Thursday, August 8, 2013 at 08:30PM It's hard to imagine a building that is less imaginative than this one which is proposed for 1275 Alpharetta Hwy. I think the last picture pretty much sums it up. I guess it's hard putting lipstick on a pig. Do we need another used car dealer on Alpharetta Hwy?
images: roswellgov.com
Friday, December 9, 2011 at 09:00AM Why We Love It..
Well, we didn't like it as much until just recently. The streetscape improvements have really made a big difference in the appeal of the area. We can't wait to see the area grow. The new trimmings will help businesses by creating a more attractive environment for visitors. We are fans of the unique businesses along the street and love the Oak Street Cafe. The Teal Art Gallery just opened recently and Street Dance Studio was a good addition a little over a year ago.
The city has plans for this area to eventually be an arts village with arts centric businesses and residential buildings to help give life to the area. We support this vision and think it would be a great way to bring additional life to the historic district.
What We Would Change..
Well, we'd obviously like to upgrade the entire street but that will come over time. It would be nice to see something besides a parking lot at the western end of the street but hopefully that will be addressed sometime in the future as well.
The biggest thing we would do is figure out a way to get the wires out of the air. Our historic district is overrun with utility lines and poles that were poorly placed and ultimately contribute negatively to the overall quality of the environment. There were some improvements along Oak Street but the cost kept the city from making the full improvements that were needed.
business, walkability in Lists Thursday, December 8, 2011 at 09:01AM 
Why We Love It...
Well, it's not Starbucks. What it is, is a fantastic use of a historic building along South Atlanta Street that helps make the neighborhood a little cooler. The Coffee Shop oozes charm and personality. The staff is always great and there is atmosphere with live music on the weekends.
Up until the opening of Roswell Provisions, there wasn't really a good, local option for Coffee in the historic district aside from LOATH.
They also buy their coffee exclusively from growers in Rwanda and pay higher than fair trade prices for it. You can learn more about those efforts at their website, www.drinkcoffeedogood.com.
What We Would Change...
There's not much we would change about the coffee house itself or the business. However, it is a little difficult to get to on foot and it's at the southern end of the historic district. If I could do anything, I'd move the entire house to somewhere on the square. But, since that's not possible, we'll keep it just the way it is.
image: DrinkCoffeeDoGoodRoswell.com
Thursday, May 12, 2011 at 09:52PM 
So, this was going to be part of my upcoming NUR Review. However, the ridiculousness of it got the best of me and I had to awaken from my post slumber to opine. I was angered in February when the House passed HB179 that will expand the area around signs in which billboard companies would be able to remove trees (some limitations exist). This bill has been quite controversial and has been pushed by the outdoor advertising lobby for years now. Fortunately, up until now, the bill hasn’t had much success. But, just like bad hangovers, bad bills never seem to go away.
This one resurfaced and somehow did pass. The City of Roswell took notice and in the March 30, 2011 city council meeting, the council voted to oppose the bill and formally request that Gov. Deal veto the bill. Several other municipalities joined the fight including Sandy Springs, Woodstock and Athens-Clark County. This quote from Roswell’s mayor Jere Wood sums it up well:
We have always taken the position that trees are much nicer than billboards, That’s an easy one for most of us; if you’re not receiving money from the lobbyists.
Even with this opposition, the past history of vocal opposition for more than a decade, Mr. Deal decided in the interest of the billboard lobby and signed this POS into law tonight.
I’m obviously not happy about this and I’m going to guess that most people who are aware of the bill aren't either. Below I’ve put together a list of questions I have:
image: Atlanta.Metblogs
Politics, business in Politics, Ridiculous