Alpharetta will ask residents to pay $29 million over the next 30 years for a massive downtown overhaul that includes a new City Hall and library on 22 acres.
The city center project, unveiled Monday night before a gathering of about 30 residents, also calls for a large park, a parking deck and green space for possible future development. Tentative plans call for a November bond referendum.
The concept drawings dazzled resident David Paul, who lives a block from Main Street. "We're living in a townhouse in Victory Square, and I'd like to see a walkable downtown with restaurants and shops," he said. "I think this will spark that development."
Another resident, Mark Hamlin, took a close look at the architect's drawings. "I'm generally excited to see this moving forward," he said.
Mayor Arthur Letchas said the project was the culmination of years of work acquiring land and waiting for all the pieces to fall into place. A similar downtown proposal that fell apart four years ago called for the city to partner with private developers to revamp a nine-acre section of Main Street and replace the current City Hall.
The new proposal has no private partnerships. All the land is city-owned. The city paid $4.5 million for the final eight acres acquired over the past year.
"We can take on those bonds, can make this project happen, without increasing taxes,” Letchas said. "Alpharetta [residents] can make this vision happen without paying a dime more in taxes than they do today.”
The city is set to make a final payment on a previous bond issue. Residents pay $7 million a year in bond debt, but that will drop to $2 million after this year. That leaves the door open for voters to consider a new bond with similar payments.
Councilman D.C. Aiken, who voted against the last city center plan, said this new proposal gives residents more control over downtown and will serve as a catalyst for future growth.
"I think it will be a showpiece for the metropolitan Atlanta area," Aiken said. "It will show that a little patience is going to pay off."
There are still a few details the city must iron out.
For example, the Atlanta-Fulton County Library System has final say on the location of Alpharetta's new, 25,000-square-foot branch. But city officials say they are offering three acres downtown free of charge, an offer they feel confident won't be ignored.
The city also must consider how it will manage the land set aside for possible future development.
Councilman Mike Kennedy, who oversees economic development, said he doesn't know whether the lots will be sold or leased, but the process will take into consideration existing downtown businesses.
Plans also call for moving Haynes Bridge Road farther to the east to establish a contiguous campus.
The current City Hall at 2 S. Main St. was built in 1956 when Alpharetta had 1,300 residents; it now has 57,551. Municipal government has outgrown the building and now leases office space outside of downtown.
The city plans to hold public hearings on the proposal and has opened space on its website, alpharetta.ga.us, for citizen comments.
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