Watch Video of Council Voting to Ax 65 Trees
On June 18, 2012, Alpharetta City Council voted to approve a plan which will remove about 65 specimen trees at the new City Center. That's a lot. And citizens of Alpharetta like trees. Older trees. Established trees. Tall trees.
As Alpharetta Natural Resources Commissioner Steve Usry said last Tuesday night, "If a city council in Destin, Florida told the citizens it was going to build a city center that encroached upon the beach, there would be a public outcry." Think about it folks: we don't have the white, sandy beaches of of the gulf or really much of any natural feature to speak of.....except.....trees. (Thanks, D.S.)
Would you like to hear, watch and see City Council's discussion about this decision to remove these specimen trees? Then click this link. Or, likewise, simply go to the city website and click on "Agendas and Summaries" and then find the June 18, 2012 meeting video. Begin watching the video at about 1:13:30 and watch it through 1:16:30.
It is necessary for me to post this since at least one of these Councilmen cannot even remember this discussion about the trees. That says a lot, doesn't it? I guess I need to remind them when they had this discussion to ax 65 trees.
To quote the gist of the conversation that night, I believe it is Councilman Jim Gilvin who asks, "I roughly counted about 65 specimen trees on this diagram and I think there are about 15 that may survive this project." He goes on to say, "Councilman Kennedy will tell you that if a developer walked in here and asked to do this he'd walk right out of here.....I wonder if we spent enough time trying to preserve what is already there."
Thank you for that Councilman Gilvin. But your question was unanswered and your efforts were in vain as no other Councilman had any comments about the trees and the vote on the plan was affirmative, which removes these specimen trees.
Bob Pepalis
6:05 am on Saturday, July 21, 2012
Councilman Gilvin's comments are clear in the video. From what he's told in the recording, had the Atlanta-Fulton County Library not wanted to shift its building on the site, even more specimen trees would be lost in the site plan approved by City Council. I had to watch the video also, because I was on vacation that week and missed the meeting.
Loretta Paraguassu
9:25 am on Saturday, July 21, 2012
It grieves me to learn that so many specimen trees will be sacrificed. They are part of our ecosystem, home to birds and small animals, a source of life and breath to all of us. The comfort and beauty offered by trees cannot be replaced by buildings. As our climate change proceeds, we will need their shade even more than we do now. The removal of these monuments of nature is short sighted to say the least.
Julie Hogg
9:28 am on Saturday, July 21, 2012
Just received a private email from a Council member who chastised me for not calling him with my concerns rather than writing these blogs. Says the door is still open. This is ironic to me since each of these Council members, with the possible exception of Jim Gilvin, failed to contact each of their respective ANRC Commissioners to discuss changes to the tree save plan at new, new City Center. Again, fellas, the onus is on you to follow the proper legal flow of the UDC. You can take ANRC recommendations or not take them, but the onus is on you to contact them.
Lee at rootsinalpharetta.com
11:02 pm on Sunday, July 22, 2012
I'll bet I know who this councilman is. I've received similar emails after taking the city to task on my blog.
There's a lot not to like about the downtown plan. It's disturbing that the city moved this master plan through so quickly and with minimal dialogue.
Travis Allen
10:25 am on Saturday, July 21, 2012
Call him for a private conversation? This is a public matter!
I don't know which council person it was, but that is SHADY at best...
No Name
11:01 am on Saturday, July 21, 2012
If you listen to the rest of the meeting you will also find that Councilman Gilvin raised the issue of the lack of handicapped parking and service areas for the City Hall building. There was discussion but no concrete resolution. What if once we get into the project they need even more space to accommodate those needs? Will it come out of the commercial space? Or will it come out of the park space? We all know the answer! How many more trees will that take?
Also with the heavy grading required for the City Hall, the root system of all the trees is likely to be damaged and we will end up with NO trees. If they move the City Hall out of the park space as it is supposed to be legally and according to what was sold to the voters, all of these issues disappear.
MOVE CITY HALL OUT OF THE PARK!
Paula Milliard
11:01 am on Saturday, July 21, 2012
This City Center Plan is so different from the origional rendering. I was naive to think trees were protected in the origional plan. Clearly some of these council members think it is their legal right to alter the plans at will. Isn't that the old patriarchal view, 'I know what is best for you, don't worry your pretty little head'.
Council: all men in their 40's and 50's. Feeling their power, telling us what is best for us. Mis-stating, minimizing, omitting all for the greater good....theirs.
I don't think they have the sophistication to know what is a livable, focused design plan that meets this communities priorities.
No Name
11:58 am on Saturday, July 21, 2012
On a robocall from Councilman Gilvin before the election, his vision was not anti-growth but for responsible growth. He said he wanted to see treetops, not building tops. I voted for him because of that. Thank you for honoring your campaign promise. Thank you for at least asking the right questions and voting the right way even if it is only one vote. I am embarrassed by some of my other votes.
