No New Redevelopment Plans to Take Place of Roswell East
April 7, 2008 · Print This Article
The Charlie Brown Roswell East development came to a halt triggered by opponents to the plan who were concerned that its 19 high-rise towers, some as high as 27 stories, would change the city’s “small town
charm” with the modernity of the plan. Many people, including opponents of the plan felt that a new project would be proposed or perhaps a more scaled-down version of Roswell East would come to fruition, however nothing has emerged to take its place.
Many business owners and Roswell residents are concerned about the city’s commitment to economic growth. Neighboring Alpharetta’s mixed-use Prospect Park is proceeding smoothly. The city of Alpharetta isn’t using the economic slowdown as a reason not to build and instead is doing just the opposite. The city is using the slowdown to prepare for the next surge, quickly making a name for itself as the most improved in North Fulton County.
One business owner in particular, Geoff Kokosza, managing partner of VIII Fifty restaurant and lounge in Holcomb Woods Village shopping center is concerned about the city’s commitment towards redevelopment. “One of the reasons we came over here was that we thought the city was serious about r
edevelopment,” Kokoszka said. “We wanted to get in early.” Kokosza is just one of the many business owners that are affected and concerned about the lack of redevelopment in Roswell.
As a homeowner living in a subdivision of Holcomb Bridge Road in Roswell I too am concerned. No redevelopment plans could result in a decline in Roswell’s housing market fueled by more desirable neighboring communities of Alpharetta, Johns Creek and Milton.
Roswell Mayor Jere Wood mentions East Village, the 500,000 square foot commercial development off of Holcomb Bridge Road that will be anchored by a Super Target store. However, beyond that, nothing is happening. Wood stated that there is currently no communication between the city and Roswel East developer Charlie Brown.
To those that blame the economy as the reason for the lack of proposed developments in Roswell, I’d love to have an explanation why that doesn’t seem to affect the city of Alpharetta.
This is background on the site that steve and his investors own… he brought Charlie Brown in on the deal to see if his neame would get the entitlements accomplished with the city of Roswell…
400 Corridor once you get north past Roswell is filled with dirt pits of partially started, then halted development projects on raw land, approved by inexperienced would-be developers on other city councils. Those cities’ citizens have been hosed by their ill-informed councils, and are complaining loudly. And, the projects were not even redevelopment, they were just development on raw land. It is false to state that there is a redevelopment project proceeding in Alpharetta or John’s Creek. Roswell East was also just development on raw land. Thank goodness Roswell City Council saw it for what it was. Otherwise Roswell would have had another big fresh halted dirt pit just like all the ones you see north of us.