Walkability is King in 2015

This year is shaping up to be a defining year for the future of development in and around the North Fulton area.  In 2014, we saw the trend toward walkable development take a root with Avalon and Alpharetta City Center leading the way.  Smaller projects sprinkled around downtown Alpharetta, Roswell and Milton Crabapple are helping to create authentic places where people want to be.  Many of these will be wrapping up in 2015 and there are a number of additional projects, big and small, that we will learn more about. 

We will definitely hear more about Avalon’s phase II.  Judging by the crowds on the ice skating rink this holiday season, Mark Toro has hit a home run with the first phase and the development is only about a third complete.  There’s still a lot more coming on the west and east ends of the development.  The Monte Hewitt homes that will be going up will rival upscale developments on 30A, like Rosemary Beach, in design quality while the expansion of the retail and office on the east end will continue to expand Avalon into an attractive destination for dining and shopping.  Expect to see plans for a full service hotel and a convention center in phase II and Mr. Toro couldn’t be pushing harder for a MARTA train station at Avalon (AJC Op-ed Link Scroll Down).  Add in the Gwinnett Tech campus underway across Old Milton and things are really looking bright for Avalon.

You might think Avalon is enough for one city but in Alpharetta, things are really cooking.  The city just opened its new City Hall building in December as the first big piece of the Alpharetta City Center project which will bring a new Fulton County library, parking deck, park and mixed use development to the heart of Alpharetta.  There are a number of peripheral developments and business openings that are helping downtown Alpharetta evolve into a truly walkable and vibrant neighborhood. 

With both of these projects in full swing, Alpharetta is hot.  There’s even word of a planning effort that will work to design a walkable and bikeable corridor of development between Avalon and downtown Alpharetta.  

Not to be upstaged, Roswell is looking to get into the big mixed-use game as well.  The proposed Riverwalk Village would rival Avalon in size with just over 100 acres  on the south east section of the Holcomb Bridge / GA400 interchange.  The price tag is estimated to be in the $500 million range and the proposal includes over 1,500 residences, 1.7 million square feet of office and 500,000 square feet of retail.  Over 40 percent of the land would be preserved as some form of green space.  It will center on a small lake which will be the heart of the development with a 200 room hotel, Roswell’s largest, overlooking the lake.  The opportunity to connect this development to the Chattahoochee by trails is an incredible differentiator and unique in the region.  There will be much more information coming on Riverwalk Village in 2015 and if all things go as planned, ground could be broken before the end of the year.

Whenever large developments come up, traffic is always the number one concern (we do live in suburbia after all).  So, any discussion should also include what is being done doing to accommodate cars.  First and foremost, the answer to congestion is not more lanes.  Widening HBR or 400 or Old Milton will not resolve issues in the long run.  Widening roads can help in the short term but two better alternatives are distribution and options.  Distribution involves creating more connectivity while options give people different ways to accomplish what they are looking to do.  

Roswell and GDOT are currently working on some targeted projects at HBR and 400 to help remove some congestion points.  These are helpful but will do nothing to reduce the overall number of cars using that interchange each day.  The city is working on a long term, $50 million+, project to build the Big Creek Greenway which will connect Old Alabama and Warsaw and provide a much needed alternate route over 400.

Other big long-term transportation projects include widening Old Milton and the Roswell Historic Gateway which will remove the reversible lanes on South Atlanta Street.  There will likely be some progress on each of these but don’t expect to see any real progress for years.

The other long-term project that will get a little clearer in 2015 is the proposed Red Line extension of MARTA Rail.  Under new leadership, MARTA has had quite a turn around over the past 2 years.  They are expanding to Clayton County, the first new county to join MARTA since its inception and they are looking at three potential rail extensions; the Clifton Corridor, North Fulton and Clayton County.  These are obviously long-term, billion dollar+ projects but they are worth keeping an eye on.  The Red Line extension would add 5 or more stops all the way up to Windward Parkway giving a much needed option to drivers who sit in the soul crushing congestion on 400 each day.  They are also, implementing a number of initiatives to turn empty spaces and parking lots around stations into Transit Oriented Development.  Amanda Rhein is heading up that effort for the agency and was named one of the 20 people to watch in 2015 by CreativeLoafing.

