Archive for the 'Local Information' Category
An Update on Some North Fulton Projects
categories: Local Information, Miscellaneous
Prospect Park on Old Milton Parkway
We may soon see a completion of Westside Parkway (yeah) if the bank (Wells Fargo) that has now taken ownership of the property will release that part of the property to the city so the parkway can be completed. I suspect this will happen.
Bethany Bend High School
OK, that won’t necessarily be the actual name of the school, the final name will be fought over…. I mean decided at some point in the future. But, work has started with some clearing of trees along Bethany. It’s nothing to get excited about yet but the project will remain on track for the 2012 school year. You can follow the project along on the Fulton County Schools site and I’ll post periodic updates on this blog. The biggest question is the district lines, that won’t be decided until Fall of 2011 / Spring of 2012, just prior to the new school year.
The following are current projects by the North Fulton Community Improvement District
Windward Parkway Right-Turn Lane at GA 400 Off-Ramp
This project is projected to be completed early in 2011 and is an expansion of the Georgia Highway 400 off-ramp at Windward Parkway. The plan is to add a right-turn lane from the Windward Pkwy off-ramp to Northpoint Pkwy, along Windward Pkwy in order to alleviate congestion at that interchange. Over 168,000 cars pass through there every day.
Windward Parkway Landscaping
The North Fulton CID has granted $1.2M for stone walls and extensive landscaping at the Windward Pkwy / GA 400 intersection. Much like what was done at Mansell and GA 400. However, this is a bigger intersection and will be much more extensive, with stone walls on all four corners of the interchange. Three years of maintenance will be included with the project, then the Windward Business Association, who is partnered in this project, will take over. A great improvement for the community. Project completion should be Spring 2011.
Mansell Road Triple-Left-Turn-Lane
A triple-left-turn will be created, providing eased traffic flow from Mansell onto Northpoint Pkwy. For those of us that try to avoid the mall, you may not ever see this, but you can rest assured that your teenage drivers have easier access to Mecca 
Here are some future projects by the North Fulton CID:
- Northern Suburbs Comprehensive Transit Feasibility Study
- Encore Parkway Corridor Improvements
- Key Corridor Signal Timing
- Old Milton Parkway Landscaping
- Old Milton Parkway Streetscape
Providence Rd. / Birmingham Rd. Intersection and Arnold Mill / New Providence Intersection
I wrote about these intersections in Milton back in April. They are still on track. The federal funds are in place and the conceptual plan is completed. The city is awaiting final approval from GDOT and then work will start early 2012.
Intersection of Cogburn / Francis / Hopewell
I thought this was simply a matter of stopping the blinking light and making that traffic light operate normally, but it’s apparently more complicated than that. This intersection was approved in the recent budget for a possible re-design. This could be a round-about or simply a property traffic-light system, but the planning will begin this fall. Stay tuned….
Posted by Bob Strader | Currently 1 Comment »
Georgia DOT and City of Alpharetta Plan Improvements to Highway 9, Eventually
categories: Alpharetta Real Estate, Local Information
Last week the GaDOT and representatives with the City of Alpharetta had a Public Information Open House for residents interested in finding more about the proposed improvements to Hwy 9 / South Main Street / Cumming Hwy. The proposal is to widen Route 9 from Upper Hembree Rd. to Windward Parkway.
Some how I missed the proposed budget for this project but my understanding is that the money is already set aside for DOT projects and it’s only a question of getting approval for this particular plan. Of course, I’m biased, but I think something like this is exactly what Downtown Alpharetta needs, it’s just too bad it wasn’t coinciding with the once -proposed City Center.
The improvements will include
- Two travel lanes in each direction
- A raised median
- Additional turn lanes
- Improved intersections
- Reconfigured side roads
- Traffic and pedestrian signal upgrades
- Sidewalk and bicycle lanes as well as other safety and operational improvements
The proposed project intends to provide a continuous roadway through the entire corridor but sidewalks and bike paths will be intermittent throughout the entire project. There will be 11-foot travel lanes, a 17-foot raised grass landscaped median, 4-foot bicycle lanes in each direction, 11.5-foot shoulders with curb and gutter, 2 -foot landscape strip and 5-foot sidewalks.
