By Isabelle Manders | Oct 27, 2024
With about 15 projects totaling more than $80 million in progress or nearing completion, Tracy Styf said the Town Center Community Improvement District is busy as always.
The CID’s largest project to date, the South Barrett Reliever, is expected to be completed by the middle of 2025, with other projects like Lanie Park set to be finished in the next few months, said Styf, the CID’s executive director.
“We have a number of projects that are underway and each of them uniquely improve infrastructure and enhance the placemaking and quality of life in and around Town Center,” Styf said.
The 6.25-square-mile CID is a self-taxing district of commercial property owners that uses the extra tax dollars to fund community improvement projects within the district’s boundaries. Funding is frequently leveraged for grants from local, state and federal partners.
The Town Center district includes Cobb International Airport, Kennesaw State University and portions of Bells Ferry Road.
Town Center is one of three CIDs in the county, along with Cumberland and Gateway Marietta.
Improving Navigation and Safety
The South Barrett Reliever, currently the largest infrastructure project underway in Cobb, has been a long-time goal for the district.
What began as a simple safety improvement and road realignment from Cobb Parkway along Greers Chapel Road a decade ago has grown into a $56.3 million project to reduce traffic and improve safety along one of the CID’s busiest corridors.
Phase three of the reliever, which costs $44 million, will complete an alternate route of travel around Barrett Parkway with the construction of a 450-foot bridge over Interstate 75, according to Styf. The bridge will lead into a new two-lane roundabout behind the Home Depot on Roberts Court.
“South Barrett is an opportunity to take more than 22% of traffic off of Barrett Parkway while still providing access to and through the district,” Styf said.
The corridor sees about 60,000 vehicles per day and currently operates under a “Level F” service, the lowest level of service on a roadway, according to Alisha Smith, the CID’s director of projects and planning.
Smith emphasized the economic ripple effect of the project, noting how businesses in the area were responding to the ongoing road improvements.
“Because La Quinta (Inn and Suites on Greers Chapel Drive) sees the benefit of what’s happening with the road realignment, they are actually renovating their hotel,” Smith said.
On the opposite side of the bridge, Styf pointed out that several buildings along Roberts Court will be demolished and replaced by two different types of hotels approved by the Board of Commissioners.
The reliever will also complete the southern portion of a bike and pedestrian loop for the district.
“We’ll be able to come in and make safety enhancements, add lighting, separated pedestrian and bike paths, medians, and trees to create this connection throughout the district,” Styf said.
In addition to the South Barrett Reliever, the CID is working on preliminary engineering and pursuing grant funding to take the Big Shanty widening project to the next phase, addressing the portion of the road between Chastain Meadows and Bells Ferry Road.
The project aims to increase traffic flow along Big Shanty Road and enhance access to the I-75 managed lanes by adding a roundabout at the Bells Ferry-Big Shanty intersection. The final section of the project will also close gaps in the Noonday Creek Trail.
The CID also recently completed the installation of new wayfinding signage throughout the district.
Styf said the $800,000 investment not only helps beautify the space but also helps people travel to and through the district, with directional signage leading to key places like the airport, KSU and Fifth Third Stadium.
Updated signage around the district’s trails will include QR codes that connect users to Cobb County Public Safety.
The CID has also been working with the county and state on the Regional Connected Vehicle Program to deploy new technology for signalization prompts to help emergency vehicles move more efficiently and quickly through intersections.
Aside from improving traffic flow, Styf believes the infrastructure improvements “provide opportunities for businesses to grow and thrive.”
More Community Spaces
Besides efforts to improve navigation and safety, Styf said the CID is also focusing on creating more community spaces.
“Since COVID, more people want to be outside … and have activities outdoors and spaces that are open and free to the public,” she said.
Lanie Park, named after the founding executive director of the CID, is the inaugural project for the Lanie Shipp Hoover Fund, managed by the nonprofit Town Center Alliance.
“It’s the first major project under construction from funds that we raised through the alliance,” Styf said.
The almost four-acre pocket park will be located at the roundabout on Barrett Lakes Boulevard, built during South Barrett Reliever Phase Two.
Phase one of the park project, which included laying grass at the site of the park, was completed earlier this month. Styf said shade structures will be added in the coming months.
The park will feature sidewalks, greenspace, seating with a small plaza and the addition of 25 trees to commemorate the CID’s 25th anniversary.
Another pocket park along Chastain Road is currently in the design phase, while a pedestrian bridge over U.S. 41, connecting the Noonday Creek Trail across seven lanes of traffic, is expected to be completed by 2028.
The CID has partnered with the Georgia Audubon Society to incorporate educational elements, such as information on local wildlife, into the trail’s boardwalk section through the wetlands north of the bridge.
“When we finish this connection, there will be 22 miles of connected trail throughout northwest Georgia,” Styf said.
Additional beautification efforts include a crosswalk pilot project with the alliance to add decorative murals and crosswalks along the trail.
“(Community improvement) is at the heart of what we do,” Styf said. “The most successful projects are the ones that align with the needs and the aspirations of our property owners, as well as residents, students and visitors in the area.”
Preparation for Future Events
With large-scale events like the 2025 MLB All-Star Game, 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Super Bowl on the horizon, Styf expects increased activity in the district, especially with KSU being used as a World Cup practice facility and the Cobb County International Airport inside the district.
“We’re working … at the county and the state level to make sure that there are amenities as well as safety precautions in place for all of those events,” Styf said.
Commissioner JoAnn Birrell said she was looking forward to seeing everything come to completion.
“The CID has been a great partner, not just for roads and improvements, but also parks, green space and other amenities in the area,” Birrell said. “And there’s a lot of grants and funding that they help us secure.”
Next year, the CID will begin using a $200,000 grant from the Atlanta Regional Commission to update its nearly decade-old Livable Centers Initiative plan to take the area’s significant growth into account.
Commissioner Keli Gambrill said this is a transformative time for Town Center.
“We get to envision what we are going to be in the next decade because we know changes are coming,” Gambrill said.
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