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| Artist's concept of how Oak Road could look |
From the design meetings with the public that were held back in February, the weak and strong aspects of life in Snellville were identified. Some of the weaknesses of Snellville were described by participants in the design meetings as "Boring," "Traffic,", "Non-Existent," "Congested," "Old." A few of the words used by citizens to explain what they desire for Snellville's future were "Walkable," "Vibrant," "Place (sense of)," "Inviting," "Fun," and (sense of) "Community."
Margaret Gearing of eos marketing pointed out that citizens of Snellville became aware of the importance of Community with the launch of the Snellville Farmers' Market. We've found the Snellville Farmers' Market is a destination that brings us together.
US-78 IS STRONG, BUT DIVIDES THE CITY LIKE A RIVER
The presenters explained that we have the ability to change Highway 78/124 are from just a huge intersection to a place that's a walkable, livable place. One of the challenges facing Snellville, the Clark Patterson Lee representative explained, is that although US78 supports our city with a lot of traffic -- it also divides city much like a river. A large part of the plan is to increase the connectivity from one side to the other. This can be done with walkways/bike paths that bridge the highway. The representative explained that the bridge-paths could include ramps for bicyclists, and that the bridges could be made to be very nice looking, with brick, wrought iron and the like.
RESPECTING THE PAST, BUT LOOKING FORWARD TO THE FUTURE
A big part of the redevelopment process will be the branding of Snellville's feel and look that is presented. To that end, a logo for The Towne Center @ Snellville has been designed. The look for Snellville in publications and advertisements is to promote the image of Snellville "as an uplifting, inspiring, we-can-do-it" sort of city, said eos marketing's president Margaret Gearing. The spelling of "Towne" with an 'e' on the end has been done to complement the sense of history we have in Snellville (for example, the many places using the name 'New London'), and the '@' symbol is to make the name modern. (See the logo in the photo above). Now, I know I'm going to hear from some of you that you don't like that 'e' on the end of Towne or the '@' symbol. But look at the bright side, it could have been Ye Olde Towne Centre. (Just kidding, I don't think they ever considered that one)
DISTRICTS
The Towne Center @ Snellville plans include thinking of sections of Snellville as districts. For example, a Civic/Business & professional office district would be the area around Snellville City Hall. The Education & Arts district would be near where the Snellville Oaks shopping center is now. All the various districts would weave together, interspersed with greenspaces. The plan would make Snellville a more enjoyable place for residents and a city that will be inviting to people who currently think of Snellville only as a part of the highway that aggravates their commute.
ROUNDABOUTS
Although the Towne Center @ Snellville process could take decades, the installation of 2 roundabouts are already in the works, and will be funded by the Department of Transportation.
NO CAKE FOR YOU
It's impossible for me to tell you everything that happened at the meeting if you weren't there (the strawberry cake was delectable) but you can visit Snellville City Hall to look over the design plans. It will really help you visualize the ideas. Try to do that this week and please leave a comment to let me know what you think. PS: The cake is gone.
CONTACT
If you have questions or concerns, your best contact is Eric Van Otteren, Snellville's Economic Development Manager. He can be reached by phone at 770-985-3502 or email evanotteren@snellville.org.
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