The unfortunate aspect is that with projects this large, the results will be a long way off. If approved the project will start in 2013 with right-of-ways and the bulk of the project will be done in 2014. This is a project that will make the downtown Alpharetta area more pedestrian and bicycle friendly - a huge plus for residents and downtown businesses alike.
As you can see from the artists rendering, there will be street benches, ornamental roadway lighting and better signage. This all goes towards improving our city and creating a sense of place for Downtown Alpharetta. Let us know what you think about this project or other improvements the City isn’t focusing on.
Posted by Bob Strader | Currently 2 Comments »
Milton Plans for Intersection Redeisgns at Birmingham, Providence and Arnold Mill
categories: Local Information
If you’ve ever driven through either of these intersections then you know how hard it can be to navigate, even with modest traffic.
Providence / Birmingham / New Providence
The first intersection in question is where Providence Rd., New Providence Rd. and Birmingham Highway meet (well, sort of meet). Most people trying to cross Birmingham have to turn onto the road and then stop and turn a signal on, because there is a dog-leg rather than a straight crossing. That coupled with the fact that there isn’t a traffic light add up to a real pain-in-the-butt intersection every resident in the area is very familiar with.
The DOT’s proposed plan, as you can see above, is to bring the intersection for New Providence slightly south and the Providence intersection slightly north, and then install a roundabout.
The roundabout will allow traffic to keep moving and also slow the speed of traffic heading north and south on Birmingham Highway, which is probably good unless you’re in a hurry. This is the preferred design, but there are 4 alternative designs suggested, they are:
1. Realign the intersection 500′ north and signalize
2. Realign the intersection 500′ north and add roundabout there
3. Realign the intersection 500′ north and signalize at 35 mph
4. Split the interchange completely
New Providence / SR 140 Arnold Mill
The biggest issue with this intersection is that is lacks a light, so turning south on Arnold Mill is a real problem. The DOT’s plan here is to realign the intersection 140′ west and signalize the intersection. In addition to this, the DOT plans to add a separate right turn lane on westbound Arnold Mill and the plans call for a 4′ on street bike lane, something we need much more of everywhere.
Again, this plan is the preferred design but there are 3 other alternatives, which are:
1. Realign the intersection 700′ west and signalize
2. Install a roundabout in the current location
3. Reroute traffic to Cox Rd and cul-de-sac New Providence
These aren’t the only intersections with issues in Milton. Where Bethany/Hopewell/Bethany meet comes to mind, as well as the perpetually blinking light at the intersection of Hopewell/Cogburn/Francis - which is a study in how many drivers really don’t know how to handle a 4-way stop.
For more information you can check out these in larger format at www.miltonintersectionprojects.com or visit City Hall on Deerfield where they will be on display for 10 more days. You can also fill out a comment card to have your voice heard for both of these.
Posted by Bob Strader | Currently 1 Comment »
Why We Need to Become Milton County
categories: Alpharetta Real Estate, Johns Creek Real Estate, Local Information, Milton Real Estate
Another hurdle was cleared last week when the bill, HR 21, passed through the State Planning and Community Affairs Committee. The next step is to clear the House Rules Committee and the House of Representatives - a two-thirds majority required. Jan Jones, a Milton resident and the House Speaker Pro Tem has been a driving force in re-creating Milton County and has been instrumental in getting the issue this far to date.
I won’t go through the history of how Milton became part of Fulton county, if you’re familiar with the issue at all you’ve read about it already. What I do want to discuss is why I believe we should become Milton County again. There are two main issues that drive the decision, those are: Tax dollars and Services. However, I think the School System and Property Values are other important reasons for Milton County.
The Funding of Dysfunction
Tax dollars and Services are linked and the return on our investment is inadequate. For far too long our tax dollars have helped to fund mis-managed Atlanta services that continue to get worse rather than better. Water systems in shambles and a tax assessment process that is incapable and incompetent. How can they operate for 15 years without updated assessments on commercial property? Jan Jones pointed out in a recent AJC article that "In 2008, audits showed the county had no asset inventory, no oversight of purchasing and tracking and an inability to locate roughly $160 million in asset purchase".
