Alpharetta City Center Plans Save Tree, Enlarge Park
Answering concerns voiced by residents and some council members, the downtown development's architect reoriented a parking garage and a street in the latest site plan proposal.
UPDATED 4:45 p.m.: Watch the video to hear Architect David Schwarz explain why City Hall shouldn't be moved out of the Brooke Street Park area, and Jean Aldy show where trees will be saved and reforestation will occur.
The lead architect for Alpharetta's City Center revealed two proposed major changes to the downtown property's site plan that would save a large oak tree and enlarge the city park on the property to just over 5 acres.
The 450-space parking garage was shown reorinted to north-south to shift it away from a 48-50 inch oak tree. The shfit also moved a main pedestrian access point to the parking garage much closer to the City Hall and Alpharetta library branch locations, which was another concern voiced in prevoius updates at City Council meetings.
Check back here at Alpharetta-Milton Patch late today for updates to this story including video from last night's City Council meeting and images from the presentation showing these changes.
Residents have consistently said they were promised a 5-acre park when they voted on approving a $29 million bond referendum to fund the City Center plan in November 2011. By shifting the southern half of a road in the middle of the property to angle west, architect David Schwarz said the park's size increased to just over 5 acres and still provides the library's promised 3 acres of property.
To make these changes, one of four blocks of property considered as future commercial development sites was reduced, Schwarz confirmed. That lowers the entire commercial development possible on the City Center site.
J D Boothe
8:32 am on Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Gee I hope that one tree will increase my home value! Of course it will, yea! And I'm sure that it will not ever come down due to age,disease,storms. Folks a tree does not attract tax dollars, which maintain your police,fire , infrastructure and the like. It means so much ,plant a tree on your property.
Julie Hogg
5:10 pm on Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Trees do attract tax dollars as they do attract retail buyers as studies have shown. (cite: USDA Forest Service)
Rob Forrest
8:39 am on Tuesday, August 28, 2012
City hall should not be on the park side. It's an office building basically. It should be on one of the commercial tracts and there should be a mixed use building overlooking the park with a couple restaurants and retail/coffee/etc on the first floor with residential or maybe hotel above. Nicer view for residents/visitors above and the restaurants/retail serve park visitors easily making the park more worthwhile.
Julie Hogg
5:11 pm on Tuesday, August 28, 2012
nice idea Rob. I could see that...
Paula Milliard
10:15 am on Thursday, August 30, 2012
I like the changes the Architect, David Swhwarz has made. I agree that the city hall should stay where it is with the CC2 plan. City Hall shows prominently, handicapped parking was addressed, park space and tree preservation was accomplished. Retail was minimized in a quadrant that would have slow shopping foot traffic.