Alpharetta's residents got a glimpse of the future this week, filing past a color-coded map that represented the city's future land use plan, and it seemed that most people liked what they saw.
On Tuesday night, people pinpointed their residences to determine what their neighborhoods might resemble if the city's proposed 2030 plan is adopted later this year. Most of them asked questions of city staff and consultants, and came away satisfied.
"I think this is great," resident Richard Kramer said. "I'm glad we're moving forward and advancing our vision."
A Tuesday night open house, which drew more than 70 residents, was one of the first steps in finalizing Alpharetta's 2030 plan , a blueprint for future land use, transportation, natural resources and economic development. Some residents offered comments at the open house. Others were urged to visit the city's website, www.alpharetta.ga.us, to register an opinion.
The plan, scheduled for completion by the end of October, still had its detractors.
"This plan would add thousands of high-density residential units that will be a burden to our city services, traffic, schools and water resources," resident Tom Miller said. "This would be a major change to our quality of life."
Land use The city is joining with the Alpharetta Development Authority to create a separate economic development strategy, which will become a subset of the 2030 plan. . That $100,000 study is scheduled for completion in May.
Proposed changes in land use under the 2030 plan include creating a new designation for "mixed use," areas that could incorporate residential, office and retail. The city already has several areas zoned for mixed use, most recently the MetLife campus at Ga. 400 and Haynes Bridge Road.
The 2030 plan would add mixed-use designations to an area near North Point Mall.
"Zoning is different from land use," said Diana Wheeler, Alpharetta community development director. "We have a zoning category called mixed use, but we don't have a specific mixed-use designation."
The plan also identifies 14 "character areas," sections of the city with unique identities that are up for preservation. The idea behind this, Wheeler said, is to tailor suitable development in these areas.
Resident Mark McKeon said he is also concerned about preserving the city's character, and added that more mixed-use space could threaten the quality of life.
"I see a lot of irrational exuberance here," he said. "I think we're losing our sense of suburbia."
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