Smyrna approves downtown redesign

Jun. 22—Smyrna's downtown redevelopment plan has received the go-ahead, after a 5-2 vote from the City Council this week.

Councilman Charles "Corkey" Welch and Councilwoman Susan Wilkinson opposed the plan's approval.

Smyrna Mayor Derek Norton's proposed downtown redevelopment, studies and public input for which have been happening since 2019, would replace the fountain and roundabout in front of the city's library with a green space and splash pad.

It would also extend King Street, connecting it to Powder Springs Street and add a stoplight at the corner of Powder Springs Street and Atlanta Road.

Supporters of the plan say the new downtown would be a boon to pedestrians and provide a central gathering green space, complete with a plaza/stage area, terraced seating and sidewalk improvements.

Critics, including the around 50 people who attended a town hall hosted by Wilkinson on Saturday, raised concerns over traffic flow, feeling as if the plan was rushed, and some preferred leaving downtown the way it is.

At Monday's meeting, Norton addressed those concerns. First, he said, the plan was not rushed, pointing to the aforementioned concept planning and public input that had been happening since 2019. But he also said the council had long discussed the plans, and community comments and recommendations sent via email have also been considered.

In prepared remarks, Norton said that during his campaign for mayor in 2019, "I heard from thousands of residents about the need for a downtown refresh to activate stale areas and bring energy, and I believe this concept and redesign will achieve that goal."

Norton said the redevelopment will also make the city's festivals and concerts more accessible with the added greenspace to replace the roundabout.

Contrary to some who had said the opposite, he said, the planning process had been "open and transparent."

"As with anything of this magnitude, we will never make everyone happy," he added.

Norton also directly addressed Wilkinson and Welch's opposition, saying "These are just personal opinions that I respectfully disagree with."

Welch told the MDJ on Tuesday that his concerns over both the parking deck and the elimination of the traffic circle remain. He said the removal of the roundabout could choke traffic flow, and suggested that the proposed parking deck is too large for the plot on which it will be placed. At Monday's meeting, he said that would be the same move that the city accuses developers of making: "We're putting too much on too little."

"I really believe that the citizens and the council need to see additional options for the traffic circle renovation and the parking deck location," Welch said Tuesday.

Wilkinson shared concerns with Welch at Monday's meeting. She said when the plan was presented to council in August, it was a "high-level" plan with plenty of suggestions that were up for discussion. Since then, she said, it's moved too fast with too little conversation among council members.

"I have voiced my concerns several times," she said. "I feel like we have jumped, skipped a lot of steps and gone straight to Croy Engineering to draw up this plan."

Wilkinson also said she believed the current downtown works just fine for residents and she's "always been impressed" by the number of people who can fit in the area for concerts and events.

On Tuesday, she told the MDJ she was most concerned for residents to the west because it would most impact those neighborhoods and their access to the downtown. She also said other growth and development in the area raises concerns that could clash even more with traffic issues in the redesign.

The downtown redesign project will be funded by revenue from a special 1% sales tax for projects that county voters approved in November, which will begin collection on Jan. 1. The green space will cost roughly $2.5 million and a 250-spot parking deck, to be built north of Powder Springs Street off Atlanta Road, almost $4 million, according to Norton.

If construction were to begin at the end of October, engineers from Croy Engineering, which designed the proposal, estimate it could be completed by August of next year.

Norton has also proposed selling a patch of land between the community center and Atlanta Road to Suwanee's StillFire Brewing for a three-level brewery and using the proceeds to create a public park beside it featuring a playground and dog park.

Follow Thomas Hartwell on Twitter at twitter.com/MDJThomas.