By Roswell Mayor Jere Wood

In the last Beacon my opponent’s campaign manager, Mrs. Lofton, was quoted as saying Mayor Jere Wood has never explained why he does not support high-rise buildings in Roswell.  If Mrs. Lofton lived in Roswell [Lofton lives in Sandy Springs] she would have seen my explanation in two different letters to the editor published recently in Roswell publications. I oppose high-rise buildings in Roswell because the overwhelming majority of Roswell residents made it very clear that they do not want tall buildings in our City.

At the request of Council members Paula Winiski, David Tolleson and Jerry Orlans on November 11, 2006, the City’s Community Development Department reviewed a proposal called “Roswell East” for a two billion dollar development along GA 400 southeast of the 400/Holcomb Bridge Road interchange, which included high-rise buildings.  The Roswell East proposal died less than a year later on August 9, 2007, when the Council chose to cease further consideration of the Roswell East proposal and the developer decided not to pursue this proposal any further.  They both made the right choice.

From the beginning I told the developer that to win my vote and the vote of Council for the Roswell East proposal, he would first have to do two things:  Obtain a firm commitment for major road improvements that would reduce traffic congestion on Holcomb Bridge Road; and obtain the support of the citizens of Roswell.  My conditions were reported in the Atlanta Journal Constitution on April 4, 2007, and in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on April 11, 2007.  The developer was not successful in satisfying either condition.  For that reason, I agreed with the Council’s choice to cease further consideration of the Roswell East proposal.

It was productive for the City to consider the Roswell East proposal.  We now know that the overwhelming majority of Roswell citizens do not want high-rise buildings anywhere in the City.  Consideration of the Roswell East proposal also highlighted the need to make substantial improvements to the GA 400/Holcomb Bridge Road interchange. At the February 8, 2007 Community Development Committee meeting, Council members Lori Henry, Kent Igleheart, Paula Winiski and Terry Joyner voted against my recommendation that the City request money to fund improvement of the 400/Holcomb Bridge interchange. On August 9, 2007, just after they voted not to further consider the Roswell East proposal, the Council unanimously approved my recommendation to make improvements to the GA 400/Holcomb Bridge interchange our top priority transportation project.

Existing zoning for the property southeast of the GA 400/Holcomb Bridge interchange where Roswell East was proposed allows the construction of ten-story office buildings.   I am disappointed that the Council did not take the opportunity to develop a new vision for this property.  It was clear from public comment that although the community was opposed to high-rise buildings, they did not want ten-story office buildings constructed in the back yard of homes in Martin’s Landing, and they would like the old apartment complex on this property replaced with something better.

Roswell needs elected officials that have the courage and imagination to consider all possible ways to solve traffic congestion and encourage redevelopment of declining shopping centers and aging apartment complexes. We need to stop generating more bureaucratic regulations and start permitting good redevelopment projects. It is time for my opposition to stop criticizing what has already been considered and rejected and join me in looking for creative and practical solutions to the challenges that Roswell is facing today.  That is what true leaders do.