What are your impressions, thoughts, concerns or suggestions regarding the proposed site plan and uses submitted by North American Properties for the Avalon Development at the northwest corner of GA-400 and Old Milton Parkway?

This is okay for a starting point, but there are some big changes that need to be made before I can support it.

This is just another outdoor mall with some office and residential similar to that near Perimeter Mall. Very little green space and a horrendous eyesore for nearby neighborhoods. Needs to be redesigned to emphasize green space, put parking underground, several walking green streets and pedestrian/bike pathways and some real creativity.

Also it is only a short walk from the new downtown Alpharetta area and should be made easily accessible by some of the back streets that need redevelopment and tied into a comprehensive plan to make Alpharetta a warm, green inviting area so that people can walk from Wills Park, to downtown to this entire district easily, comfortably and surrounded by a park like setting without being trapped by major roadways.

I feel that this proposal is wrong for Alpharetta. Let me tell you why.

I am very disappointed. It looks like typical suburban sprawl all over again. My first reaction is that it looks like a giant parking lot. It certainly doesn't look very pedestrian friendly and there is only a tiny amount of green space.

With the amount of paved space shown I get the impression it will look like the Target/Kohls complex north of Alpharetta on Hwy 9. That is certainly not at all pedestrian friendly.

Two more traffic lights on Old Milton? Really?

I would like to see:
more green space
less parking lot (put in a deck)
accomodation for bicycle traffic on Webb Bridge Road, Westside Parkway, and inside the complex
a pleasant place to walk between all the various businesses
sidewalk cafes
outdoor dining

Who wants to sit outside in the middle of a parking lot!

Terrible. Turn this space into a destination not just another parking lot!

Bob Falkenberg

This is okay for a starting point, but there are some big changes that need to be made before I can support it.

THINK GREEN! Alpharetta is known for it's "green space". The first thing that people notice when they visit is how green everything is and how well landscaped the city is in comparison to other cities. I don't see enough green space in the middle of this mass of concrete. I'd love to see more of a Central Park setting in the middle with buildings surrounding the park-like setting. What brings families to an area is nice outdoor space where children can play and families can sit out and relax. When I look at the development in Crabapple I see lots of buildings and nothing that pulls me in to make me want to walk around. I go to a particular shop and then leave--never to really walk around and tour the town.

If I want to eat an ice cream cone in the summer I want to be among the trees on a park bench. You go to DaLonagha or Helen, Georgia and what do you see--people walking around outdoors going in and out of the various shops. I don't want us to be like Crabapple which has lots of buildings and concrete. No real outdoor space for walkers and bicyclists. No place for movies on the green. Let's think green with all we do in Alpharetta. I think there should be a water feature that turns into an outdoor ice rink during the winter months when people tend to stay inside. You must draw people to the area during all the seasons. There should be a place for evening concerts like at National Harbor in Washington, DC. Let's make use of the rooftops with rooftop parks like atop Georgetown University's bookstore. If you first draw people to the outdoor space they will automatically mozie their way indoors to the shops.

This is okay for a starting point, but there are some big changes that need to be made before I can support it.

More pervious open greenspace. Place parking underground behind the store fronts. I want to sit outside at a cafe and look out onto grass, trees and native flora. I don't want to look at cars parked on asphalt. Parking lots are clear-cut asphalt heat generating and water-polluting/retaining deserts. Would like to see use of native flora & grasses for storm water runoff, patches of green to include trees. At my corporate offices in Pleasanton, CA – they have one “green” natural space for every 2-3 car parking spaces. The runoff / ditch area is covered with native grasses for natural filtration. Roswell recently did an all natural storm water runoff in a newly-built public parking lot behind Canton Street. Specify MAXIMUM automobile parking spaces instead of minimum. Provide pedestrian walkways to access the building entrances (starting from the sidewalks at the road). Safely walk – or ride a bike – from the road entrance to the front door. Have recycling receptacles in public spaces, in front of retail shops, bus stops, etc. Provide bike lanes and bike trails to access the development.

This is okay for a starting point, but there are some big changes that need to be made before I can support it.

If the project was not on the major road leading into downtown it would be fine. But being what will likely become the first public impression of people coming into the older portion of Alpharetta, it would be nice to see some greater and greener creativity on the part of the planners. I know budget realities have to come to bear, but there are far too many resident- and visitor-friendly designs for this type of development already in place in the metro area. It would be sad for Alpharetta to settle for following a dying style, rather than taking the opportunity to set trends and welcome people to the city in a more desirable fashion.

This is okay for a starting point, but there are some big changes that need to be made before I can support it.

I agree with everyone's comments of more green space, unsightly parking, too much commercial glitz. Take some ideas from California architecture and landscaping. Bring in the same look as our downtown. It should not be just another slick looking generic shopping center.