Other interesting local and regional projects to watch in 2015 are; Golf Carts in Roswell, the Roswell City Walk Apartments, Grove Way redevelopment in Roswell, Riverwalk Trail extension to Willeo, the bike/ped bridge over the Chattahoochee, Canton St & Woodstock Redevelopment, Sun Valley Extension, GA400/I-285 Interchange, Path 400 in Buckhead, the Beltline Westside and Eastside Trail extensions, Ponce City Market, Atlanta Waterworks Park, Bellwood Quarry Park, the Braves and Falcons stadiums (new & old) and perhaps the biggest redevelopment out there, the Doraville GM Plant redevelopment.

As you can see, the future is bright for walkable and mixed-use development in North Fulton and the Atlanta area.  Get out for a walk, there are more options than ever before in our Region.

Developments Around Town

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.  

America.. One Big Aesthetic Crime Scene

Roswell and North Fulton have beautiful, spacious parks.  We rave about the river, playgrounds and the trails.  Several cities are working on new parks and squares around their city centers.  It’s evident that we care about our public space.  But.. we are forgetting something.

We are neglecting the most abundant public space we own.  We are neglecting our streets.  By sheer area, our streets and roads dwarf our parks and greenspace.  Some may say that our roads and streets are fantastic.  They are wide, well maintained and orderly.  I agree, when I have my driving blinders on but when you take a look around, you realize that once you get out of your neighborhood, you are driving on an enormous automobile sewer system.  

The Swiss would probably marvel at how focused our DOTs are on ensuring the streets are functional.  The hierarchy of local, collector and arterial is beautiful in its logic.  The potholes are usually fixed quickly and the streets are generally clean.  They get paved on schedule.  That said, order and proper maintenance does not build character and foster a sense of place.  Our lanes are too wide, our setbacks are too far and our street trees have become glorified weeds.  All of this has been done in the name of safety and standards.  

The roads and streets all around this country have become one gigantic aesthetic crime scene and they are only getting worse.  Road signs seemingly multiply like gremlins.  For goodness sake look at the number of signs adorning the historic square in Roswell.  We have Tree City USA signs, Yield ahead signs, road intersection approaching signs, duplicate no left or no right turn signs and they just seem to keep coming.  Cross into East Cobb from Roswell on 120 and the signs are like a heavyweight uppercut.  Power lines are everywhere but at least they aren’t proliferating.  Pay attention to all this incoherence and it will blow your mind.

Even policies that are supposed to be a good thing have become victims of over engineering and an inflexible focus on ensuring standards are upheld rather than ensuring that the design is contextually appropriate.  Who hasn’t seen a bike lane that abuts a 45 mph road? How about the fact that every turn lane off a state highway will now have at least one and usually two no parking signs.  I love the two no parking signs on the southbound on ramp to 400 from Haynes Bridge.  What about the fact that just before almost EVERY intersection you now see a big yellow sign telling you that that intersection is approaching.  EVEN WHEN IT IS IN PLAIN SIGHT!

Worst of all, we have no idea what the difference between a road and a street is anymore.  Streets capture value and roads get you from place to place quickly but what we have created across much of suburbia is a nasty STROAD hybrid that does neither well.  

We need to start capturing value with our streets again.  The people who built Canton Street knew how to do exactly that and they did it before zoning codes and red tape.  It’s the most well known street in North Fulton and the great part of it isn’t even a half mile.  Canton St didn’t become great because of wide lanes, road signs or bike lanes.  It’s great for many reasons but the narrow lanes, sidewalks and shorter building setbacks create a sense of place like an outdoor room that people in cars, on bikes or on foot just feel comfortable in.

Our focus on wide lanes, road signs, and tiny street trees is a crime committed against our places and ultimately against ourselves.  Our streets should be places, not sewers.  Our streets should have an overabundance of art, not an overabundance of signs.  Our streets should make us want to get out of our cars and enjoy the place that they shape.

