Alpharetta Reaches Agreements to Get Property for Last Section of Westside Parkway
With funds from the North Fulton CID, GDOT and impact credits, the city will be able to finish the last section of the north-south connecting road.
Alpharetta City Council passed a resolution Monday, Nov. 28, that OKs agreements between two property owners that control land on which the last stretch of Westside Parkway has been mostly built.
With a push led by City Councilman Chris Owens and negotiations by City Attorney Sam Thomas, Alpharetta will acquire the two properties. City Administrtor Bob Regus made the announcement at City Hall during Monday's council meeting.
By state requirements, the city has to advertise for proposals from contractors for 30 days before picking one to finish the road.
“The bottom line is that construction on the final stage of Westside Parkway will begin shortly after the first of the year,” said Mayor Arthur Letchas in a release handed out at the meeting.
North American Properties owns the larger portion, from Old Milton Parkway north. The last section is owned by Stan Thomas and never was part of company that owned Prospect Park–which went bankrupt before being built.
Now Avalon is being planned on the site, and North American Properties has been negotiating with the city for almost as long as it's owned the former Prospect Park site. The city tried to negotiate with the banks that foreclosed on the property before that.
Regus said the North Fulton Community Improvement District will contribute $789,000 toward acquisition of the property. Owens said the Georgia Department of Transportation promised more than $800,000 in construction money to help complete the road.
Impact fee credits will be given to North American Properties in exchange for right of way. Thomas said no promises were made to guarantee any rezoning for Avalon in exchange for the agreement.
"It has been almost exactly a year that we have been pounding away at this," said Councilman D.C. Aiken, who brought the proposal for the city to negotiate for the land to council with Owens.
Total length of Westside Parkway from Old Milton to Webb Bridge is 0.93 miles. The Ellman Tract encompasses approximately 0.17 miles and NAP encompasses the remaining portion. The right of way along Westside ranges from 120 feet to 132 feet.
Work needed:
Old Milton Parkway, specific improvements are included within the scope of work for the completion of Westside. These consist of a right turn lane onto Westside from Old Milton and installing dual left turn lanes on Old Milton onto Westside (traveling east and west). Other improvements consist of installing new mast arms and adding pedestrian improvements to cross Old Milton and Westside Parkway.
RON CARTER
11:56 am on Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Many thanks to City Council for following through so quickly on one of the issues that I espoused so often during the campaign; completing Westside Parkway. The next step is a resolution to reroute Highway 9. This will pave the way for us to control our Main Street and get our "pedestrian friendly downtown". Ron Carter
Thomas Eiswerth
8:36 pm on Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Lastyear there were public meetings on the proposal for reconstruction of Main St whichincluded a divider etc. What happens ot all of that? I support relocation of Rt 9 to Westiside and Deerfield, and keeping Main St - Main Street and Pedestrian friendly
eefieldand
Bob Pepalis
11:27 am on Wednesday, November 30, 2011
There is a survey online for local residents and businesses to make their opinions known about the road from Bethany Bend to Mayfield, and the areas to the east-which includes Deerfield Parkway. http://collage.questionform.com/public/Milton-Hwy-9-LCI-Compass-Survey. Also, Alpharetta has since started talking with the state about its ideas for Hwy. 9 in downtown to narrow lanes and add parallel parking on both sides.
Travis Allen
7:43 am on Wednesday, November 30, 2011
What happens to Main Street when you take all the traffic away? Won't that not only kill off some local merchants, but also cause a ripple effect all the way past Windward Parkway?
Donald Mitchell
10:19 pm on Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Travis, That is a great question. Much of the traffic that is adding to our congestion in the downtown area is destination traffic to and from work. Most of these cars are not shopping locally anyway during these hours. A lot of the vehicular traffic is coming from Cherokee and Forsyth Counties. As we seek to pursue more specialty shops and create a more vibrant downtown. It will become a destination location. This will be a tremendous draw for visitors to our historic business district. It will take time and effort and we must focus on recruitment and retention for businesses. It is necessary to alter traffic patterns in order to allow for greater pedestrian traffic in the downtown area. Speed limits will need to be lowered and the infill of other businesses will add to the overall appeal of our downtown. It is a process but the overall effect of altered traffic patterns is an integral part of the overall plan. Thanks, Donald Mitchell
No Name
5:44 pm on Thursday, December 1, 2011
Is there a target completion date?
It will be interesting to see by how much this alters downtown traffic patterns. Hopefully it is a noticeable difference. Northwest Milton and Cherokee traffic will not not likely utilize Westside though.
Donald Mitchell
7:19 am on Friday, December 2, 2011
Yes, there is a target date of March due to weather constraints. I think we all wish it could have been sooner but the temperature has to be above 40 degrees to pave the asphalt. The good news is the land issues are settled and we have the current mayor and council to thank for their work on this issue. Chris Owens and Pete Sechevich at engineering have all been very instrumental in making this happen. I know it cannot happen soon enough for everyone concerned. The city will be looking for a hopeful weather break to possibly get it done sooner.
Scott Bernarde
9:17 am on Friday, December 2, 2011
Comment emailed by Pete Sewczwicz, Director of Engineering and Public Works, City of Alpharetta:
Bob,
The City is currently working the Georgia Department of Transportation to finalize the necessary documents for improvements at the intersection of Old Milton Parkway (SR 120). Improvements consist of installing dual lefts in each direction at the intersection and installing new mast arms to accommodate the new lanes at the intersection. Once we receive the necessary approvals we will bid-out the project for construction. Unfortunately, I am unable to provide a timeline for construction due to weather constraints. During winter months it is difficult to plan to install asphalt due to the cold temperatures. What would normally take only a couple of weeks to complete could take several months due to poor weather. The City’s goal is to bid the project out and award a contract to a contractor to complete the project in a timely fashion.
Please let me know if you need any additional information. Thanks.
Branden Hayes
8:56 pm on Monday, January 16, 2012
Does the city have any plans for landscape barriers (trees, shrubs, etc) to give some privacy to the townhouses and apartments that are located alongside the section of Westside Parkway that is to be opened soon? Thanks.