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A Microcosm of Alpharetta

November 24, 2011 in Reloville, Rootless, Suburban Life with 0 Comments

This year I’ve served on my church’s membership committee. Part of that responsibility was helping with several new member classes throughout the year. I underestimated how cool an experience this would be. I’m also surprised I haven’t written about this before. Perhaps Thanksgiving is a decent time reflect on it all.

If you could represent Alpharetta around one conference room table, a church new member class would be it. Sit back and listen as everyone breaks the ice. Hear the stories of how these families came to Alpharetta. Listen to their varied faith backgrounds. Here are a few stories I remember, with details obfuscated somewhat…

As would be expected in America’s #1 Reloville, nearly every family that joined isn’t from this area. I was perhaps most amazed with a couple in their late twenties. Alpharetta was their fourth destination in the reloville lottery, surprising for a career that still seemed new.

I met a grandmother who moved to Alpharetta to follow the relocated grandkids. There were road warrior sales guys with impressive Sky Miles balances. We had doctors, lawyers, architects, teachers and software geeks like yours truly.

A lot of couples were newlyweds. Several were also couples of either mixed race or nationality. Most had young children and mentioned schools as being a draw to Alpharetta. We had folks raised in nearly every mainline Christian denomination – Baptist, Methodist, Catholic and Presbyterian to name a few.

But at the end of each story, one theme seemed to cut through. Many were ready to lay down roots here in Alpharetta. Church membership is a great first step towards that goal.

I’m grateful to have participated in this process and I’m fortunate to have met several families who are setting tender new roots in this awesome community. Be thankful you live in Alpharetta.

Westside Parkway – It’s Complicated

October 17, 2011 in Politics, Suburban Life, Traffic with 4 Comments

“We should also complete Westside Parkway.”
“I will join the efforts to complete the opening of Westside Parkway.”
“(We should) complete Westside Parkway to improve overall traffic flow within our City.”

These are all quotes I pulled off webpages of candidates for Alpharetta city office. You’ve got to hand it to these guys. They hear and understand the frustration of commuters with this incomplete road.

And with the news of Prospect Park’s sale this year to North American Properties, our anticipation was again renewed. Perhaps our frustration would come to an end after all. I joined the bandwagon of those encouraging Mark Toro and NAP to open the road immediately.

Yet even with the apparent sale of Prospect Park, opening Westside Parkway isn’t quite as easy as you might think. This is complicated, and I’ll attempt to explain why. I also think now is the time for Alpharetta’s politicians to act on this road once and for all.

Prospect Park’s Sale is Incomplete

The property that most identify as Prospect Park (now called Avalon) was a collection of parcels assembled by developer Stan Thomas. He financed the project largely with a loan from Wachovia (now Wells Fargo). Other parcels were financed elsewhere or may not have been used as collateral at all.

It appears that the parcels purchased this year by North American Properties were those financed through Wachovia only. The pins on the following map show parcels still identified by Fulton County as being owned by Fourth Quarter Properties, an entity linked to Stan Thomas.

View Prospect Park in a larger map

As seen on the map, North American Properties does not own land at the southwest and northeast corners of the original Prospect Park development. This includes the so-called Ellman Tract of land along Webb Bridge Road, across the street from St James church.

Were NAP to deed its portion of Westside Parkway to the city, the road would still be incomplete as the land under the road at Old Milton and Webb Bridge may still be controlled by Thomas.

Catch-22

Alpharetta is in a bit of a predicament. The zoning of the land requires the road be completed and deeded over before the project can continue. Were Thomas to build on his land, he would have to abide by those original conditions. The city, eventually, should receive a free road at the end of this.

However, if Thomas (or a future owner) wanted to be difficult, he could sit on the land and demand the city purchase the property. He’d be, essentially, holding Westside Parkway hostage in exchange for selling property he’d originally planned to gift the city. It isn’t clear if this a motive, and land negotiations with the city are handled in private.

So what should Alpharetta do? Wait for development to eventually proceed on all parcels, which could leave the road unfinished indefinitely? Purchase the land in a privately negotiated deal? Or perhaps employ…

Eminent Domain

As one candidate for city council told me last week, the public looks poorly on the use of eminent domain. Yet Alpharetta was more than ready to use it to acquire homes for the downtown Alpharetta plan (here and here) as part of the Haynes Bridge Road relocation. The press did not report on this story at all.

