Roswell approves mixed-use development near downtown
Roswell has adopted a plan residents say will either rescue a depressed neighborhood or create a spectacular slum for the future.
The City Council late Monday established a hybrid “form-based” zoning plan for the Groveway Community, a four-square-block area near Ga. 9 that will provide mixed uses for land and buildings. The area, which surrounds City Hall, lies in the city's Opportunity Zone, a designation with 15 percent or greater poverty. The designation opens the area up to tax breaks for employers.
The project was the culmination of more than four years of community meetings and planning, city officials said. It calls for a mix of apartments and single-family residential, commercial and office uses. It also allows conditional approval for some light industrial uses, such as print shops and distribution centers.
Form-based zoning establishes a standard for buildings and properties in an area. It includes setbacks, building materials and the general appearance of the community. The rest is flexible.
Groveway currently includes government-subsidized apartments for more than 100 low-income residents. The plan calls for continuing those accommodations in upgraded buildings.
More than 100 residents turned out for Monday's meeting, and more than a dozen spoke about what the project would mean to the city.
Resident Mike Lowry said the Groveway area is in need of improvements, but adding more apartments will only bring about decline. He questioned form-based zoning as an open invitation to developers to build anything they want and doubted the draw of a mixed-use development.
"I have no desire to live in a live-work-play community," he said.
But local architect Lew Oliver said the project would promote pedestrian travel and draw young and old alike. He also addressed the apartment issue head-on.
"The problem with our rentals in Roswell is they're uninhabitable," he said. "We intend to see a beautiful neighborhood."
City Councilman Kent Igleheart cast the lone dissent in the council's 5-1 vote, which occurred after nearly two hours of debate. Igleheart said he wanted more specifics and to guard against an open-ended development where no one knows what's coming next.
