Roswell officials are envisioning the redevelopment of an aged shopping center that sits on 47 acres on Holcomb Bridge Road. The goal is to transform the property owned by Malon D. Mimms Co. into a high-end mixed-use town center that could serve as a cultural hub.
The property is already named Roswell Town Center.
During an October council meeting, the city of Roswell entered into a memorandum of understanding with Mimms and developer Morris and Fellows to explore possibilities for the property’s redevelopment.
The project would include luxury apartments, restaurants, retail and green space. A botanical gardens, amphitheater or sports venue were also tossed out as ideas to be included in the project.
Morris and Fellows has a reputation for creating a unique sense of place for communities. Locally Luckie Marietta in downtown Atlanta, Woodstock and Alpharetta City Center, are in the firm’s portfolio, as well as districts in Washington D.C., San Francisco, California, and Fort Worth, Texas.
According to the MOU, Morris and Fellows will begin preparing a conceptual master plan, engage consultants and engineers, and work with Roswell to establish the terms of a public-private partnership. The agreement is not legally binding but rather expresses the good-faith intentions of all parties. City leaders said the idea for redeveloping the Mimms property has been in the works for about three years.
Currently, the shopping center appears partially shuttered and is not fully occupied. Its primary attractions include Aurora Cineplex and the Computer Museum of America, which is expected to become more of a draw within the new development.
The museum, owned by commercial real estate developer Lonnie Mimms, occupies more than 35,000 square feet in a former Burlington Coat Factory space and houses an extensive collection of historic computers and electronic devices.
During the October council meeting, consultant Peter Sorckoff, a controversial figure in Roswell, compared the envisioned residential component to the nearby luxury community Southern Post, where empty nesters rent for $4,000 per month, he said.
“Because they can afford it. There’s no maintenance. There’s no lawn,” he added.
Proposed projects carry layered considerations
Before the unanimous vote for the MOU and the potential project, Councilwoman Sarah Beeson voiced concerns about affordability and the city’s demographics. She noted that while the city is exploring ways to attract new residents, many younger professionals are priced out of Roswell’s housing market.
Similar to other cities in metro Atlanta, Roswell is becoming less affordable for current residents as well as people who want to move to the city.
Beeson emphasized that economic development should include affordability and workforce access.
“If you look at the demographic for ages 25 through 44 on this, people aren’t coming to Roswell at that age because they simply cannot afford it,” Beeson said. “There is not a house for them to go to.”
Newcomers can either afford to live in Roswell because of ongoing wealth, or they’ve moved into a retirement community, she added.
“No one’s going to relocate their business to a city (where) young professionals, people that they are targeting, can’t afford to live there,” she said.
Beeson added that the city should aim for “missing middle” housing — smaller homes, duplexes, triplexes, quadraplexes, condos, and apartments — that make it possible for both downsizing retirees and younger professionals to live within the community.
Council members said that reaching an MOU for the shopping center redevelopment was years in the making after numerous brainstorming sessions. Mayor Kurt Wilson acknowledged residents’ complaints of being left out of such processes.
The mayor said that the approach is intentional because, in the past, small groups of residents opposed to potential development have succeeded in blocking projects from happening.
“If this were easy, it would’ve already happened…organically,” Wilson said. “[There’s a question of] when does the public get involved in the process. Well, the public elected representatives to go make decisions.”
For residents wondering when they get to weigh in, Wilson, who is in a runoff race to keep his job, said: “You weigh in at election time.”
“No one’s going to relocate their business to a city (where) young professionals, people that they are targeting, can’t afford to live there,” she said.
And that the rub for this whole town. It’s not LA and Atlanta city has gone delusional in response. There simply ain’t a draw in-here other than to work. The state knows this, and that’s probably why Savannah is their new growth engine. Roswell is heading the in right direction to keep what it has, although it will mean the current HS kids will wind up in TN or FL, SC or elsewhere.
“No,” Mayor Wilson, Roswell elects officials to make decisions based on preferences expressed by residents. Residents are more familiar with the needs in the part of Roswell they live in than public officials. Blocking residents input and knowledge of potential development until it is too late for reidents to have impact is shameful. Roswell residents GET YOUR BALLOTS and vote!
Minor correction: Lonnie Mimms’ technology basement was renamed “Mimms Museum of Technology and Art” earlier this year from “Computer Museum of America” (https://mimmsmuseum.org/about/)
I had to laugh when I saw the city’s press release about the MOU. I’m sure it was a complete coincidence that it came just before the recent municipal election, and like several other “announcements” and promotional videos, touted the current administration’s “achievements”, which mostly turn out to have much less substance than they claim. I will give Kurt Wilson credit for honesty with regard to:
“Mayor Kurt Wilson acknowledged residents’ complaints of being left out of such processes. . . .The mayor said that the approach is intentional because, in the past, small groups of residents opposed to potential development have succeeded in blocking projects from happening.” So he kept residents/business owners who might be affected ignorant of the plans, because he knew they’d oppose them, probably successfully. Got it.
Roswell currently offers a lower cost of living compared to nearby cities like Alpharetta, with housing costs about 5.1% less expensive. We already offer lots of housing options and our city last month the partnered with the Roswell Housing Authority and developer Pennrose to begin construction on 102 new affordable apartment homes at the former Pelfrey Pines Apartments site. For decades past mayors and councils did nothing to create mixed use places in the city and let dilapidated strip malls sit vacant. Those same voices who did next to zero to move the ball down the field are now complaining about the progress made under the current mayor and council. They now want to elect a former Georgia lawmaker who is out of step with the needs of young families who came here for our single family homes and parks. Don’t be fooled, they have high density stand alone apartment plans for our sweet city.
Keep Kurt as Mayor Voting Day December 2nd
I have lived in Roswell for 4 decades. Apartments in Roswell have brought down the test scores of the high schools and most of the crime happens in the existing apartment developments. I do not want more apartments in Roswell. There is plenty of affordable housing in Cobb County by Sprayberry Hight School and in Cherokee Cty. I want Roswell to stay or improve, as a respectable community. Apartments will not be good for Roswell in the long run.