Should Alpharetta use eminent domain to acquire the rest of the Westside Parkway land? Absolutely! It is odd that the city would proceed with condemnation to move (and make more narrow) Haynes Bridge Road but isn’t proceeding with it to open a new and vitally important road like Westside Parkway. Additionally, condemning land in Prospect Park isn’t going to displace families like the threatened Brooke Street condemnation did.

Alpharetta took a gamble when they decided to deal with a developer who was biting off more than he could chew. There are a lot of lessons to learn here, some of which are costly. Alpharetta needs to face the reality that this road isn’t going to be free. Candidates who make a campaign issue of Westside Parkway should be asked if eminent domain is appropriate. Those who disagree should explain how Westside can be opened quicker.

 

Prospect Park is now “Avalon”

October 12, 2011 in Suburban Life with 5 Comments

Yesterday on twitter, without a lot of fanfare, North American Properties front man Mark Toro spilled the beans on Prospect Park’s new name. “Avalon” is what they came up with. This comes after an appeal on social media channels for name suggestions. What do you think of the name? As far as I’m concerned, anything other than Prospect Park is fine with me.

I had to google it, but the name Avalon is derived from King Arthur lore. It was the place where Arthur’s sword, the Excalibur, was forged. In more modern times Avalon has inspired the names of movies, books, rock and roll bands, and…

The Toyota Avalon

Blame it on marketing, but this is the first thing to pop into my mind when I hear the name “Avalon.” We’re a family of Toyota drivers in my house. I drive a 2003 Camry XLE which, back in the day, was about as close to an Avalon as your could get. The Avalon was Toyota’s nicer-than-a-Camry but not-as-nice-as-a-Lexus sedan. Today, by Alpharetta standards, my car is a piece of junk. The fact that it is missing a hubcap doesn’t help. I don’t know if the Toyota Avalon holds the same appeal today as it did years ago. But I still associate the name to the vehicle. How long will it take me to associate “Avalon” to a five-star hospitality property? Pretty soon I’d imagine.

av-uh-lon versus av-uh-nyoo

After I finished thinking about automobiles, this is what next jumped into my head. Not far up GA-400 is the Avenue Forsyth. While it is no where near what Prospect Park Avalon will be in scale and amenities, there are still some similarities. Both are large shopping centers along GA-400. And both will share two syllables of their three syllable names. Will the name “Avalon” roll off the tongue as “Avenue”, and vice verse?

Avalon is a curious choice for a name, one I personally would not have considered. But in the end, I really didn’t have much of an opinion on the new name of Prospect Park. Like most in this area, the opening of Westside Parkway and a reduction in the scale of the project are foremost on my mind.

What do you think of changing Prospect Park to Avalon?

What to Name Prospect Park

September 14, 2011 in Suburban Life with 3 Comments

I continue to be impressed with the social media efforts from the folks at North American Properties, the new owners of Prospect Park. I encourage you to follow these guys on twitter @NAPatl and on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/NAPAtlanta. You might also want to follow Mark Toro, their Atlanta leader.

These guys seem very sincere in their desire to reach out the community with regard to their Prospect Park plans. Right now they are seeking input on the name for the development. You can participate in the discussion online.

Beating a Dead Horse

Before I get into PP’s name, allow me to reiterate my earlier thoughts. Many in Alpharetta don’t want to think about Prospect Park until Westside Parkway is opened. I’ve heard this comment echoed again and again in several online forums. I’d be out there with a shovel and a bag of concrete if that’s what it took. Get ‘R dun, fellas.

I realize that road projects are a little more complicated than a shovel and concrete. Yet so much in Alpharetta hinges on Westside Parkway. It goes way beyond what’s gonna happen on this little 87 acre piece of heaven. How about using social media to document the plan of attack for the road, keeping the community in the loop as to the progress?

“Prospect Park” is an Albatross

The name “Prospect Park” has become a punchline. It’s Alpharetta’s metaphor for failed, overreaching and overaggressive growth. I’m certain everyone in this community would agree that any name other than “Prospect Park” would be acceptable.

