forward to catching an EPL game there one of these days.

There is some activity going on toward the north end of Canton Street these days too.

The old Indigo restaurant on the north end of Canton will soon be known as Bistro 1170.  The owners are looking for some slight modifications to the facade with a pitched metal roof over the seating.  

A sign is up for a boutique candy shop called Sweet! in the bottom of the mixed-use building at 1141 Canton St.  I can think of one little girl who will like this place and I'm really glad to see something finally going in to that building.

There's a big sign up in front of the mayor's property at the corner of Woodstock and Canton but I'm not sure what that's about just yet as I didn't get a good view of it.  I wish it were the arbor that we wrote about previously but I doubt it.

A business owner is petitioning the city for a conditional use approval to put in a used car lot at the old Bank of North Georgia building at 1184 Alpharetta St.  Former mayor Pug Mabry is leading the charge against this and has delivered a petiion signed by virtually all of the residents in that general area requesting that the city deny this approval.  He points out that there are already 13 used car dealerships on that road.  I agree with them, we don't need another used car dealership in that area and it goes completely against what the city wants to accomplish along that stretch of road.

Last but not least, if you have ever walked from Diesel to Nine Street Kitchen on the north side of Norcross Street, you probably realized that there were no sidewalks.  Well, your prayers will be answered sometime in the coming months.  The overall contract was for sidwalks along Hembree Road (multi-use path), Pine Grove Road, Norcross Street, and reconstructing two existing crosswalks at the intersection Alpharetta St and Magnolia St as well as constructing a new sidewalk on City Hall property.