Acworth Mayor Tommy Allegood and the Board of Alderman narrowed down the developers for a proposed mixed-use residential property slated for downtown Acworth during Monday’s city council work session.
The development, which would consist of retail stores, a restaurant and residential properties, will be located at the corner of Southside Drive and Lemon Street extending toward Logan Farm Park at Taylor Street. The property would be in the new open container district when it is expanded to include the TapTown tasting emporium and eatery on Cherokee Street.
Allegood said that the City of Acworth currently owns the 2.34-acre property, but the board proposes to transfer the property to the Downtown Development Authority during the City Council meeting this Thursday, June 20.
Two developers created plans for the board to visualize the corner structure. According to Allegood, a $450,000 offer has been made to buy and develop the property as an expansion to the downtown development project.
One of the proposed plans, by Atlanta full-service planning, architecture, and landscape architecture design firm TSW, included townhomes with different square footages around 1,800 and 2,200. The townhomes would have drive under garages in the rear. The condos would have a starting square footage of around 1,000.
The second plan included a four-story building that would have rental units, and the bottom layer would be all retail and restaurant space. The starting price point for the apartments would be $1,500. Allegood said the plans looked a lot like the Kennesaw condos, and that was not the look they are going for, and the tall structure looked overpowering from the street.
“I’m all about a restaurant, but not another apartment complex,” Acworth resident Stacy DeCuyper said. “Especially not in the heart of downtown where the walking bridge already dwarfs the quaint historical downtown buildings.”
“I don’t want to see apartments.” Alderman Butch Price said. “That settles it for me.”
The rest of the board agreed that they preferred the home ownership model over rental properties. The TSW proposal will move to a vote during the City Council meeting on Thursday.
During meetings with the developer, Allegood said the look of the property should be consistent with historic downtown Acworth.
“We like what you did in Roswell,” City Manager of Acworth Brian Bulthuis said. “We obviously don’t want New England style beachfront townhomes.”
The City of Acworth would be responsible for placing the sewer line from Taylor Street up to the property in the right of way. The project will also require rezoning. Allegood said that the developer would be responsible for fixing any stormwater issues and that they would take the full property.
Any green space and undeveloped property, along with the management of the property would be the responsibility of the developer.
Members of the board said they would like to make sure there are safeguards in place, if the property is not developed, that would allow the City of Acworth to buy back the property to be acquired by another company. Further discussion on the contract details will take place when the offer is finalized.
Meghan Cooper is an Acworth-based freelance writer and content creator. She began her career as a blogger in 2008 and has worked with some of the world’s leading brands. Meghan’s writing credits include both local and national print and online publications. She has a BA in journalism and emerging media from Kennesaw State University and is a wife and mom of two.