Flyovers: Fantasy vs Reality

I took a look at the newest Avalon CGI flyover video that was released last week and couldn't help but think of the Charlie Brown flyover video that I ran across a few months ago.  The first represents reality of what can be done when well managed capital comes along and properly (in most cases) engages the community and works with them to provide a product that will work within the context of the city.  The second represents a dreamer's vision of a mega project that wasn't well received by the neighboring subdivisions due mostly to the scale of the project. 

Take a look and add your thoughts on which one you like best.  (remember that CGI imagery has improved a lot in the last 7 years)

Avalon

Roswell East (aka Charlie Brown)

"Poster Child of Sprawl” to “Champion of Walkability”?

I’ve been excitedly awaiting the WalkUP Wake-Up Call: Atlanta report that was released last month.  The report, authored by Christopher Leinberger and the Center for Real Estate and Urban Analysis at the George Washington School of Business, takes a look at the Atlanta region’s pattern of development over the past 20 years and makes a compelling case that the era of sprawl may be over.  Mr. Leinberger is a well known land-use strategist who is famous for labeling Atlanta of the 90’s as the ‘fastest growing human settlement in the history of the world’ in terms of acres consumed per capita.  

Although, an impressive claim, we all can agree that the outcome wasn’t all great.  Sure, there are a good percentage of Atlanta area residents who have nice yards, lots of square feet and ample big boxes to shop from.  Conversely, most of us have to drive to virtually everything in sometimes excruciating congestion, relegating the young, elderly, poor and disabled to a subservient existence waiting on buses with 30 to 60 minute headways.  Additionally, the environmental impacts of our carelessly planned sprawl have wreaked havoc on both our air, via tailpipe emissions, and water quality, via runoff.

The report did not disappoint in its findings.  It chronicled development across the Atlanta region and looked at the two primary market supported forms of development, drivable suburban and walkable urban.  Drivable suburban is characterized by separated uses and automobile dependance.  Walkable urban is characterized by mixed-uses, multiple viable transportation options and a high degree of walkability.  Atlanta has been characterized as the ‘Sprawl Capital of U.S.’ and videos have chronicled “Sprawlanta” in a negative light.  When I moved here in 1999, being able to walk was the last thing on my mind.  However, today’s college graduates and corporate re-lo’s are a different animal.  They want walkable places with a mix of uses and those preferences aren’t expected to shift anytime soon.  The good thing is that Atlanta is apparently working to answer the demand.

The report found that there are 27 Established Walkable Urban Places (WalkUPs) in the region.  Oversimplifying for this column, the Established WalkUPs were identified as places having Walkscores greater than 70.5.  There were nine locations with Walkscores between 57 and 70.5 and those were labeled Emerging WalkUPs.  There were also ten potential WalkUPs identified through other methodology.  The report also ranked the WalkUPs on two factors, Economic Performance and Social Equity.  It gets into further detail by classifying the WalkUPs into seven types, Downtown, Downtown Adjacent, Urban Commercial, Urban University, Suburban Town Center, Drivable Suburban Commercial Redevelopment and Greenfield/Brownfield.  

Matrix of land use options in metro-ATL. Source: WalkUP Wake Up Call

In a speaking engagement surrounding the release of the report, Mr. Leinberger stated;

We have seen the end of sprawl in Atlanta. The suburbs are not dead.  This is the urbanization of the suburbs. 

So, how did the northern burbs fare?  Just okay.  North of the river, there are only two established WalkUPs, Downtown Roswell and Downtown Marietta.  No surprises there.  There were two emerging WalkUPs, North Point and Town Center (Kennesaw) along with three potential WalkUPs, East & West Windward and Encore Park.  There were a bunch of established and potential clustered in the Perimeter area and the majority of the others were in Buckhead and Atlanta around MARTA lines.  One glaringly absent area... HBR & 400.  This absence is not the fault of the authors.  It is the lack of creativity from Roswell and due to the outcry from a small minority (see last month’s column) it looks like the UDC will remove any changes to current zoning from that area.  

