$75 Million Project to Remake Woodstock's Downtown
By Chrisophter Quinn
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
06/06/04
The wrong side of the tracks in Woodstock is about to become a coveted
address.
Thirty-two acres that make up the southeast quadrant of Woodstock's
main intersection grew an outstanding crop of red and white oaks,
pines, tangled ivy and songbirds during the last century.
This century, it's about to sprout an envy-inspiring $75 million
crop of new storefronts, offices, townhomes, houses, condominiums
and parks.
"I'm sitting right here right now and looking at the woods
and can't imagine $750,000 houses in front of where we live," said
James Hutson, who spent the last 44 years living in one of the
few scattered houses on the acreage.
Hutson overstates the top prices for the homes soon to be built — the
estimated range is $200,000 to the high $300,000s — but
his excitement is understandable. Woodstock has never seen anything
like the development.
The large project will remake the former rail stop, which hasn't
changed much since the last passenger train came through in the late
1940s. Downtown Woodstock is but a depot and three blocks of commercial
buildings and churches on the west side of Main Street. The mixed-use
project will create an east side to the town.
The development, built by Hedgewood Properties, also has sparked
the interest of other developers and business owners, who are looking
to benefit from the momentum and from the families expected to begin
moving in this time next year.
H.C. "Skip" Shipman, owner of Brenda's House of Flowers
on Main Street, recently bought three lots adjoining his business
with plans to develop them as the opportunity rises.
"Woodstock has always been a place where you drive through
to get to your destination. Hedgewood will allow Woodstock to become
the destination," he said.
"It's going to really impact the downtown merchants in a very
positive way financially. Those willing to work within the parameters
of what the city and Hedgewood are trying to accomplish with this
project will absolutely make out financially," he predicted.
Richard McLeod, the city planner, said a couple of other developers
have approached him with ideas about new, smaller commercial projects
since Hedgewood's announcement earlier this year.
He and other city leaders want to fend off poorly designed developments
that will spoil what they are trying to do — create an
easily walkable, pretty new downtown with a consistent design
standard. The city is considering a 90-day moratorium on new
developments while it puts an overlay or design standard in place.
"We don't want to kill the goose that laid the golden egg," McLeod
said.
Hedgewood's plans call for a row of brick townhomes and condominium
flats — including 60,000 square feet of space for shops, offices
and restaurants — facing across the railroad tracks to
the older strip of buildings on Main Street. The new architecture
will look traditional. Behind the commercial strip, more townhomes,
houses, a 3-acre central park and pocket parks will go up.
"The townhomes will be coming out of the ground in late summer
or early fall if things go well," said David M. Smith, Hedgewood's
development partner for the project.
Transformations
From the restoration of historic Acworth in Cobb County to the creation
of a downtown out of nothing in Gwinnett County's Sugar Hill community,
development companies are busy turning burgs or nothing more than
a busy crossroads into new, vibrant community centers.
Metro residents tired of subdivisions and drives to strip centers
to eat or shop are creating the demand for towns and denser, urban-appearing
homes.
The Atlanta Regional Commission's Livable Centers Initiative grants
came at the right time to support the lifestyle change.
The grants, starting in 2000, have doled out millions to help qualifying
towns and small cities to develop growth, zoning and transportation
plans. Hundreds of millions in follow-up federal grants are promised
to help the cities follow through with their dreams by building sidewalks,
trails and streetscapes, improving intersections and moving utilities.
Woodstock qualified for a $75,000 grant in 2002 to pay for a city
plan.
It changed its zoning last year to allow for the mixed-use type
development Hedgewood would propose.
In 2006, the city will receive $125,000 to pay for preliminary engineering.
The city is in line to get $1.1 million to put the plan into action.
Hedgewood, which has gained a reputation for building smart suburban
developments that harken back to the golden age of neighborhoods
and towns, was casting about for a project.
"One of our employees lives in downtown Woodstock and introduced
us to the idea [of locating there]," Smith said. The company
was able to put together the largely undeveloped lots along Main
Street and Arnold Mill Road.
Smith said the LCI plan in Woodstock was critical to Hedgewood locating
the project there.
"That gave us a road map to follow," he said.
Timely news
The news couldn't have come at a better time for Lara Randall.
After getting laid off from a public relations position, she decided
to follow her own development dream and in April opened the Serene
Bean, a coffee shop, café and gourmet catering business.
"Most traffic goes through Woodstock. They are not stopping.
They are not shopping," she said. "Woodstock is definitely
going to change."
James Hutson sold 6 acres and his home to Hedgewood and must move
by this fall to make way for the new development.
"I'm going to miss [Woodstock], but it's time for me to go," he
said. But he added quickly, "I want to come back in four
years and see what it is."
