If you missed the March 5th Community Meeting, PLEASE go to Menti.com; access code 23-56-46 and complete the poll. Deadline for poll responses is March 19, 2020. YOUR voice is needed.
On March 5, more than 200 residents came together and attended the North End Revitalization Community Input Meeting at City Hall.
Although the room was full, it sadly was underrepresented by residents who live in apartment communities in the city.
Just 5% of attendees lived in apartments, compared to 62% who lived in a single family home, townhome, or condo.
Here’s What Was Discussed
The slideshow presentation from the meeting is publicly available. You can download it below.
And, you can read the Sandy Springs Reporter’s coverage, here: http://bit.ly/38FbwIq.
TSW, the consulting firm contracted by the city, gave a brief overview of the project to come up with design ideas to be used as a model for mixed-use redevelopment.
The 4 underutilized shopping centers on the North End are:
- Big Lots Center (7300 Roswell Road)
- Northridge Shopping Center (8331-8371 Roswell Road)
- Loehmann’s Plaza (8610 Roswell Road)
- North River Shopping Center (8765-8897 Roswell Road)
Walkability of Roswell Road
The Walkability of Roswell Road was presented as a goal for future development.
TSW reported that the walk of 1.4 miles from Northridge Road to North River Shopping Center is unsafe because there are few ways to cross over Roswell Road.
This walk should normally take less than 30 minutes, but, because of traffic and curb cut-ins, it can take almost twice that amount of time.
Here’s How It Went Down
The main part of the evening involved attendees, arranged in circles of 12 people, offering individual and collective input about what they saw as being needed on the north end.
Each person was asked to write 5 ideas about what they wanted for redevelopment and post them on a board. You can add your own ideas, here: Menti.com. Just follow the aforementioned instructions.
These ideas were then organized into 5 categories. Each circle could produce 5 different categories, such as green-space, housing, restaurants, retail, recreation, transportation, river access etc. All of this input was then given to the facilitators.
Next, in a separate exercise, each person was asked to come up with 2 ideas about what they:
- Must Have on the North End;
- Would Like to Have on the North End;
- Do Not Want to Have on the North End
Similarly, you can submit your own ideas, here: Menti.com. Just follow the aforementioned instructions.
Each circle was asked to negotiate, and agree upon, 1-to-2 ideas for each of the three categories that would represent their circle. All of this information was then given to the facilitators for review, analysis, and reporting.
We will share any information that is released about the meetings findings when it becomes available.
Future Community Meetings
TSW announced that there will be several more community input opportunities in the future; they’re calling them “pop-ups”.
When Is The Next Meeting?
The next pop-up meeting is scheduled for:
WHEN: May 2, 2020
WHERE: City Springs Farmers’ Market and the Community Assistance Center
In addition, a second pop-up meeting is scheduled for:
WHEN: May 9, 2020
WHERE: Northridge Shopping Center
We will be sending out notices for these two dates in the weeks to come! Help us spread the word!
Here’s Our Overall Opinion
This was a fantastic first meeting; a great start to the discussion.
In the past, similar city run meetings have received much criticism, but lastThursday night’s meeting was equitable and well run. It makes us hopeful for the future.
These meetings are great opportunities for community members to get involved and let their voices be heard about decisions that affect them and their area.
We encourage everyone to attend these meetings so we can get an accurate representation of the opinions of actual residents in these affected areas.