Notice there is a little activity in North Fulton. source: WalkUP Wake Up Call

Notice, there aren't many established WalkUPs in the northern burbs. source: WalkUP Wake Up Call

All of that is interesting but what does it all mean?  Some of the key findings: 

• Established WalkUPs account for .55% of the region’s land area and Emerging WalkUPs take up another .33% for a total of .88%.
• From 1992 to 2000, the share of income producing property development (office, retail, apartment, hotel) in Emerging or Established WalkUPs was 14%.
• From 2001 to 2009, that share increased to 26%.
• From 2009 to present, the share was a whopping 60%.
• That means that since 2009 60% of the region’s development has been concentrated on .88% of the land.
• Since 2009, 73% of development in Established WalkUPs went around MARTA rail stations.
• Almost 19% of the regions jobs are located in the 27 Established WalkUPs.
• Using Washington DC as the de facto model of WalkUP development, the Atlanta region could support another 8 WalkUPs.  
• On a price/sq.ft. basis, the 27 WalkUPs saw a 112% rent premium over the rest of the metro area (30% for office, 147% for retail, 12% for rental residential, 161% for for-sale residential)

That last point bears repeating.  For-sale residential in the 27 Established WalkUPs saw a 161% price premium compared to the rest of the region.  It’s safe to say that the market is SCREAMING for Walkable Urban development.  It is not only desirable, but highly profitable.  So, if you don’t want your city to fall by the wayside, you might want to support walkable development.  

Attn. Roswell... HINT... HBR/400 MUST BE Zoned Mixed Use in the UDC.

Attn. Sandy Springs... Great work on your city center plans.

Attn. Johns Creek... Mayday.. Mayday.. Mayday..

Attn. Milton... Horses need walkability too.

Attn. Alpharetta... Walkability is coming whether you like it or not.

For the full report click here.

Rezoning Silliness

There is a rezoning battle that is coming up on Monday at City Hall and NO, it's not the UDC.  It's actually probably not much of a battle but it piqued my interest.  To me, it illustrates just how ridiculous our whole zoning process really is.  The lot in question at 1270 Strickland Rd, pictured below, is actually quite a beautiful lot.  It unfortunately abuts some ugly industrial lots to the north but that said, it has some charm.

We have a developer, Brightwater Homes of Sandy Springs, that is looking to build homes on the 5 acre parcel.  Given the current R-2 zoning, they would be able to build 14 single family units.  They are looking for a reclassification to give the parcel a R-2 Conservation subdivision classification.  The change would allow 15 homes on smaller lots while also conserving 1.79 acres as greenspace.  Additionally, the developer plans to put a walking trail on the greenspace for residents of the new homes.  

There are obvious technical differences in the classifications but come on...  1 additional home on some smaller lots??  I say that if it makes sense, looks nice and will have a positive impact on the city, then we should allow it.  But, it's never that easy and the opposition was out for the August Planning Commisison Meeting.  The notes were a bit long and a number of neighbors voiced their concerns, some valid in my opinion and some not so valid.  I've summarized and added commentary to several.

• Reductions in Set-backs - One resident feels that the request to reduce the building set-backs will reduce the natural beauty of the parcel.  Well, putting 14 or 15 homes on that parcel is going to degrade it regardless.  If it is going to be developed, it should be designed to be the most walkable as possible and the further homes are from the street, the less walkable the environment.

• Traffic (ALWAYS A CONCERN, RARELY AN ISSUE) - A point was made that the size of the neighborhood is increasing by 50% from 30 to 45 residences and this will cause problems at the Prospect St and Hwy 9 intersection.  I'm not sure I'm buying this.  Of course, there may be some additional traffic but it's not going to be catastrophic.  Is that intersection ackward?  Yes.  Should that be rationale to deny one extra home?  No

• Our Children Won't Be Safe!! - Some other concerns were voiced that the increase in car volume coupled with the non-cul-de-sac design would potentially pose a danger to the children in the neighborhood.  What poses a danger to the children in the neighborhood is actually the straight-away design of Valley Dr with lanes that are as wide as the lanes on GA400.  Lane width is a major determinent of the safety of a residential or city street.  The wider, the more dangerous.  A small block is no more or less dangerous than a cul-de-sac.  

