Demolition Edition.. Frazier Street Apartments

I'm happty to say that the long awaited demolition of the old Frazier Street Apartments started earlier this week.  It was obviously a long time coming.  So, now that the buildings are coming down, we can look forward to the new Roswell City Walk apartments in the next year.  These are going to be a vast improvement over the existing apartments and will serve the area well for many years to come.  

My friend and photographer Ian Mari took some images of the second day of demolition which I've posted below for you to enjoy.  I'm looking forward to seeing the progress in this area over the next year and then seeing what a catalyst for this area these apartments will become.

And in case you forgot what is replacing these old apartments, here's a recent rendering of Roswell City Walk apartments.

West Roswell Elementary - Multi-Use Path?

It looks like the City of Roswell is doing the right thing and going to the Fulton County School Board to request an easement for a multi-use path along Hog Waller Creek.  The request went before the school board tonight and I'm not sure of the outcome yet (will update).  The path would be 10 feet wide. Here's an image of where the path would run.  

If this is approved, the next step would be to connect it down to Norcross St.  That would be a great step toward connectivity and toward making some safe routes to school for kids to walk and bike.

Cut-through or Connectivity?

There is a proposal floating around in its early stages for the Goulding property.  It would significantly increase the intensity of development along a new street through the 6 acre property by adding 28 townhomes and 10 detached houses.  The initial review of this proposal was at the Oct 9th Historic Preservation Commission meeting.  

To put it lightly, it did not go well.  Representation from every home on Goulding Pl showed up to voice their opposition.  They didn't like the intensity and felt that this plan would increase traffic and endanger pedestrians who regularly walk in the streets as there are no sidewalks.  

I spoke out in favor of one thing in the plan.  I do think that townhomes are a stretch for that property but they could work if done properly.  What I was in favor of was the street connectivity.  Here are some illustrations that make my point..

There are some topography challenges but this lack of connectivity is pitiful.

The site plan presented in Oct could provide for significant connectivity that could benefit local traffic. Red lines denote potential added connections.

The key here is to develop the street in a way that would not encourage cut-through traffic.  It is absolutely possible and can be done easily.  Lane widths should be NARROW.  The same width as those in Vickery Village in Cumming or even the Webb St in Historic Roswell.  Here's an image of a streescape from Vickery Village from DPZ as well as a Google Street View of Webb St

Street widths with 9 ft lanes successfully constrain speeds and cut-through traffic. image: DPZ.comWebb St with very narrow lanes. You simply can't speed here. image: Google StreetView

Here's my take on the street piece of this development.

Benefits (assumes narrow street widths of 9' lanes)

• Added connectivity which will significantly increase walkability and bikability for residents north and west of the historic district
• Potential for excellent infill development (keyword is potential)
• Potential for much more connectivity in the future
• Ability to draw some pedestrian and car traffic off Canton St (this is a city benefit and would obviously not be viewed the same way for those living on Goulding)
• Historic home would become more accessible to the public

Drawbacks

• Traffic would undoubtedly increase on Goulding Pl & Windy Pines Tr (really only a drawback for those living on Goulding and Windy Pines)
• Some historic character would be lost around the Goulding house (but who sees it now anyway?)

In my book, this new street plan would be a huge win for the city.  It may be the only opportunity that Historic Roswell gets to add connectivity to this area.  If we get this wrong, it will be a big loss.  The next review looks to be December 10th.  More to come.

Stop the Madness: No Right Turn(s)

Hey, no right turn here...  

Don't make me repeat myself...  

Now you've really gone and done it..

NO RIGHT TURNS HERE..

Seriously guys, this is unnecessary.. there isn't a vantage point where you can't see either one of these signs.  Take down the first one and leave the one next to the light...

But wait.  There's more.  Why can't you make a right turn? Because it's a ONE WAY Street.  So, if you could make the One Way sign more visible, you could negate the need for the two No Right Turn signs.  Hmm..

Stop the Madness: Pedestrian Xing Ahead

Now, I'm all for pedestrian safety.  But this is just overkill!  About 50 feet ahead of the crosswalk there is a sign indicating that there is a pedestrian crossing ahead.  Then, there are two signs at at the pedestrian crossing with little arrows to indicate that the pedestrians actually cross on the ground.  Not sure what to think if the arrows were aimed up.  Presumably, the 'ahead' sign is there because it is at the crest of a hill coming up Oak St to warn approaching cars that there is a pedestrian crossing under the assumption that cars wouldn't be able to see the two signs at the actual crosswalk.  

But, there is NO WAY a driver would miss the TWO signs that are actually at the crossing as evidenced by the second image which is a Google Street View from roughly 300 feet away.

Serously folks!  We need to chill with the unnecessary signs.  It's going to kill the charm we have in our public places.

Even More Infill Development on Canton St?

Wow.. It's been busy around here lately especially in the historic district!  This week, I've posted on potential develipment at Providence, Canton Street Walk and at Woodstock Rd/Canton St.  But, I have yet another project to put out there.. 

