Roswell Moves Forward with Groveway Community Redesign

The future is now and a new vision for Roswell's historic district is on its way to being realized with Monday night's approval of a zoning amendment for the redesign of the Groveway community using a hybrid form-based planning code - which sets a new precedent for the metro area in achieving community design.

It's been nearly five years since the city received study funding for a Livable Centers Initiative from the Atlanta Regional Commission and first began tossing around the concept of an "arts village" in the portion of the historic district bordered by Norcross Street, Atlanta Street and Oxbo Road. The first reading of the amendment takes tentative steps toward future mixed use and residential development in the area.

(For specific details of the proposed zoning amendment, see attached PDF)

"This code is going to allow for the creation of a true community," said Lou Oliver, Roswell resident and urban planner.

SOCA owner Ralph Mills agreed, though he told council of his early concerns about the project and never thought it would actually come to fruition.

"This is something that people will come here to see," he said, referring to next week's planned trip for city leaders to visit Greenville in an effort to bring back ideas that could benefit Roswell.

Former city Councilman David Tolleson told the current council he was proud of what the city would accomplish through the document, but "the devil's in the details," he said. He cautioned them on overbuilding the city with apartments, instead of balancing planned structures with the possibly removal of structures in other areas.

"North Fulton as a whole might need more apartments, but Roswell doesn't," he said.

Several other speakers, including former city Councilwoman Paula Winiski, also cautioned the council on giving final approval to something with a towering height.

The initiative for one of the city's oldest and most historic areas has taken a curvy path, in that plans today aren't exactly what they were mulled in meetings two years ago or what they'll be when city staff takes into account council concerns and brings the amendment back for a second reading.

According to the approved amendment, the city's new form-based code takes a slightly different approach to achieving community design in several ways; it focuses on:

• Frontage types and building design, rather than structure use.
• Streetscape elements, landscaping and pedestrian areas as crucial building blocks of the community, which serve as the foundation for future development.
• Regulations presented by district - which are Neighborhood Mixed Use and Neighborhood Residential, in this case - while providing connections between the two to enhance mobility and create a cohesive design theme for the area.

City council relayed concerns regarding property line and height issue specifics within the lengthy zoning document to Planning & Zoning Director Brad Townsend, who will continue to iron out the details with the help of council during a to-be-determined work session next week. 

The amendment will come back before council April 9.