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Redevelopment

Post 4 is an At-Large council seat, serving the entire city, versus a District seat, that represents a specific area of the city. District 1, currently represented by Phil Sadd, encompasses Winters Chapel, outer Peachtree Corners Circle, Holcomb Bridge Road and Mechanicsville. I mention this, as there has been some concern expressed about conditions in these communities.

While the focus of the city appears to have been on the development of our Town Center and revitalization of Technology Park as an Innovation Hub, these initiatives will benefit the entire city. Once Town Center is completed, everyone will be able to enjoy events on the Town Green as well as enhanced shopping and dining. The improvements in Tech Park will generate jobs that can be filled by people who live throughout the city. Both will attract developers who will look for opportunities in the city.

We also have multiple initiatives specifically for District 1. Of the seven studies and plans we have done to date, three are in that area.

The first was the Winters Chapel Corridor Study that was done jointly with the city of Dunwoody. It identified improvements that the two cities could make to improve the appearance and walkability of the Winters Chapel area. Sidewalks have been added along with benches and landscaping. More are planned.

The second was the Holcomb Bridge Road Study, encompassing the areas along Holcomb Bridge Road and Peachtree Corners Circle. It identified current issues with recommendations for improving the area overall; including trails (one along outer Peachtree Corners Circle), pocket parks, sidewalks and road improvements. The Spalding Drive widening from Holcomb Bridge to Winters Chapel is now in the study phase and could be fully implemented in three to four years.

The final study was the Redevelopment Strategies for Aging Commercial Properties. Among the recommendations was modifying our zoning code to encourage redevelopment in the area. We did modify our codes to match the recommendation.

Our efforts, through code enforcement and apartment sweeps have helped to bring that area back to a good standard. However, an unintended consequence was the turnover of quite a few complexes. This resulted in serious upgrades to the units, higher rents, and a better clientele. The apartments are almost 100% rented, resulting in steady cash flows to their owners. We are aware of a developer recently that attempted to purchase properties to redevelop them and the owners would not sell!

We have also made improvements in Mechanicsville, resurfacing roads and implementing code sweeps to clean up residential, commercial and industrial properties there.

The Mayor, Council and staff continue to promote redevelopment in District 1. We have implemented incentives to attract developers, identified projects to improve the area, and are constantly searching for other means to bring this area back to a vibrant, thriving community.

The rejuvenation of this area is a long term and complex process. Part of this is attracting new development. `Once Town Center comes on-line, our initial trails are developed, and jobs are added, Peachtree Corners will become even more attractive to developers. Developers will look for cost-effective opportunities to develop and the District 1 area will become a very hot property!!


Committee to Elect Jeanne Aulbach
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