• Nothing is Being Saved - The argument was posed that the site layout would not change much regardless of the zoning type because most of what is being conserved in the Conservation Subdivision plan is in the floodplain.  Point taken but there is something being gained in the form of a walking path and increased walkability in the site plan.

All that said, the Planing Commission has recommended that the change request be denied and the city council is voting on it this Monday 9/9.  The Planning Commission commentary centered around these points:

• Conservation Subdivision vs Standard Zoning - They seemed to like the conservation aspect but had difficulty weighing the consequences of rezoning.  The trail was a hit but some concerns were voiced about maintenance, public access and security.

• Why Not Fewer Lots with Bigger Homes? - This was the argument that seemed to be the deal killer.  Most of the commission members thought that fewer homes would be a better fit for the neighborhood.

My opinion is that the R-2 Conservation Subdivision site plan with 15 lots provides for a more walkable design.  I do take exception to the 12' lane widths which are wholly unnecessary for this type of road regardless of what the DOT and Fire Department tell you but that's a whole different story.  The jury is still out on whether the architecture will amount to much of anything.  You be the judge.

R-2 Site Plan

R-2 Conservation Subdivision Site Plan

Town Hall | Roswell: Dining Out.. a RoswellNEXT Event

I wanted to make my readers aware of one of my other efforts that is going on here in Roswell next week.  RoswellNEXT holds periodic events around town that focus on issues and topics that matter to Roswell.  This month, on 8/22, we are hosting Town Hall | Roswell: Dining Out.  It will be a panel of five restauranteurs from Roswell and they will discuss the dining scene in Roswell and North Fulton.  It should be an excellent event.

Here's the info...

We have an exciting evening planned for our August installment of Town Hall | Roswell and if you are interested in the food scene in Roswell, and who isn't, you won't want to miss it.  RSVP Now

Town Hall | Roswell is a unique event that brings our city together to learn about and discuss issues and ideas that are important to the future of our city. This month, we are fortunate to have a top notch panel of local restauranteurs to discuss what's it's like to run a restaurant in what has become one of the best cities to dine out in the metro area.  

Our panel will include Ryan Pernice of Table & Main and the soon to be open Osteria Mattone, Marc Wegman of Adele's Authentic Cajun Cuisine, Jack Gerbilick of the Food Movement and Rich Clark of Hugo's Oyster Bar & C&S Seafood. Our moderator will be Steve Stroud of the Roswell Business Alliance.

You can expect to learn about what it's like starting a restaurant in Roswell, how Canton Street has redefined OTP dining, how food trucks are impacting business and what the best dishes in Roswell are.  Additionally, we will have some special treats on hand from some local restaurants to satisfy your appetite while you listen to all the talk about great food.

We will also be helping out a local charity with food donations.  Bring 10 canned goods and receive free admission.  Donations will go to the North Fulton Community Charities.

We are also cross promoting a fundraiser for another local non-profit, The Kula Project, that night where several local restaurants are donating 20% of their sales that day to the Kula Project's #ForTheFarmer campaign. Learn More

Event Details

• Date & Time: August 22nd | 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
• Location: Roswell Historic Cottage, 972 Alpharetta St,Roswell, GA 30075
• Parking: Free Valet @ the Roswell Historic Cottage
• Admission: Members $5, Non-Members $15 - RSVP on our Facebook page - Pay at the door (credit accepted) 
• Drinks: $5 suggested donation

We look forward to seeing you there! 

The RoswellNEXT Team

Mike Hadden | Aaron Gravett | Adam & Anna Braund | Chris Foster | Brendan Walsh | Beckie Hawkins | Thomas Shelton | BeAnne Creeger | Dan Shaughnessy

And the Award for Least Imaginative Building Goes to...