Fulton County has seven commissioners managing a county 80 miles long with a population larger than six different states. There is a reason that the cities of Sandy Springs, Johns Creek and Milton formed - greater local control. There is no local control within Fulton. I want to see business locate in Atlanta and to see the city thrive, but not by extending it’s reach further out into the suburbs to for more tax dollars.
Head of the Class
It’s been all over the news, massive layoffs and budget cuts for Fulton County Schools. Certainly, the budget issues aren’t limited to Fulton. Gwinnett, DeKalb, Cobb and others are all facing budget shortfalls from the State. But there are some counties that have been able to mitigate the impact of those cuts, Forsyth County for example. While they will also receive fewer funds from the State, Forsyth County Schools won’t be laying off hundreds of teachers and cutting school programs.
As a Realtor who lives and works in North Fulton, I can attest to the high demand that home buyers have for North Fulton Schools. Our school system would only be better if we had more control, increasing higher demand and increasing property values.
The Rub
There is just one issue that hasn’t been discussed out there and it has to do with the cities in North Fulton. Would we need to have city services for Alpharetta, Milton, Roswell, Mountain Park, Johns Creek and Sandy Springs if the county of Milton were re-created? Should some of the cities merge? No doubt there would be overlap in services and costs could be contained. So, here is my question to you: If we become Milton County, should Alpharetta annex Milton? Should there be a Johns Creek? Do you even agree that we should become Milton County again?
Posted by Bob Strader | Currently 15 Comments »
Interview with Alpharetta City Councilman DC Aiken
categories: Alpharetta Real Estate, Local Information, Local Market Conditions
I had the opportunity to sit down with Alpharetta City Councilman DC Aiken and ask him about the city, how it is faring in the current economy, what projects are going on, what’s happining with Prospect Park and Westside Parkway and his take on the likleyhood of Milton County.
Part 1
Part 2
DC Aiken is an Alpharetta City Councilman and VP for SunTrust: www.suntrustmortgage.com/dcaiken
Posted by Bob Strader | Currently 2 Comments »
Updates on Some Alpharetta Projects
categories: Alpharetta Real Estate, Community Highlights, Local Information
Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak with David Belle Isle, along with a small group of Realtors who attended a gathering put on by Jack Berube of Berube & Company Realtors.
For those who may not know, Belle Isle is a sitting Alpharetta City Councilman and is currently running for State Senate in District 56 . During his short discussion he shared updates on a few Alpharetta City Projects.
Prospect Park
Yes, you know it well. The mud pit and concrete forest we see every time we drive down Old Milton Parkway. I don’t know how it got approved, although there are ideas being thrown around , but there it is. The question is, what’s the status? The developer, Stan Thomas, has filed for bankruptcy - to reorganize. Apparently his intent is to hold on to the property in hopes of developing it down the road. An idea that was thrown out in the discussion was to have something like The Inforum there. The Inforum is something along the lines of a multi-purpose facility with office space, convention center, theater, etc.
I’m a strong believer in property rights but a little eminent domain here might be the answer. How about a park or ball fields? Maybe someone should sneak down there and plant some kudzu, it will be covered in weeks!
Westside Parkway - When will it be finished?
See Prospect Park….The last section of Westside Parkway is tied up in the parcel that is the Prospect Park project. So, while it is in bankruptcy litigation there is nothing that can be done with the last few hundred feet of what will one day be a great way to avoid Hwy 400.
Windward Parkway / 400 Offramp
Apparently it was determined that a tremendous number of cars getting off of 400 onto Windward Pkwy and going east end up turning onto Northpoint Pkwy, so there is a plan to put a dedicated turn lane at the off ramp that will take those drivers directly to NP Parkway, alleviating a ton of congestion.
Oversupply of Strip Centers
Another thing we all notice as we drive around Alpharetta and Milton. The abundance of empty retail space is amazing but there are signs of improvement. Some properties have been purchased out of foreclosure, giving those new owners a much lower cost basis and allowing them to potentially fill retail space. Now, who’s betting on a couple more mattress stores.
