An independent firm will study a section of Alpharetta’s South Main Street for ideas to create a walkable mixed-use corridor.
Kimley-Horn and Associates will conduct a study of South Main Street from Upper Hembree Road to Old Milton Parkway. Alpharetta City Council approved a $200,000 contract to the firm during a Feb. 7 meeting.
In a Monday email, Kathi Cook, Alpharetta director of community and economic development, said the study could last nine months and will include input from members of the community.
“This is a public process so there will be several opportunities for the public to provide input,” Cook said.
Residents in the area have said they want more development with public spaces, bicycle and pedestrian paths and interactive art, Cook added.
To help pay for the study, Alpharetta received a $160,000 grant through the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Livable Centers Initiative program. The city added $40,000.
Alpharetta’s existing downtown, which has been redeveloped in less than 10 years, has become a model for other communities in the region.
“...There are only two things you can see from the third floor balcony at City Hall that existed 10 years ago,” Mayor Jim Gilvin said during his State of the City address Tuesday. “The (First Baptist Church) and Smokejack (BBQ). Everything else has happened in the last 10 years.”