City Hall Square - DPZ Concept

We saved the most innovative of the DPZ proposals for last.  Now, to be up front and honest with everyone, it is my second favorite of the three proposals.  The New Canton Street proposal is actually my favorite but this one is a close second.

This proposal creates a true civic square that functions as the heart of the city anchored by all of the traditional institutions of government and culture. It would slow traffic down but still allow it to flow. Remember that 30 mph is the ideal speed for traffic volumes. This design could maintain that. The proposal would create an incredible location for the new Walk of Valor memorial. Additionally, it would provide a home to the new Fulton County library that is being considered and a new courthouse for the city. The Arts Center would anchor Canton Street and create an amazing cultural amenity that all could see. This is a signature project for Roswell. It could transform the face of our city.

Now, if your concerned with what to do with the old library and the performing arts center, I have a great idea. It could serve as an incredible foundation for a Roswell Charter School campus that would give our city center the school it is lacking. I feel there are better locations that are more central to the neighborhood (Oak St & 9 Intersection) but this would be a real opportunity that could happen in tandem with the City Hall Square. Check out the presentation below to see the vision unfold.

All images courtesy of Duany Plater-Zyberk

New Canton Street - Mill Village Neighborhood - DPZ Concept

This concept is the next in a great series of ideas that DPZ has brought to the table to revitalize our historic district.  The idea here is a vision of what a new back street that runs parallel to Atlanta Street from Oxbo to Mill St could look like.  This land is unique in that it is owned by relatively few owners who would all likely be open to redevelopment and in its beautiful natural slopes.  

The idea behind this concept originated in the fact that building up to hwy 9 in this spot is never going to really achieve the desired effect of creating a special place with great business.  The reasoning behind this is that the other side of the street isn't going to be built up.  This creates a lopsided feel that just doesn't work right and any businesses that would eventually go there would suffer. Additionally, the traffic along hwy 9 is never going to get any better.  Thus, there was the option of doing nothing or find an alternative.

This back street concept achieves multiple objectives; creating a retail anchor for me mill village, creating a truly unique visual experience that is appropriate for that area and allowing automobile traffic on hwy 9 to continue its flow unimpeded.  This concept also gives life to the boutique hotel concept by creating a true reason for it to be there.  Additionally, it will activate our square and bring more people closer to our cultural and natural amenities.

Check out the slideshow for additional commentary.

You can use the controls on the presentation viewer to move through the slides or just let it switch through automatically. I would suggest you enlarge this one to full screen as the images are detailed. Again, any writing on these was added by me and is not part of the original DPZ presentation.

All images provided courtesy of Duany Plater-Zyberk

Southern Neighborhood Center - DPZ Concept

This slideshow takes a look at the southern neighborhood center concept. This one is the most up in the air at the moment due to some last minute changes in thought on the one-way pair. Essentially, Mr. Duany did not like it at first. He also heard opposition from several of the condo owners at the kickoff presentation at City Hall. In that discussion, he stated that the only reason the Creek View Condos should support the one-way pair is if they receive first rate urbanism in return for the state route moving closer to their property. He asked that they consider it and get back to him.

In the meantime, the DPZ staff planned the corridor as if the one-way pair would not work. So, what you see in the slideshow is a proposal based on the current path that South Atlanta currently follows. It would be widened to two lanes in each direction with a service lane separated by landscaping in each direction with parking. This would create a wide boulevard type feel that would be similar to a Parisian boulevard where the fast (through) traffic in the center is separated from the local traffic on the service lanes.

In this concept, the entire corridor would receive a facelift. The older buildings would be replaced with newer buildings that would serve as retail, office and residential. I do believe Mr. Duany warmed to the one-way pair idea after seeing sketches by Mickey O'Brien of URS at the Historic Gateway Transportation Advisory Group meeting last Thursday evening (see those sketches here on slide 13). So, the DPZ concepts could change a litte bit between now and the final presentation. Additionally, there is a lot of undeveloped land on the north of 9 behind the conceptual buildings that he said could easily develop over time into additional pieces of the neighborhood even if the DPZ plan were the community's preferred alternative.

You can use the controls on the presentation viewer to move through the slides or just let it switch through automatically. I would suggest you enlarge this one to full screen as the images are detailed. Again, any writing on these was added by me and is not part of the original DPZ presentation. Our next posts will examine each of these three areas in more detail.

All images provided courtesy of Duany Plater-Zyberk

Neighborhood Centers - DPZ Special Projects

The next piece of the DPZ presentation is a high level overview of the three neighborhood centers they have taken on as special projects. There are three different recommendations for each of these unique areas and each of them is revolutionary for Roswell in its own right. They took a look at a new town square centered just south of Canton Street, a New Canton Street concept in the mill village that would run from Oxbo to Mill St and finally the southern village which centers on the South Atlanta St Baptist Church.