Beyond that, I don’t have a preference on the name. A common trend in the suburbs is to name developments after what used to be there before it met the bulldozer. With that in mind, the best I could come up with is Mudpit Meadows. Somehow I think the folks at NAP might not agree. If you’ve got a more creative idea, these guys want to hear from you!

Photo Credit: Stargazer3777

An Open Letter to Prospect Park’s New Owner

August 13, 2011 in Affluence, Politics, Suburban Life, Traffic with 27 Comments

North American Properties, the new owner of Prospect Park, issued a press release yesterday. It spoke of wanting community input on the project and touted a west coast tour of similar retail centers. You can read about it here.

Dear North American Properties:

Congratulations on your purchase of Prospect Park! The entire Alpharetta community is encouraged to see something happening with this tract of land. And thank you for including this humble blogger on your press list. I understand you want community input on the project, including what to name it. I will take it on good faith that you’re sincere in this request.

Allow me to offer this bit of early advice… Open Westside Parkway. I understand you have been in discussion with the city to do this. I would encourage you to get this done before you travel the country seeking inspiration for the project. For years we’ve sat in traffic, gazing in frustration at a four lane road that is 90% complete. You could create enormous goodwill with the people of Alpharetta right off the bat. This cannot be overemphasized. Get Westside open, or at least go public with a plan to do so.

It also wouldn’t hurt to demolish the half-built structures. Perhaps make a grand ceremony of the event, allowing City Council members to push the button on the wrecking ball. It might serve as a symbolic gesture, allowing politicians to experience a level of atonement for their past. These structures have stood as a reminder of Alpharetta’s failed adoption of large-scale mixed-use development, right at the gateway to the city. Get’em outta here!

And speaking of gateways… Your project will be a gateway to this community. Consider that as you ponder where to take this project. Ours is a community of affluent and well-maintained suburban neighborhoods with top amenities. Please don’t come to Alpharetta speaking the language of new urbanism or so-called “smart growth”. Urbanism doesn’t play in our version of Peoria. Don’t take my word for it, even Planning Commissioners understand our dislike of these buzzwords.

Again, you could create a great sense of goodwill by dramatically reducing the scope of the development. Cut the building heights to tree-top level, scrap the parking decks and severely reduce or eliminate the residential components. I get the sense that this might be the direction you’re aiming and I’m encouraged by it! We bristle at extreme housing density and high rise buildings.

We love shopping, restaurants, greenspace, outdoor malls, traditional architecture and all that neat stuff. The good folks of Alpharetta will talk your ear off with ideas if given the chance.

Thanks for reaching out to the community. We look forward to continuing the dialogue, especially in the social media space. You’ve got a tremendous opportunity to win the hearts of Alpharetta by quickly opening the road and nixing residential density. What do ya say?

Sincerely,

-S. Lee Guy
Blogger

You can follow North American Properties on Twitter @NAPatl or on Facebook.

A Racist and Anti-Muslim Flyer in Alpharetta?

August 3, 2011 in Faith in the Burbs, NIMBY, Suburban Life with 3 Comments

Here we go again.

Wednesday night 11 Alive news lead off their late newscast with a story of a racist, anti-Muslim flyer being passed around Alpharetta. It comes from a group calling themselves the Milton County Tea Party Patriots and they are opposed to the planned Amana Academy school. Amana’s proposal for a school on Windward Parkway will go before the Alpharetta Planning Commission Thursday.

I have not seen the flyer. The racist and anti-Muslim nonsense that 11 Alive quoted is disgusting and isn’t something I want to reprint on my blog. The Tea Party of Georgia is condemning the flyer and says they have nothing to do with it.

It’s disappointing that this happens in Alpharetta. I continue to worry about the reputation our community is earning when it comes to issues surrounding the Muslim faith. Enough already!

What Happened to Manning Oaks Elementary?

July 28, 2011 in Reloville, Suburban Life with 35 Comments

Meet Manning Oaks Elementary School, a beautiful school on Cumming Street named after a historic Alpharetta family. In 2008 the school was named a Georgia School of Excellence for student achievement. Today is a far different story.

