Since 1999, the developers, owners and investors within the Central DeKalb and, later, Fulton Community Improvement districts, have voluntarily contributed millions in additional property taxes to fund area transportation, infrastructure and quality of life improvements.
Our largest and most significant project to date lies just ahead, in the $1.1 billion reconstruction of the I-285/GA 400 interchange, and the simultaneous development of several miles of adjacent collector and distributor lanes, from Chamblee Dunwoody to Roswell roads along I-285 and from the Glenridge Connector to Spalding Drive along Georgia 400.
Road improvements on this scale are decades in the making, and require an almost perfect storm of need, federal, state and local funding, regional partnerships and innovative financing tools to bring them to completion.
We applaud recent efforts by Dunwoody Mayor Mike Davis, as well as the city of Dunwoody, to explore needs, routing and potential construction of an east-west connector, from Ashford Dunwoody Road through to Peachtree Dunwoody Road to assist with the coming congestion and traffic flow coming to a parcel now bound by I-285, Ashford Dunwoody and Peachtree Dunwoody Roads and Hammond Drive.
Already having approved zoning and entitlements, or currently under construction within this parcel, will be 2.5 million square feet of office and retail space for State Farm Insurance to house an estimated 8,000 employees; up to four new hotels with 1,350 rooms; and across Hammond and Perimeter Center Parkway, the High Street development is zoned for 3,000 residential units and another 800,000 square feet of office and retail space behind Perimeter Mall; all in addition to 700 newly opened apartments next door to an existing 645 multi-family units at Palisades off Hammond.
There has been some discussion about adding this partially underground Westside Connector to the distributor lane and connector portion of the I-285/GA 400 interchange project. While the PCIDs may ultimately support such a road’s development, considerable spade work must be completed first. Any road bed which connects to the federal highway system requires environmental impact review and assessment. This process alone can take more than two years.
Working closely with our partners at Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), MARTA, GRTA, and SRTA, as well as our three cities and local chambers of commerce, we are continually seeking options to finance and construct projects which improve area commute times and traffic flow.
There are several options available for this arterial roadway to be constructed as a completely local project by the City of Dunwoody. Just a few of those include municipal bonds, a regionalized Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax referendum (T-SPLOST) or perhaps the formation of a Tax Allocation District (TAD), as the city of Doraville is planning for funding area infrastructure and transportation improvements at The Assembly redevelopment of the former General Motors Doraville plant site nearby.
We will move forward with our top priority remaining the coming I-285/GA 400 Interchange Partnership, with an eye open for later opportunities to come as well.
Perimeter Center is the state’s largest office sub-market, as well as one of its fastest growing employment centers. Our challenges of moving people into and out of this area will continue indefinitely. Those projects which we choose to invest in will also support us becoming this region’s leading live-work-play destination.
Our track record of improvements have helped the Perimeter Center sub-market become the southeast’s Fortune 1000 address of choice, for both headquarters and major operation centers. Planning for future growth is underway now, and will include additional and future transportation projects. As an example, the city of Sandy Springs and the PATH Foundation are each contributing $1 million to extend the PATH 400 trails from Buckhead and Georgia 400 north to the Perimeter Center. These new bike paths will connect near the Dunwoody MARTA station, offering additional transportation options here at the Center as well as significantly enhancing the ever-expanding PATH network across Georgia.
All roads may not lead to our center, but we will remain at the crossroads of innovation and leadership, considering our options and always planning for our future.
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