Roswell Awaits Multimillion-Dollar Redevelopment Grant

ATLANTA-With an estimated 40,000 cars a day traveling a two-mile, main north-south corridor in suburban Roswell, GA, elected officials in metro Atlanta’s second largest city (Pop. 80,000) are going ahead with a multimillion-dollar redevelopment. The plan would slow the traffic by narrowing the four-lane highway and replacing a string of unsightly small businesses with a tree-lined, pedestrian-friendly gateway to the city.

The venture would take 20 years to complete and would require funding from the Atlanta Regional Commission, Roswell city council says on its Web site. The converted two-mile strip would lead to the city’s historic district. Four-foot-wide bicycle paths would be part of the new look. Duluth, Decatur and Gwinnett County may follow suit if Roswell gets the redevelopment started, according to area council members.

Opposition from local small businesses is expected. In Roswell especially, the future of the Southern Skillet restaurant, a civic icon in the Value Village strip center on the controversial two-mile stretch, is at stake.