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

Will the Unified Development Code Divide Us?

You may have recently received a mailing from the city of Roswell regarding the “Initiation of Proposed Map Amendments.”  Essentially this letter was sent to inform some residents, roughly 13,000 of them, that their property may be rezoned as part of the Unified Development Code, an effort to update the city’s antiquated zoning ordinances.  The letter I received was careful to point out that “all of the existing rights allowed on the property will remain,” and that if I am “satisfied with the suggested conversion of my property category, I do not need to do anything.” In case you are wondering, I am satisfied and I’m not doing anything and according to Brad Townsend, planning and zoning director, only about 20 people have voiced their concerns.  I am excited to be moving from “C-3 Highway Commercial” to “DX Downtown Mixed Use!”  The overwhelming majority of residents will see no change in the way their property is intended to be used.

To be blunt, I’m skeptical of zoning.  I think it’s mostly unnecessary.  Most of the best places in our country and the world were built before the advent of zoning.  Many of the great places in Roswell were built without zoning.  Prior to zoning, people generally knew what made sense to build in a certain spot.  Granted, industry encroached on residential areas in inappropriate ways as the industrial revolution picked up steam, especially in large cities.  The natural response was to create regulations that separated incompatible land uses.  Our obsession with single use zoning began in the 20’s & 30’s and by the time the 50’s rolled around, post-war construction was booming and we had relegated virtually every land use to a specific place on a map whether it made sense or not.  Now, virtually every city in the country has a similar zoning code and those codes for the most part mandate a suburban development pattern.  Question to ponder... is suburbia a product of the free market or government regulation?

That said, the unintended consequences of 40+ years of post World War II zoning and suburban development started to become noticeable in the 1990’s as some people began to see sprawl as a problem.  More and more data started to point to our highly zoned and segregated development pattern as a contributor to many issues such as the obesity epidemic, global warming, environmental degradation, declining social capital and placelessness.

We built a country so uniform that it is now difficult to tell whether you are in Florida or Kansas except that one state has small rotating storms and the other has big rotating ones. A rough estimate is that 30 million buildings have been constructed in the past 50 years.  Out of those, 99+% are wholly unremarkable from an architectural standpoint.  Try to think of one place that was built in the past 50 years that is incredible that did not require some sort of variance to get built.  What I’m saying is that our modern zoning creates mundane places that are in no way memorable.  

Now, I’m a realist and understand that no American municipality would dare try to completely repeal it’s zoning codes.  But they can change them. The famed architect and planner Andres Duany is fond of saying “no one has ever dismantled a bureaucracy, not Napoleon, not Hitler. You can, however, change what they administer.”  Ideally, we want to create more Canton Street and Sloan Street and less Alpharetta Highway and Holcomb Bridge.  Our current codes can easily permit an auto oriented strip mall in most sections of the city but it’s much more difficult (impossible) to replicate the section of Canton Street from Norcross to Magnolia which is arguably the most successful 300 feet of retail and residential OTP.  Why would a zoning code make it illegal to replicate that?  Is it unsafe? Is it unsightly?

The UDC begins to help alleviate this problem.  It’s not radical but it is a change.  It even has pictures to illustrate design requirements.  It works to bring the 2030 Comprehensive Plan to life by coding for what we want to see rather than coding for what we don’t want to see.  The new code is intended to help everyone, from layperson to developer, understand what development on a certain property or roadway should look like.  Code Studio, the firm that was selected to write the UDC, is top notch.  They have worked with a committee of stakeholders from our city to draft a document that will help the city achieve the goals set forth in the 2030 comprehensive plan.  They have written similar codes for Raleigh, Denver and Memphis which tells me that they know what they are doing.  

At this point, most of the work is done but there is still time to opine.  There will be public comment meetings held August 19-21 around town.  Times and locations can be found on the city website.

It Takes Time to Turn the Titanic...