This one is a fairly small infll of four townhomes at 1075 Canton St.  The townhomes would replace the old blacksmith shed that is located at the rear of the property behind the house that fronts Canton St.  The site plan was approved with conditions (unsure of those details) at the 9/10 Design Reveiw Board meeting.  Here's are a couple images to help you get your bearings.

I'm a big fan of this type of development.  Taking existing parcels in walkable areas and adding quality development without taking away from the historical quality of the street.  I'm just hoping the architecture is high quality.  I have no doubt that these will be pricey but the new residents will have easy access to the Fickle Pickle and Swallow at the Hollow which will help take the bite out of the price.

Canton Street Walk Resurrected - Sort Of

As we detailed in our previous post, Canton Street Walk was a victim of the Great Recession.  However, there was still some undeveloped property that was not acquired by Lehigh Homes when they purchased the land to build Providence.  That is a small parcel in the center of the property adjacent to the original Canton Street Walk buildings.  

The good news is that the parcel is likely to be built on soon which, along with Providence Phase 2, will virtually complete the development in that area.

The bad news is that it will eliminate what has become a de facto park for the residents of Providence.  That said, it seems that a good number of the residents of Providence understand that the complete buildout of their property will increase the vibrancy of the area.

Here are some images:

The new building will align with fronts facing west and rears facing east just south of the left most providence building. Someone will lose their parking spot.

Providence Phase 2 - More of a Good Thing

I've always been a fan of the brownstone development just off Canton Street behind where Nine Street Kitchen sits today.  In its first iteration, it was called Canton Street Walk (not to be confused with the new Canton City Walk apartments).  That development went belly up during the real estate bust and Lehigh Homes came in and build Providence.  

There was alwasy the intent to finish off the development by going further east and back to Webb Street and that plan will likely be realized in 2014.  The plan was approved recently by the Historic Preservation Commission.  The elevations below are on file with the city and illustrate what the additional buildings will look like.  Once it's all said and done, there will be four additional Providence townhome buildings and three single family residences along Webb St.

I love this development because it engages another street in the historic district and brings more residential in to complement the vibrant business and shopping district.  Will it bring some additional traffic?  Yes, but we're building a walkable community which will enable the people who live in and around the historic district to leave their car in the garage once they get home.

Here are the images:

Site plan showing four townhome buildings along the north side of Webb St and three single family homes along the east side.

Side view of townhomes stepping up Webb St from west to east.

Front an rear elevations of building 1

Side views of building 1

Grimes Produce... No More?

Although this plan may get changed a bit as the developer has pushed out their hearing before the Design Review Board to next month, I figured I'd post this to get it out there.  The parcels that are currently at 1207 and 1213 Canton Street are potentially going to be redeveloped.  That intersection, in my opionion, has some of the greatest potential in our historic district.  It is a unique spot that is the gateway to Canton Street for anyone coming from the north and west of Roswell.  It should set the tone for visitors. 

That is why it is important to get the buildings at that intersection right.  That said, I'm not sure this new building does that.  It could be worse but it could be a whole lot better.  Here's the front rendering that would face Canton St.

And this is what is there today from Google Street View.

The new building will sit where the two buildings on the right currently sit with roughly the same setback from the street.  There will be another slightly smaller (25% smaller) but similarly designed building that will sit behind the new building aligned perpindicularly.  I understand that the primary use of the new buildings will be office but I don't have many details.

There is one primary issue I have with this plan as is.

The building does not reduce the setback.  If you want to create more of the success that is found at the south end of Canton St, the setbacks must be reduced.  Buildings need to front streets to create appealing walkable environments.  I would suggest moving the new building 20 feet closer to Canton St and moving all front parking to the rear of the building.  In it's place, a patio with landscaping similar to the one in front of Sweet! would be appropriate.  

Aside from that, it looks good but not great and the use is probably appropriate for that spot but I'll hate to see Grimes Produce go if that is indeed what will occur.

I'll post more on this as I get details.  Please add to the comments if you have any additional details.

Pedicabs Are Finally Here..

We first mentioned the possibility of pedicabs (aka Rickshaws) coming to Historic Roswell here on NUR way back in February of 2012.  That was when the city adopted an ordinance that allowed businesses to operate pedicabs in and around the Canton St area.  This is a fantastic addition to transportation options around our historic district.  It effectively increases the radius where someone living in the area would choose not to take their car to get to another destination.  I'm a supporter of anything we can do to get people out of their cars in the heart of our city.  I live here and walk as much as possible but this additional option will definitely make me reconsider taking the car for a few of the trips where we choose not to walk.

The pedicabs will begin operation this weekend starting on Nov 8th.  They will operate from noon until midnight Friday through Sunday.  The original map of approved operations shows that they will be allowed to go from Prospect Street on the north to King Street on the south and from roughly Liberty Lofts on the east to the end of Goulding on the west.  That is better illustrated by the map below.

I can't wait to try one out!