For the second year in a row Manning Oaks has failed to meet adequate yearly progress, or AYP. This is a key measure outlined by The No Child Left Behind Act. Schools that fail to meet AYP for two consecutive years are lumped into a bucket identified as “schools in need of improvement.” They are subject to immediate intervention by the state.

It’s downright embarrassing that a school in Alpharetta would carry such a dubious distinction. What went wrong? There are probably a hundred factors that contributed to the fall of Manning Oaks. Keep in mind that I’m no educator, but I’ve got an idea.

The Manning Oaks School District

Kids that attend Manning Oaks are from a geographic area that is roughly defined as west of GA-400 and east of GA-9 in Alpharetta. This area, over the years, has become Alpharetta’s corridor of apartments, condos and dense housing. Let’s take a look at what you’ll find in this school district.

On the far north end, Manning Oaks draws kids from apartments and condos in Milton along Webb and Morris Roads. It includes condos off Windward near Costco and densely packed neighborhoods along North Main and Henderson Parkway. Next you’ll get apartments and condos near the school on Cumming Street. Academy Street to the south is loaded with apartments, duplexes and condos. More apartments can be found off Old Milton and Westside Parkways in addition to some condos on South Main. They all go to Manning Oaks. And don’t forget that the future Peridot and Prospect Park projects are also in the Manning Oaks district.

Manning Oaks, with its declining test scores, contains perhaps the greatest concentration of apartments, condos and high density development of any elementary school around. In my opinion the correlation between test scores and development like this is no coincidence. Most educators will agree that apartments and rental dwellings attract transient families that don’t get involved with the schools.

The educated professions that Alpharetta lured to relocate here are the reason behind our high caliber schools. I wrote about this last year and I still believe it to be true. These relos raised smart kids and got involved in their schools. You see the result of this today. It’s also a self-fulling prophecy. Our outstanding schools are a driver to attract more to relocate here.

Alpharetta is urbanizing by approving high-density projects and changing land use plans to encourage more. Some planners believe the city should strive to attract a different type of person to relocate here. There are severe consequences to this. What’s happened to Manning Oaks is the first example. The adjacent schools are likely the next to experience a downturn in test scores. The end result could be a spiraling decline in scores that may hurt our ability to attract and retain families and businesses. It need not be this way.

Evolution of the Playset

July 13, 2011 in Affluence, Suburban Life with 5 Comments

When I was growing up the lucky kids had metal swing sets. Remember these? They had metal tubes on each end, propped up in an A-shape, suspending two little plastic swings. It was probably assembled by a frustrated father who cursed the poorly written instructions. What was left was a rickety, squeaky little contraption that began rusting after the first heavy rainfall.

Fast forward to 2011… This weekend my wife and I pulled the trigger and bought a playset for the kids. Had my parents bought me something like this in 1980, I’d have been in heaven. This thing is so much more than a swing set. We’re talking 25 square feet of play area elevated five feet off the ground. The thing’s a fort really, with stairs, a rock wall, roof on top and a slide for making quick get-aways. It’s made of heavy duty pressure-treated lumber with thick bolts holding it together. And best of all, this father will not be assembling it the hot sun. The $100 setup charge will save my neighbors from overhearing what would undoubtedly be many cursing tirades.

I didn't buy this one!

Now before you think I’m tooting my own horn, please consider the fact that I bought one of the cheapest models available. The store we purchased from had playsets costing upwards of ten grand. Keep in mind that these are for home use, not public playgrounds or schools.

I’m not quiet sure when children went from having rickety swing sets in their backyards to these monster forts. Is it a just a sign of the times with higher standards of living, or perhaps a luxury of the affluent suburb?

One thing’s for sure, I never really paid much attention to these until now. It amazes me how many stores carry large selections of outdoor play sets. We shopped a handful of stores, four of which were within a mile of each other. None seem to be hurting for business, even in a slow economy.

I also never noticed how many of my neighbors already have forts in their backyards. There’s probably half a dozen of these within a block of my house. I’m falling behind in keeping up with the Joneses.

