Transportation
how to make it work in the CoSF
Time and again folks asked what's next for South Fulton. In my mind the answer is simple,  mixed-use growth. How do we achieve mixed-use growth? It all starts with the realization we cannot continue on the same path we are on. "Not in my back yard", is no longer a motto for South Fulton. The stereotypes of last year are no longer valid – multi-family dwelling units (apartments), transportation, and retail are not a bad word any longer.
Starting with transportation we must grasp and embrace it. A MARTA Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route for example that runs along South Fulton Parkway, Highway 92, Roosevelt Highway, Jonesboro Road, Old National Highway,  Camp Creek Parkway and/or Fulton Industrial Boulevard would move things along quite nicely.  Bus Rapid Transit is nothing more than dedicated bus lanes and stops that prevent cars from impeding bus travel.  As transportation goes so does development. Look around, most areas have development that feeds the transportation systems in place. By keeping the BRT on the major thoroughfares and not on residential streets like regular bus service we can have our cake and eat it too. At the major intersections commercial development can be a part of smart growth. Of course this means changes or additions to the City of South Fulton Comprehensive Plan.
Next we have stop the proliferation of subdivisions and focus on creating regional mixed-use districts with apartments and condos adjacent and above retail. Subdivisions aren't bad, but we need to think outside of the box. Malls for all intended purposes are vestiges of the past, thanks to Amazon. Asked yourself, when was the last time you shopped in a mall?
Follow me on this,  mixed use developments like the one that houses the Grant Park Kroger (Krobar) at Glenwood Place are far more successful. Retailers love it because they have built in clients and residents love it because they have walkable communities with retail nearby. A win-win for all involved. Once we've develop that system we can go by way of putting more parks in place to make this new districts real walkable communities.
Residents and workers of the mixed-use developments as they are called would be the primary passengers on the BRT system. One could travel from home to work, home to the airport or downtown with little delay. The residents most likely will end up being empty nesters or millennials. Either group would benefit and bring in more residents to our communities.
Give a thought to a mixed-use development similar to the Grant Park Kroger at Hwy 92 and Butner Road, Camp Creek Pkwy and Campbellton Road, Old National and Godby Road (College Park).
A Transit Master Plan is underway by Fulton County and its 15 cities, for the City of South Fulton "Local Secondary Nodes" at Hwy 92 and Butner Road, Camp Creek Pkwy and Campbellton Road, Old National and Godby, Senoia Rd and I-85, Flat Shoals and I-85,  and Hwy 92 and South Fulton Pkwy. The helpful part is some of these locations have substantial open land for the mixed-use concept.
Where do we go from here? Talk up the concept with your neighbors and elected officials. The Atlanta Business Chronicle just ran a piece on the City of South Fulton and Economic Development.
Your thought?
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Whatever kind of development is encouraged/approved for South Fulton, I think it is mandatory that commercial, office, industrial and highly dense multi-family uses be adequately buffered from the less dense single family uses, and not spotted on roads not designed for higher capacity traffic flow. Yes to apartments on arterial roads. Try to avoid them on collector roads. No to apartments on local roads. Access to sites needs to be as limited as possible as far as curb cuts to promote smooth traffic flow.
I much prefer natural buffers along long stretches of cleared land if the natural vegetation is not “trash species” such as kudzu, privet, Russian olive, English ivy Chinese wisteria, etc. Sparsely planted buffers, except perhaps at entrances, do not do the job in many cases. A “green wall” of Leland Cypresses is not my idea of an adequate buffer. The width needs to be commensurate with the amount of clearing. Parking lots need to have trees with a preference given to native species. More mixed use is desirable if it is truly mixed and not, for example, what Union City allows in their so called Town Center Mixed Use ( TCMU ) zoning. There are apparently no percentages assigned to the uses so all use can be industrial if land owners so desire. The TCMU zoned Walmart.com site that fronts SF Parkway and Stonewall Tell Road is a disgrace. At least they could have required a dense planting of small pines along Stonewall Tell to allow for reforestation of the buffer (low growing Virginia Pines used to be planted by GDOT ). I’m not sure what the natural vegetation was there or why it could not have been used as a buffer. Unfortunately Union City controls a lot of areas adjacent to the City along the South Fulton Parkway.
I agree about the Walmart site. They have some type of tall grass and sparse trees. That whole area should be all trees so you don’t have to see that Walmart sign on the building, which they want you to see. But this will continue to happen with Union City in charge of the parkway.