As of Feb. 13 2012.....disappointed at new design. Unfortunately it doesn't address our concerns. I don't see why Avalon ( why this name? How does it relate to Alpharetta?) couldn't continue the design concept of our Downtown area. It seems the most logical approach to a consistent design (throughout Alpharetta city).
. I would like to see a complete redesign using Downtown as a model and the suggestions of all the people that have contributed to this forum. Please consider this request.

Think subtle, classic, green, walkways, shops, outdoor dinning woven throughout. Think European esthetic. The people that are moving into this area and currently live here are used to a more subtle, casual sophisticated atmosphere. Think La Jolla at the cove, Del Mar, Santa Barbara, the winerys. Del Mar, Ca. has a beautiful shopping center in the middle of town. It has all the features people are asking for. You might take a look at that design. Please, go there. Walk through the Del Mar Plaza, have a drink and sit outside. That is the feeling we want when we envision Avalon.

Remember, Silicon Valley companies, biotech, communication companies are moving to this area. Might be a good idea to rethink the design. Take a trip to Calif. experience the atmosphere in those places.

# 1 idea: might be a boutique hotel and meeting facilities, a small plaza with a range of restaurants and a spa. We don't have anything like that in this area.

#2 idea: small plaza , town homes and garden homes, boutique hotel and green space.

#3 idea: plaza, town homes , condos, garden homes, offices and boutique hotel.

green belt surrounding the perimeter, park like setting
Curved pathways to all
Center area : is terraced plaza with shopping and restaurants, underground parking................see Del Mar Plaza, San Diego, Ca. (on-line)
Two, 3 or 5 level, terraced hotels or office buildings...facing Old Milton and Westside...........boutique style hotel...nothing like it in area.
Three, 2 level parking structures, underground parking if more space is needed. All surrounded by tree screens.
Fountains and green areas throughout
All structures except center plaza, at an angle with pathways
European cafe with outside patio and condos above, 1 or 2 stories only.............see Tuscany restaurant, off N Point Pkwy, Alpharetta
Townhouses........see new ones on Academy
Single family garden homes near Academy/Webb.
Brick, black iron work, urns and planters, traditional look to blend in with town.
Frontage road around perimeter.
Energy efficient technology with smaller terraced buildings.
No theaters, no high rise, no acres of parking.

I feel that this proposal is wrong for Alpharetta. Let me tell you why.

It looks like a gigantic parking lot. It also resembles the Northpoint Mall with the roof removed. The view for Highway 400 and Old Milton Parkway needs to be addressed. A parking lot does not get it. I am having trouble finding anything that I like about it. I had envisioned something that would be more of a park like pedestrian friendly environment. Soemething more upscale than a parking lot. When I think of mixed use I think more along the lines of the proposal that was presented by Metlife. Please start over!

I feel that this proposal is wrong for Alpharetta. Let me tell you why.

There is a significance to a corner in architecture. Please make sure the corner of Old Milton Parkway and GA 400 is a visual delight for anyone driving on GA 400. Putting a parking structure there will not attract many to leave the highway. I am missing a 3d rendering of this development and the requirements from the developer in order to “maybe” understand what this architect was thinking.

This is okay for a starting point, but there are some big changes that need to be made before I can support it.

Don't be afraid to go vertical with some of these buildings. You've got all these parking lots and spread out suburban sprawl type stuff, it looks lame and not like the future of Alpharetta. Put in more green space, a public commons, some type of park in the middle, make it attractive to people who want to WALK, not drive. If you want to have the same amount of retail and apartment space, don't be afraid to build a high rise— honestly, if we had one high rise on Haynes Bridge Road it would look better than the 30 mid-rises surrounded in a sea of parking lots that is already there. Build up, and use the space left over to make it walkable and covered in trees. You want business? Make it a destination, not another suburban shopping plaza that will be blight in 20 years.

This is okay for a starting point, but there are some big changes that need to be made before I can support it.

My concerns align with some of the others mentioned. When I heard the people responsible for Atlantic Station had purchased the property, I envisioned something similar to that complex. The pictures posted seemed to go along with that idea. Then we get this. It looks like any other strip mall. There's entirely too much surface parking and it doesn't look pedestrian friendly at all. I want a place that I can park my car and roam from shop to shop to restaurant. As it is, I can't see any reason to linger and shop in the plan. It doesn't look as if it'll be appealing to the eye or enjoyable to frequent. I think the plan needs some serious considerations.

This is okay for a starting point, but there are some big changes that need to be made before I can support it.

The City went from a luxury site to a (perhaps upscale) strip mall with rental residential, not luxury homes! What happened? If this is all that the economy will currently support, just seed the red clay and mow it for a few years until someone with vision comes along.

Too much surface parking
Too little green space
14 story building is too tall-why do they continue to be proposed, only to be shot down by Planning, Design Review and Council?
Rethink the views from:
Driving along GA 400 and using the ramps
Driving along Old Milton Parkway
This is supposed to be a focal point, not another hoo-hum shopping center.

All in all-rethink what is proposed. Aaverage at best.