A divided Roswell City Council voted to move ahead Monday night on a center city redevelopment project plan some three years in the making.

The council voted 4-2 to accept consultant jB+a’s master plan for the City Green development that would link the city’s municipal complex east of Ga. 9 to Heart of Roswell park, the Canton Street commercial area west of the highway and other residential and commercial developments.

The council also signed off 4-2 on a $555,000 contract to design and engineer phase one of the project. City spokeswoman Julie Brechbill said the amount includes design of the actual green, a promenade allowing residents to walk from the city hall parking lot across Ga. 9 to Canton Street, bathrooms and landscaping in the southwest part of the project. The design work is expected to take nearly a year.

During discussion, several council and audience members praised the plan as providing a central gathering space, a solid investment in the city’s infrastructure and a catalyst for economic development, while opponents feared the development could negatively impact the Roswell city square and would result in relocation of a war memorial among other concerns.

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A rendering of the columbarium memorial that is estimated to be completed by next summer or fall in the southeast part of Oakland Cemetery, officials said. (Courtesy of Historic Oakland Foundation)

Credit: Historic Oakland Foundation