Politics & Government

Plans for Town Center Take Center Stage at Town Hall Meeting

The Avocet clubhouse was full Monday night as city council members Jeanne Aulbach, Lorri Christopher and Alex Wright hosted a meeting to discuss plans for the property across from The Forum.

The message from the majority of the 55+ who attended Monday night's town hall meeting was clear - they did not want apartments to be built on the Town Center property across from the Forum.

And the message from council members Jeanne Aulbach, Lorri Christopher and Alex Wright was equally clear. The city was going to proceed carefully with its plans and would solicit input from citizens before any final decisions were made.

"We do not propose putting apartments there," said Aulbach.

"When the DDA (Downtown Development Authority) interviewed the three developers that responded to the city's RFPs, they all agreed to be flexible," said Aulbach. 

"We had three criteria in selecting a developer; they were financially sound, they had experience [in building mixed-use-developments] and they could attract the businesses, retail and restaurants we need," said Aulbach.

But what ultimately ends up on the property will be decided by the city council and citizen input said Aulbach. 

"Everything is on hold right now," said Wright, who added, "sometimes the best thing to do is wait."

And wait is what the City Council is prepared to do if it means passing up on the first developer selected if they are not able to come to an agreement on what should be developed on the property.

"The Fuqua proposal was just an idea, a concept," said Christopher. "The council is coming together and working on a concept and those ideas will be shared with you. We are being very careful."

And to get a look first hand at how other cities have created their town centers, several of the council members have already visited Greenville, S.C. to see what that city had done in terms of redeveloping its old downtown area  - and this Saturday the City Council will visit Suwanee to see its town center for ideas.

All three council members reiterated that the city is prepared to wait if that's what it takes to get it right. "Right now we have a two-year note, and if it means we need to hold on to the property longer than we'll renegotiate the note," said Wright.

"We are not going to sell the land to any developer until we know we're getting what we - and you - want on the property," said Aulbach.

One resident suggested that the city keep the 20.6 acres and develop it just for community use without any other development. But that would mean the city would not be able to recoup the $11.6 million in paid for the land. Wright threw out a question asking if anyone would be willing to pay property taxes to pay for the land and the majority said yes, they would.

In other news, the city's new trash plan was briefly discussed. Wright explained the cost for the new plan would be $11.50 per month, compared to $18.65 under the current plan. In addition, for an extra $1.60 a month, residents can rent a 65 gallon wheeler bin. Senior citizens are also eligible for a 15 percent discount. The new contract is effective the first of the year.

And with the passing of SPLOST, the city is expected to have $15 to $20 million to spend on transportation projects including road improvements, sidewalks, bikeways and other related projects. The city will begin working on a list of SPLOST projects.

Editor's note: Please note we've corrected the city and state the City Council previously visited as Greenville, S.C.


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