The Alpharetta City Center Project
What was planned originally was a mixed use, pedestrian friendly project developed around a new City Hall. There were going to be office and restaurant space, civic facilities, retail and parking decks. The desire by the City Council to do this project is still there but we’ll have to wait for stronger financial times. The businesses that are downtown now have wanted a project like this and the community would strongly support it but until it happens we’ll continue to see business struggle. While two spaces downtown were filled by Digital Scientists and The Coffee Pot , we lost a fitness center and a lacrosse store.
Do you have anything to add about these projects or others? Let us know.
Posted by Bob Strader | Currently 4 Comments »
New Bethany High School Plans Introduced
categories: Alpharetta Real Estate, Local Affairs, Local Information, Milton Real Estate, Schools
If you didn’t have a chance to attend the community meeting last week to review the proposed site plans for a new high school in Milton, you will want to review the information below. This is a first draft, not a final proposal, that was shown to the community by the architects, CGLS Architects, and by Fulton County Schools. CGLS is the same firm that designed the new Johns Creek High School and due to the short time-frame that they have to finalize a design for the new high school, they will be working with something along the lines of the Johns Creek High School plans.
The site is located at the corner of Bethany Bend and Cogburn, across from Kings Ridge, on a 64.48 acre site. Approximately 25 of those acres will remain undisturbed due to some wetlands, stream buffers which flow intermittently, and an existing pond that will remain intact. It will take 24 months to build and will be open for the 2012 school year.
There were quite a few residents in attendance and many questions were brought up (no shortage of opinions by any means!), some of which I’ll share with you, but first I’ll give you the short list of what is proposed:
Key Points of Interest
- Enrollment: 1,900
- School size: 327,640 sq. ft
- 600 - 700 parking spaces for cars, 24 for buses
- 600 seat performing arts theater
- 200 seat gymnasium w/ raised 3-lane running track
- 5 tennis courts
- Baseball field w/ batting cages
- Sports stadium which will accommodate 2500 home and 1200 visitor attendees
- Softball field
- A separate practice field
- A band practice area
Student Population and Redistricting
I had to chuckle at the first question from the crowd when a gentleman stood up and asked "where on that plan will the trailers go?". As you probably know, trailers are an issue at some of the schools in North Fulton and certainly not unique to schools all around Atlanta. This is a local sore subject I mentioned in an earlier post regarding redistricting and trailers at Cogburn Woods . The answer was reassuring, and hopefully accurate. When this school opens and pulls students who would have otherwise attended Milton or Alpharetta High Schools, there will be no requirement for trailers at any of these schools for some time to come.
The last question led into the next obvious question regarding redistricting and who will be allowed to remain at the other schools. The answer is rising 10th, 11th and 12th grade students can choose to remain at the High School they are already attending but parents will have to provide transportation to that school. Redistricting meetings will take place in the spring of 2011 and the final lines will be drawn by August 2011. Families impacted by the redistricting will be notified by that winter and the spring of 2012. Fulton County Schools has a Redistricting page on their website for additional information.
Other Questions from the community
Another big question had to do with potential access from Hwy 9 in order to minimize traffic on Bethany and Cogburn. A good question but with all commercial property along that side of the school property it isn’t an option. However, the plan does provide for an entrance off both Bethany and Cogburn for drop-off and pick-up which will ease traffic concerns on those roads.
From there the questions ranged from wanting the school to have a look and feel that will mirror our rural, equestrian community to a concern over the distance from the locker rooms to the softball field. With no vehicle access to the softball field, kids will have to carry their equipment too far. Hmmm… maybe the school should be a barn and the kids can ride horses to the stadium.Ok, I’m just kidding….
Some of the other questions or comments had to to with: The cafeteria being too small to feed that many children, why isn’t there a swimming pool, why isn’t it a 3-story building instead of a 2-story building, will the school be built by Americans or illegal aliens, how long will it take to acquire books for the library, will the sports programs and band programs be in place at the beginning or be built from scratch. I have to give Katie Reeves, our district representative from Fulton County Schools, credit for breathing common sense back into the conversation when the discussion would go a little astray. As she pointed out, the principle is hired one year out from opening. Teachers, staff, sports and band programs and operations will all be worked out in advance in order to have a fully prepared and operating school from day one.
What about Money?
