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?

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.

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

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

This is basically Atlantic Station and feels too "urban" of an idea for Alpharetta. There is almost no green space in the entire development. It has everything in it that Alpharetta already has: a theater, hotels, retail, and town homes. Or you can go 15 miles north to the Avenues Forsyth for probably the exact same retail stores. I am not a fan of town homes to begin with...I think Alpharetta is more suited to single family homes because most people who live or want to live in Alpharetta are families. Further more we do NOT need another light on Old Milton Parkway just for this development...completely unnecessary and Old Milton already has traffic issues.

If you ask me the only good idea on the entire plan is opening up Westside Parkway all the way to Webb Bridge Rd.

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

It’s a good start, but it could be so much more.

First of all, this plan adds a new traffic light to Old Milton Parkway. With three lights within about 1200 feet of each other we are making an already traffic plagued road that much worse.

Second, it’s like Atlantic Station Lite – except that all of the great things about Atlantic Station were cut out. There’s no green space, no parking decks, no underground parking. It’s just a new design on huge parking lots like Perimeter Place and the Avenues properties. Alpharetta has plenty of huge parking lots on North Point Parkway south of Haynes Bridge Road and on Windward Parkway west of GA-400.

It would be great if this area really connected with and accentuated the plans for our new downtown area: open, green spaces, with boutiques, higher-end retail and restaurants. I’d like to go to dinner on a nice Spring evening, sit on a patio, and look at a nice park and water feature, instead of a beat up 1996 Honda Civic and drainage gutters carved into hot asphalt.

Finally, the residential areas do not seem targeted to the demographic that would be interested in living in Alpharetta. Living over a retail outlet with a view of a parking lot may appeal to someone living and working in Buckhead or Midtown Atlanta. People live in Alpharetta to get away from that urban atmosphere.

Please consider reassessing your plans and making improvements that better reflect the people and values of our city.

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!

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.

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.

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

Many today have already voiced my concerns. Say NO to more of the SAME.

This is a hideous plan with way, way, too much concrete. It is not unique nor pedestrian friendly. We already have areas in Alpharetta that are like this and they are under used (as noted by other comments). I see that the office space built in the Milton Park complex on North Point Parkway south of Kimball Bridge Road is nearly empty. Why would we build more space like this? I am a big fan of mixed use development and mixed income housing but who would want to live there in this massive asphalt hell? We already have lots of empty housing so these units would compete with those.

We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to make great use of this large parcel of property; having yet another paved over acreage with commercial buildings is NOT WHAT WE NEED. We need more green space. Build a PARK that can accommodate a variety of uses. Some day your grandkids and great grandkids will thank you for the opportunity to have a park. I doubt anyone in the future will thank you for another movie theatre, another set of office buildings and yet another set of buildings to buy "stuff" that can be purchased anywhere.

Be visionary. Be good to the people of Alpharetta and the generations to come. Build a wonderful park. Save the environment. What is Alpharetta? A place to shop? Can't this property be used to support other aspects of life in a great city?

Thanks for asking for our input.