Truthseeker
2:06 pm on Saturday, July 21, 2012
Paula, I think the newly appointed council members and Mayor forgot what happened to the one and done Cheryl Oaks. She never met a rezoning application, high rise or increase in density she didn't like. She was also an elitist who thought she was smarter than Alpharetta residents. During the election she actually had the nerve to try and deceive residents about her voting record.
As for the current crop of elitists. The good news is we can work hard to get rid of them in the next election. Are you listening Mayor and council? We will donate and support your opponents. I did, I talked to everyone I could about Cheryl Oaks poor votes and that Jim Gilvin was running against her. I put a Jim Gilvin sign in my yard.
Unfortunately we are stuck with their bad decisions that will continue to negatively impact Alpharetta forever.
Paula Milliard
2:22 pm on Saturday, July 21, 2012
Truthseeker, I think we need to stop the current City Center now, redesign and vote again. Waiting for an election is too late. The trees need to be saved now.
Loretta Paraguassu
11:06 am on Saturday, July 21, 2012
I would be the first to vote that the buildings be moved OUT OF THE PARK SPACE!
If there were a referendum, I am positive that the city council's plan would not fly. Adding more ugly to this city is not what we need. I'd like to know who is going to profit from this construction. It's sending up very ominous red flags for me. Anyone else?
Paula Milliard
11:10 am on Saturday, July 21, 2012
Yes! and we need to halt it before it goes any further.
Loretta Paraguassu
11:12 am on Saturday, July 21, 2012
Thank you, Paula, for your comments about the men who are feeling invincible, unaware of the aging process. If they left the trees, it is likely the trees would outlive those voting to destroy them. If the buildings go up as planned, they may not last as long as the trees might have, at least not without normal decay. From the long view, it is a sad picture. We do need a park and trees much more than we need more buildings.
JAH
11:32 am on Saturday, July 21, 2012
"Just received a private email from a Council member who chastised me for not calling him with my concerns rather than writing these blogs."
Julie, please continue to shine light on the dark corners of Alpharetta Council and Mayoral proceedings. As Travis Allen wrote, this is a public matter!
I'm embarrassed to say that I voted for those in office. I'll make a point to recitfy that next time in the booth.
Loretta Paraguassu
1:27 pm on Saturday, July 21, 2012
Before you even get to the booth, it's important to select the right candidates. It takes work, but it's worth it. Otherwise, we end up with what we've got -- people who do not share our values and don't care how it affects us.
Loretta Paraguassu
2:40 pm on Saturday, July 21, 2012
Julie, I agree. It's not easy to be in public office and have to fend off criticism. At first blush it is easy to blame the decision makers. On second thought, I realize that it is very easy to listen to a slick presentation and be convinced. There are people out there who are so good at selling their product whatever it might be. In this case, I hope the councilmen will step back and reconsider. Instead of listening to only the line presented by the packagers, look at the package. The idea of a park is an important one, a center where Alpharetta can have a central gathering place for our community. The trees are an important part of it. In a sense, it is what will make this house a home. We have them, we love them and we need them.
Paula Milliard
2:52 pm on Saturday, July 21, 2012
That's inexcusable. Their inexperience is clear by their actions. It looks to like they tried to copy Avalon and NAP. However the downtown plans came out looking like a half college campus and half government buildings without adequate parking.
If I had to guess, I'd say the architectural firm is embarrassed over the design.
No Name
3:10 pm on Saturday, July 21, 2012
Oh no, that's not true. The Master Plan shows plenty of parking.
454 spots in the parking deck paid for by bond $ +
637 additional spots in a future deck +
153 additional spots in a future deck off Academy St +
174 spots on the street
That is a total of 1418 parking spots in the Master Plan. (That may have changed slightly once the plan was tweaked at the end -- we don't know what the total plan represents b/c Council refused to reveal to the public what was in the Master Plan that they voted on that night.) There is plenty of parking for able-bodied people, just none dedicated for the elderly and disabled who may want to pay a bill in person at City Hall. There were a couple of flippant suggestions but no firm commitments. You can hear all this for yourself in the video.
Once they grade the land and put in the infrastructure for the outparcels, it will be too late to change it. If there are any additional needs for City Hall service areas (deliveries, trash pickup) and handicapped parking, it will likely come out of the remaining park space.
Paula Milliard
3:17 pm on Saturday, July 21, 2012
No Name, yes, you are absolutely right. I ment handicapped parking.
No Name
3:26 pm on Saturday, July 21, 2012
The architectural firm does what it gets paid to do. It is a well-respected top drawer DC firm capable of producing a good plan. They are not the problem. They should have walked away rather than putting their name on this.
Loretta Paraguassu
3:08 pm on Saturday, July 21, 2012
And I'd say some people are pleased as long as they get paid and don't really care. That's the risk we run.
Paula Milliard
3:41 pm on Saturday, July 21, 2012
No Name, you are right again, they are a top design firm. It looks like they have had to rework the plans so much for the council that the design lost its focus.