Take a look at the slideshow with commentary from me. You can use the controls on the presentation viewer to move through the slides or just let it switch through automatically. I would suggest you enlarge this one to full screen as the images are detailed. Again, any writing on these was added by me and is not part of the original DPZ presentation. Our next posts will examine each of these three areas in more detail.

All images provided courtesy of Duany Plater-Zyberk

Suggested Barrington Improvements

Over the next few days, I will be posting images and slides from the Andres Duany presentation last week on a future vision for Historic Roswell. These will give you a summary of what was discussed in his talk (watch here) at the Roswell Mill. We're kicking these posts off with a relatively simple set of slides showing the recommended transformation of the Barrington Hall wall and grounds as visible from Mimosa. You can use the controls on the presentation viewer to move through the slides or just let it switch through automatically. Any writing on the pictures was added by me and is not part of the original DPZ presentation.

All images provided courtesy of Duany Plater-Zyberk

Andres Duany Presents His Vision for Historic Roswell

Last night, Andres Duany of DPZ, presented three amazing neighborhood village concepts for Historic Roswell along with a quick fix for Barrington Hall to increase its visibility. These concepts have been refined over the past two weeks to incorporate community input that came from two days of public workshops last month. The ideas enhanced by visuals are absolutely incredible. He reviews all of them in this video. I will be posting images from the slideshow over the next several days and will continue to post new images as the planning process progresses. There was a lot of positive energy in the crowd and I believe these visions will leave a realistic and lasting impression on what Historic Roswell can become. Please share this with anyone who is interested in making Roswell a better place!

The Importance of Building a Sense of Place

Place is more than just a location on a map. A sense of place is a unique collection of qualities and characteristics – visual, cultural, social, and environmental – that provide meaning to a location. A community’s unique identity also adds economic and social value. To foster distinctiveness, cities must plan for built environments and settlement patterns that are both uplifting and memorable and that foster a sense of belonging and stewardship by residents.

There isn't really a better way to state the importance of place than this excerpt from an article from The Atlantic Cities . At Monday's council meeting, I stressed to to the council that the Groveway Hybrid Form-Based Code is the first step that needs to be taken to begin building places where people WANT to be here in Roswell.  In an article titled Character is Key to an Economically Vibrant City, Edward McMahaon makes a great case dor doing just that.  Build places where people want to be, and you will have success.

A Busy Spring in Roswell

I've been meaning to write this post for a couple weeks but to my surprise, my MacBook Pro decided otherwise.  After a trip to Texas, the MBP is back and I can start writing again.  So, NUR isn't really an events calendar but I do like to point out important things going on around town.  We have a number of great and fun things coming up in the next couple of months though.  We'll kick it off with a couple that have already happened this spring and then list out our best bets for the rest of the spring:

• DPZ Charette (3/29-3/30) - The charette workshops and presentation to kickoff the master plan for our historic district were phenomenal.  The ideas that came up summarized here were fantastic and we will be seeing refined versions of them throughout the spring.
• Groveway Hybrid Form-Based Code Passes (4/9) - This past Monday, the city council took a bold step forward for Roswell by passing the community based code by a 5-1 vote.  This is revolutionary for Roswell.
• Earth Day Kids Fest at The Chattahoochee Nature Center (4/14) - This is a little earier than the normal 4/22 Earth Day celebration but it should be a fun event for the kids at the excellent CNC.  For info click here.
• 2012 Alive After 5 Kickoff (4/19) - It's BAAACK! The amazingly successful Alive After Five event is back for another year of food and fun.  This is another one that we are looking forward to.  Hope to see you out there.
• The Georiga Trust Spring Ramble and Annual Meeting (4/20-4/22) - This promises to be a great event.  It's fairly pricey but I hear it will be worth it.  A number of interesting tours and events have been planned by the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.  There aren't many better settings in Georgia for that topic.  There will be hundreds of visitors over the 3 day event.  Check out their website for more info.
• Historic Gateway Public Meeting (4/26) - This public information open house will allow all residents to check out the next refinement of the plans for Hwy 9 from the river to the square.  I believe there will be some DPZ influence in this vision as they were not shy about letting the audience at the Duany speaking engagement know that they weren't fans of the preferred one-way pair alternative.
• March for Babies (4/28) - This is a charity event for the March of Dimes. The march is a 10k (6.2mi) route around Historic Roswell.  The organizers believe it to be the most scenic walk in Georgia.  There will be hundreds of people on the walk enjoying our city.  This is a great advertising opp for local businesses and restaurants.
• Roswell Criterium (4/29) - This is going to be a fantastic Roswell promotional event.  The one mile course loops around the historic district and brings a number of spectators.  We can't wait to get down there and enjoy the events. Check out the webiste for more details.
• Roswell Colors Festival (5/12-5/13) - This is a great way to grab that special mother in your life something unique and special.  It's also fun to check out the historic town square and walk around to the historic homes.  We'll definitely be walking across the street for this one.  They may even have the sidewalk project around the square wrapped up as they have been making some great progress.
• Roswell Memorial Day Celebration (5/28) - Georgia's largest Memorial Day celebration will take place on 5/28.  For more information check out the event website.
• TSPLOST Vote (7/31) - This isn't really a spring thing but it's big enough that i wanted to add it to the list.  Put simply, this vote is pivotal for our city and region.  I'm a fan of the tax.  It will attract development that will increase options, reduce congestion and begin to reverse the decay of our mobility system.  Here's what we believe is in it for Roswell.