I saw an interesting tweet a few days ago from Alpharetta city councilman Jimmy Gilvin that referenced some 2010 US census stats. He was basically pointing out that during that timeframe people flocked to suburban environments while urban places didn't fare as well. Here’s his tweet:

"From 2000 to 2010 the City of Atlanta added 3500 residents. Suburban Alpharetta added 22,600. Please spare me the urbanism talk."

First off, if you would like to follow Jimmy on Twitter his handle is @jimgilvin. He is often entertaining and I appreciate an elected official being active in social media. It is definitely a risk.

That being said, I had to take a look at his stats (which are correct) out of curiosity since my blog is primarily about New Urbanism.  The data from 2000 to 2010 pretty much shows that it was business as usual for the suburban experiment. This isn’t really much of a surprise. I wondered if anything had changed since those nubmers came out last year because everything that I’ve read recently points to a renewed interest in walkable urban environments as a preference over the drivable suburban environments that have dominated population growth over the last 40-50 years. 

Interest in walkable urban environments started to pick up around 2004-2005 and a lot of condos started to go up in the denser areas of the region, most notably in Midtown and Buckhead. But, there was also a lot of development that broke ground around our traditionally suburban city centers that could also be deemed walkable even if it wasn't as intense as what was going on in the urban cores. A lot of this development was crushed by the economic downturn and still hasn’t fully recovered.  All types of development suffered this fate whether it was walkable urban, drivable suburban, single-family, multi-family, single-use or mixed-use.  There was no single boggieman here.

We are starting to see some signs of recovery in all of the aforementioned areas.  My expectation is that over the next two to three years, we will start to see more walkable development pick up steam again as you see condos, townhomes and apartments start to go up around the region.  Most of this will occur in the centers of our suburban towns. I think this is ringing true in the more current stats. The latest population estimates as of July 2011 show a much different story.

In the period from April 2010 through July 2011, the City of Atlanta's population growth, 3%, exceeded much of the region as new buyers and renters started filling in much of the empty development that was left unoccupied after the real estate crash.  The Atlanta condo market is healthier than it has been in years. Many of the high profile condo buildings that were noticeably empty for years have hit the tipping point where 70% of their units have been sold.  This threshold makes financing much easier and will accellerate the sale of the remaining units.  Additionally, a significant amount of apartment capacity is going up intown.  What I'm saying here is that the trend is looking favorable for walkable urbanism.  Most drivable suburban areas are growing but at a slower clip.

In fact, the ONLY suburban market that exceeded the city of Atlanta's growth on a percentage basis between April 2010 and July 2011 was North Fulton.  The US Census estimates show that the city of Atlanta added 12,424 residents during that 15 month period.  This was the most of any city in the metro area.  There were only 7 cities with over 20k residents that exceeded that growth.  Five of them were in North Fulton (Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton, Roswell, Sandy Springs).  The other two were East Point and Union City.

If these trends continue, traditional suburbia may be in for a tough road ahead.  Here are some key points:

1. North Fulton, specifically Alpharetta, is not your typical suburban environment. It is a Technology hub that functions as a job center. It has much more wealth than most of the other suburban areas on the region. Most suburbs do not have the same inherent benefits that North Fulton does.
2. All of the cities in North Fulton have either approved, planned or built walkable urban environments
   1. Alpharetta – City Center, Avalon
   2. Roswell – Groveway, Historic Roswell Master Plan, Centennial Walk
   3. Johns Creek – Johns Creek Walk
   4. Milton – Crabapple Area
   5. Sandy Springs – New Town Center
3. Boomer and Millennial demographics are pointing toward a very large demand for walkable urbanism over the next 10 to 15 years as boomers downsize and millennials buy homes.
4. Much of this growth in walkable urbanism will be in areas that have been traditionally labled the suburbs.  Just look at where the most talked about areas are in your suburban city.  They aren't the newest golf, tennis or gated subdivision.  They are the city centers with lively environments of shops and restaurants.

The suburban experiment is almost over and it is even coming to an end here in North Fulton.  People want places where they don't have to rely 100% on their cars to live their lives.