project: JIMMY CARTER BOULEVARD BUFORD HIGHWAY REDEVELOPMENT PLAN
date: 2007 – 2008
location: GWINNETT COUNTY, GA
client: GWINNETT VILLAGE COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT
contact: CHUCK WARBINGTON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

In 2007, the Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District (GVCID) asked Urban Collage to perform a two phased project geared towards revitalizing a pair of active but aging strip retail corridors.

The first phase was the creation of a redevelopment plan for the two corridors; Jimmy Carter Boulevard and Buford Highway. The process involved a detailed analysis of several existing plans as well and the very disparate conditions along the two corridors. A steering committee consisting of property owners, business people and adjacent residents helped guide the process, providing input with regards to priorities, goals and vision for future growth.

Recognizing the importance of implementation, Urban Collage proceeded directly into the second phase, the crafting of an ordinance and design guidelines that would provide an incentive-based regulatory framework to support the redevelopment plan’s direction. Working not only with the client but an additional CID and consultants, complementary documents were drafted to direct the redevelopment of the two corridors. The Mixed-Use Ordinance was written initially as an area-specific overlay, but received such positive feedback from the Gwinnett County Planning Department that it was eventually constructed to supplant the existing mixed-use ordinance.

The other half of the equation, the Design Guidelines, were created to give a graphic indication of text of the ordinance and make the code more “user-friendly”. The Guidelines also added detail to several aspects of the ordinance, providing quality assurance for streetscapes, road design, and multi-family redevelopment, among others.

Both the ordinance and the guidelines were adopted by the county & the city of Norcross in 2008.

project: NORTH FULTON CID PLANNING SERVICES
date: 2007 – ONGOING
location: ALPHARETTA, GAT
client: NORTH FULTON COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT
contact: ANN HANLON, VP OF TRANSPIRATION, COO

In 2007, Urban Collage, Inc. was retained by the North Fulton Community Improvement District (CID) to develop an integrated land use and transportation master plan for the GA 400 commercial corridor in North Fulton County. The Conceptual Plan for Blueprint North Fulton outlines strategies for three nodes: North Point Activity Center, Old Milton Parkway and Windward Parkway.

The planning process included two public workshops, a consumer research survey, and significant discussion with the district’s three municipalities: Alpharetta, Milton and Roswell.

The Blueprint’s final plan showed a prioritization of transportation and community improvement projects and land use policies that will help create a more balanced, sustainable North Fulton and provide direction for CID initiatives and expenditures over the next seven years. In October 2008, the final plan was unveiled.

Urban Collage was subsequently retained to continue to help the CID to coordinate design and planning for key implementation planning projects.

project: BROOKHAVEN – PEACHTREE LIVABLE CENTERS INITIATIVE (LCI)
date: 2005
location: DeKALB COUNTY, GA
client: DeKALB COUNTY OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
contact: MARIA M. MULLINS, DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

In 2005, Urban Collage, Inc. was retained by DeKalb County to create a development plan for the Brookhaven community in North Atlanta, including redevelopment of the Brookhaven/Oglethorpe University MARTA rail station, as part of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Livable Centers Initiative.

The plan focused on redevelopment of the 10-acre MARTA rail station property and the Peachtree Road commercial corridor to create a dynamic, mixed-use center of regional prominence. The village center is intended to become a focal point within the Brookhaven community and DeKalb County, including a mix of multi-tenant office space, retail business and multi-family residential development positioned around a central open space in a denser, pedestrian oriented pattern. Additional redevelopment projects in the area focus on developing a consistent sense of character in Brookhaven, creating a mixed-use environment with a strong sense of place, offering a variety of housing types and price points, creating a dynamic pedestrian environment and improving traffic safety.

Subsequently, Urban Collage was retained by Dekalb County to draft a form-based overlay district to implement the plan. The overlay, the first of its kind in the county, was developed with a steering committee of local stakeholders and created form sub-areas, public space standards, urban design standards & provisions for workforce housing.

project: PERIMETER COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS STRATEGIC PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION
date: 2002-2003
location: DeKALB AND FULTON COUNTIES, GA
client: PERIMETER COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS (PCIDs)
contact: YVONNE WILLIAMS, PERIMETER COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS PRESIDENT

Urban Collage provides strategic planning and implementation services to the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts (PCIDs), which comprise portions of both DeKalb and Fulton Counties. This client relationship is an extension of previous planning work that Urban Collage completed for the PCID as part of a 2001 Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) planning study.

That LCI study identified a list of key projects (including intersection enhancements, streetscapes, a wayfinding system, and zoning amendments) that would further the PCID’s mission to implement transit-supportive development and maximize existing transportation investments in the area. In the firm’s current capacity as “Program Planner” to the PCID, Urban Collage has refined that initial list of projects to create a comprehensive five-year Public Improvements Program.

Implementation Highlights:

• Awarded $6.5 million in implementation funds from ARC for the Perimeter Center Parkway Livable Corridor Concept
• Creation of Perimeter Public Space Standards to ensure that future development is consistent with LCI plan
• Oversight of Evaluation and Selection Process for Program Manager and Design/Engineering Firms
• Preparation of Zoning Overlay Districts for DeKalb and Fulton