That's not everything but it's a good preview of what's going on around Roswell.  If you want to get out of Roswell, don't forget about the Dogwood Festival, Inman Park Festival or the Sweetwater 420 Festival which are always fun events.  

Open Letter to Mayor + Council re: Groveway Code

Below is an open letter to the city council articulating my views as well as those of a number of individuals who live in Roswell on the proposed Groveway Hybrid Form-Based Code.  If you support this new zoning, please be sure to let your mayor and city council know before Monday evening as they will be voting on it.  You can email them at RoswellMayorandCouncil@roswellgov.com.  

Dear Mayor and Council,

First, I would like to thank you for the time and consideration that each of you has invested in the Groveway Hybrid Form-Based Code. As you know, the code has gone through extensive review and community involvement.  The assertions by other Roswell citizens that it is being fast tracked is incorrect.  You are also aware that several residents have voiced concern about the unintended consequences of the code.  My initial concerns with the East Roswell Forum email were that the facts were grossly inaccurate.  However, those have now been debunked by the city.  There are 'unintended consequences' of every action. I decided to write you to ensure that both sides of the community are heard and I feel there several additional items that need to be voiced:

• Our existing zoning is outdated and dysfunctional.  It is critical that we have an updated code particularly in the Groveway area.  We need this to encourage development in the heart of our city.  Otherwise, most of what the Groveway Community wants and needs will require time consuming variances and that will likely never happen.
• Now is the time to act.  Our neighbors, Alpharetta and Sandy Springs, are moving forward on development and job growth.  Our tax rolls are not growing while theirs are.  If we do not act soon, we will miss the generational shift that is creating a significant demand for walkable urbanism as Gen Y joins the workforce and as the Baby Boomers become empty nesters and find that they don’t need the large house, that they would like to walk to many of their daily needs and also drive less.
• We must continue to revitalize our town center. Form based codes focus on the creation, revitalization and preservation of vibrant, walkable urban places.  The center of our city should be just that while enabling people of all walks of life to live there.  They help accomplish the following:

• Encourage Placemaking - They can do this because the are prescriptive thus achieving a more predictable physical result.
• Encourage Public Participation - Citizens can see and understand what will be built which engages them more.
• Encourage Independent Development - Independent developers can build on smaller lots knowing that what eventually gets built next to their lot will not adversely impact their building and/or business.
• Create Diversity of Development - Because smaller independent developers have certainty, many more of them build which creates diverse development rather than what happens when one large developer owns all the land.
• Retain History - FBCs work well in existing areas because they retain and codify the best of what is already there and build upon that to create a place unique to the area instead of a cookie cutter design
• Foster Transparency - Non-professionals find them to be shorter, more readable and easier to understand which makes it easier to determine if the code is being followed.
• Provide Developer Certainty and Reduce Risk - They give developers the certainty they need to encourage large investments of their own capital.

There is much to be excited about in Roswell today.  As you saw in Greenville, it takes bold action to build a great place.  Numerous other cities are already ahead of the curve with creating 21st century zoning codes (Denver, Miami, Nashville, El Paso, San Antonio, Montgomery, Sarasota).  One of the most famous towns in the south, Seaside, was built using a Form Based Code.  

I am are asking that you vote YES for the Groveway Hybrid Form-Based Code.  Please don’t let the short-term view of a few who have fed misinformation to many further delay the progress of our great city.  It would be a shame to waste this opportunity and see jobs and development continue to flow to our neighboring cities.