We haven’t told the kids about this yet. I’m hoping the setup guy can complete assembly while they are away at vacation bible school or something. I’m curious to see their reaction. Our kids are used to playing on much larger equipment at school, church, the neighborhood playground and public parks. They’re either going to be ecstatic or will call me a cheapskate for buying such a wimpy structure. I just hope no one tries to do a Peter Pan off the top of this bad boy.

Are you ready for the roundabouts?

July 7, 2011 in Suburban Life, Traffic with 8 Comments

North Fulton has its first roundabout. Are commuters ready to embrace the concept? And more importantly, will they be able to figure them out?

It’s been interesting to read the comments ahead of Roswell’s ribbon cutting on Grimes Bridge Road. I’m surprised to hear of so many opposed to the idea of a roundabout. Many in this area seem opposed to the notion of anything European coming to our area. In some respects I understand this, especially when it comes to things like high speed rail projects or urban development. Both will have negative effects on the way of life here. But I simple don’t see that with roundabouts. Opposition to them are largely unfounded.

I’ve driven in Europe and had no problems getting used to the flows in roundabouts. They are a far better alternative to four way stops in that traffic continues to move. Even a small amount of traffic will cause huge delays at a four way stop. I also think most drivers here don’t move through four way stops in an efficient manner.

Roundabouts are cheap to build, fairly safe to drivers and create a nice little median that can be landscaped. But you’ve probably heard all this.

So yeah, I like the idea of roundabouts, but I’m still cautiously optimistic about their use here. There are smart locations for roundabouts and poor ones. They should not be used as devices to create “traffic friction”, something I’ve ridiculed before. They should be used in places of congestion, not just anywhere. This is not the end-all-be-all solution to traffic but merely an available tool.

There are currently three additional roundabouts in the works for north Fulton:

  • Hembree Road and Houze Road in Roswell
  • Douglas Road in Alpharetta
  • Birmingham Highway and Providence Road in Milton

So what do you think of roundabouts? Will we know how to drive in them? Where would you like to see future roundabouts?

Photo Credit: Una Smith (creative commons)

Roundabout Locations in North Fulton


View North Fulton Roundabouts in a larger map

“Why should we believe you people?”

June 28, 2011 in MARTA, Suburban Life with 11 Comments

It’s been interesting to watch the transportation sales tax initiative play out. A few items hit the news last week that I found significant. The first was this article in the AJC about north Fulton mayors and their strategy. Pay careful attention to Johns Creek mayor Mike Bodker. He’s politically positioning himself in the forefront of this issue. I believe Mayor Bodker sincerely wants transit in north Fulton. And like the rest of his peers, I believe he has a vendetta against the current MARTA leadership. I think his involvement in the transportation tax is a way to force himself into a position of authority on metro Atlanta transit. That’s good, except that if Bodker had his way we’d have expensive rail all over the place.

But back to the article. What’s significant about this story is that Bodker is backtracking on commuter rail. The ten year timeframe isn’t long enough to get plans off the ground. And since rail is so darned expensive, it would chew up most of the bond money. The mayors are starting to be more pragmatic, favoring roads over rail. I did a little cheer when I first read this.

The second story to note comes from the Alpharetta Patch and their coverage of a transportation town hall. This was a phone-in event with officials (including Bodker) answering questions. The article lifts up a caller who said, “Why should we believe you people?” The GA-400 toll and MARTA sales tax seem to be immortal despite promises to the contrary. It should come as no surprise that north Fulton taxpayers might feel this way. Will that translate into no votes for the sales tax? I predict a fierce battle between tax party activists and well-funded CID groups.

Downtown’s Parking Deck

And finally, in a somewhat unrelated story… Alpharetta recently hosted its first of four town hall meetings on the new downtown plans. I found it interesting that not one, not two but three different articles on the event all focused on one issue… the parking deck. Seems that this is drawing most of the negative criticism. I’d imagine city staff might be behind this parking deck idea yet it isn’t popular with the rank and file.

Parking decks are an urban feature, not something most suburbanites consider desirable. Off the top of my head I can only think of two parking decks in the city that are open to the public; Dillard’s at the mall and the Northside Hospital office buildings on Old Milton. The rest belong to cubicle dwellers in the office parks. I believe residents’ displeasure with public parking decks is a symptom of an overall opposition to urbanization.

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