With declining tax revenues a question was raised about building costs. Katie Reeves pointed out that while SPLOST revenues were down over $6 Million, building and material costs were down significantly and would "save the day" allowing for the school to be built within budget. We were assured that teacher and staff salaries were in the budget when a question was raised about hiring quality teaches in light of the recent teaching layoffs and staff cuts. Oddly this was the only question of the night regarding education…
It’s great that we have such overwhelming community involvement from local parents and certainly you can’t please everyone but I’m sure the school will be something we will all be proud to have our children attend. You can see the full presentation from that evening on the Fulton County Schools site. If you missed the meeting and have some ideas about what was discussed we would like to hear from you. Tell us what your thoughts or concerns are. Or better yet, what do you think we should name this school?
Posted by Bob Strader | Currently No Comments »
Cogburn Woods Overcapacity: School Superintendent Loe Outlines Plan
categories: Alpharetta Real Estate, Local Information, Milton Real Estate, Schools
Tuesday night at the Milton High School auditorium Fulton County School Board Representative Katie Reeves and Superintendent Cindy Loe, PhD met with a group of concerned parents about the overcrowding at Cogburn Woods Elementary.
In light of the issue, it seemed to be a pretty small group of people who showed up but some of those that did show up expressed their frustration with the mistake. The issue centers on the fact that Cogburn Woods is over enrollment by 10.9%, all on the heels of a wide redistricting last year that should have prevented this. As you can see in the chart below, Manning Oaks Elementary is also over planned enrollment by 4.4%:
| Comparison of Enrollment - May 2009 to September 2009 and FY10 Projections | ||||
| School | FY09 End of Year | FY10 Month 1** | Forecast | Over/Under |
| Alpharetta | 760 | 711 | 717 | -0.8% |
| Birmingham Falls | N/A | 765 | 752 | 1.7% |
| Cogburn Woods | 952 | 1007 | 908 | 10.9% |
| Manning Oaks | 973 | 756 | 724 | 4.4% |
| Summit Hill | 1058 | 794 | 780 | 1.8% |
| **Official First Month Enrollment; 9/4/2009 | ||||
The issue occurred when school board planners under-estimated the number of students coming from apartments and new townhome communities close by; and in turn didn’t move enough students from Cogburn Woods to Summit Hill or Birmingham Falls - or moved too many students from Manning Oaks to Cogburn Woods. However, I have to take my hat off to Superintendent Loe for stepping up and stating, “the planning department is right on target with projections 99.9% of the time but in this case…we just plain blew it”. Anytime anyone in a position of responsibility takes ownership for a mistake I’m more inclined to trust a plan from them to correct the issue.
So, what is their plan? First I’ll tell you what it isn’t. There were a few calls for some students to be moved immediately so the total enrollment would be in line with original projections. Kudos to Katie Reeves for shutting down this suggestion right away. I think it’s safe to say it would solve the immediate problem but not one parent would want it to be their kids and we should never consider moving students in the middle of the year, disrupting their education.
The plan is two-fold; first parents in Cogburn Woods would be offered an opportunity to apply for hardship transfers if they feel the overcrowding is effecting their child. Hardship applicants would be given a first-come first-served option at moving their child to Summit Hill or Birmingham Falls ONLY if slots exist as no additional teachers would be staffed to accommodate this. Those parents would also be responsible for getting their children to and from school.
Secondly, the school board planners would re-evaluate student population and projections in December / January and a meeting would be scheduled after that so the community could hear the proposal for some small adjustment / redistricting for Cogburn Woods and Manning Oaks. However, this is problematic as both schools are over enrolled and are in a high growth area. Some parents attending made suggestions that student enrollment at Summit Hill and Birmingham Falls would need to be included in that evaluation as well. I agree with this as the over enrollment issue for Cogburn shouldn’t simply be pushed back on Manning Oaks.
This is a sensitive issue for all parents involved but a question comes to mind and I wonder what others think about this. There are some classes at Summit Hill that have more than 25 kids becasue they didn’t have quite enough kids in a particulare grade to warrant an additional class. Cogburn Woods as a whole is over enrolled but their class sizes are 25 or less. Which situation is worse? An over crowded school with appropriate class sizes or an under enrolled school with some larger class sizes?
Posted by Bob Strader | Currently 2 Comments »