Sincerely,


Michael Hadden | CNU-a | New Urban Roswell 

Roswell 40U40
712 Creek View Lane | Roswell, GA 30075

The Phony Groveway Controversy

It has come to our attention that a group of citizens are raising a signficant amount of opposition to the proposed Groveway Hybrid Form Based Code.  We have written about this code previously (here and here) and support the effort to revitalize one of the most neglected parts of our city by engaging the community, updating the zoning into the 21st century and giving those citizens the neighborhood design they desire.

The opposition is making false claims about the potential for large numbers of apartments and retail space.  The claim is that through hyper development in this area, our city will suffer reduced quality of life, more traffic congestion, degrading school quality and several other social ills.  Additionally, there is concern that this is being fast tracked by council.

The facts show that these claims just aren't true.  The city made an official response, posted below, to the initial email that addresses the claims very well.  We have chosen to not post the original email as it contains several factual inaccuracies that could further confuse the public.  Please consider sending an email to the mayor city council voicing your support. 

• mayorwood@roswellgov.com  
• ndiamond@roswellgov.com
• rdippolito@roswellgov.com
• kigleheart@roswellgov.com
• Jorlans@roswellgov.com
• bprice@roswellgov.com
• bwynn@roswellgov.com

If you can, please try to come out to the City Council Meeting Monday evening (4/9) at City Hall and show your support.  Here's the city's response:  

You recently received an email containing a letter written by ........ concerning the Groveway Community project. There are many inaccuracies in this letter pertaining to this project, and the City of Roswell would like to give you the correct information. 

Groveway Project Process

This project is not being fast tracked. It has gone through a thorough, painstaking process which began back in 2008 with the City receiving a grant from the Atlanta Regional Commission to study the area for redevelopment.  From 2008 until today, the City has involved the community and stakeholders from day one. The Groveway project has been a community-driven effort with multiple meetings for citizen input. The City has held a two-day charrette with citizens, four community meetings and 17 Groveway Stakeholder committee meetings following the charrette. The result is a community vision and comprehensive plan for Groveway: A mixed-use zoning code overlay that will re-create the area, making it a vibrant part of our city. Please visit the timeline for this project to see how it has progressed over the years.http://www.roswellgov.com/DocumentView.aspx?DID=2351

Apartments

The maximum number of apartments that could be built in Groveway is 2,800 but realistically that number is not likely to exceed 1,500. The Groveway project is a mixed-used development which means there will be single family homes, multi-family homes (apartments/townhomes), commercial and retail. To achieve 4,000 apartments, every piece of land in Groveway would need to be developed into five-story apartment complexes. That would include the City Hall property, the Cultural Arts Center, the Police Department, the Library, the Child Development Association, Pleasant Hill Church, the AT&T building, the cemetery and Waller Park. That is just not going to happen.

In addition, the Groveway hybrid form-based code does not allow for five-story buildings everywhere. Five-story buildings are allowed only on the primary streets of Atlanta, Oak, Hill, Norcross, and Frazier. Secondary streets in the community are allowed only three-story buildings. Currently there are approximately 400 apartments in the GrovewayCommunity. Realistically Groveway will be redeveloped into a community with homes, townhomes, apartments, retail and commercial…a balanced approach. 

Retail

There will not be 1,782,000 square-feet of retail space developed in the Groveway Community. Again to achieve this level of retail, every parcel in Groveway would need to be retail, and that is not realistic. That would include the City Hall property, the Cultural Arts Center, the Police Department, the Library, the Child Development Association, Pleasant Hill Church, the AT&T building, the cemetery and Waller Park. Again, that is just not going to happen. In addition, the Groveway Community is on a grid system and the size of the land parcels does not allow an assemblage of land large enough to support that much retail. This is a mixed-use development not solely a retail development.

Transferable to other areas of Roswell 

 The Groveway Community Hybrid Form-Based Code Regulations have been created through a community effort for theGroveway Community and nowhere else. If other communities in our wonderful City would like to redevelop their areas, a similar process would need to take place. The residents and stakeholders of the community would need to be engaged and drive the process from the very beginning to its fruition, and Roswell’s Mayor and Council would need to approve the final plan.

Infrastructure Improvements

Necessary infrastructure improvements would be required through the redevelopment of the properties in addition to developers paying impact fees for improvements. This is a live, work, play, walkable community where people will walk to the stores, restaurants and parks similar to those who live in the Canton Street area.

The Groveway project is a community vision of what this area of our city could be – a thriving, vibrant neighborhood for our community. To read more about the Groveway project, we encourage you to visit http://www.roswellgov.com/index.aspx?NID=1435.