Roswell has confirmed the location for the downtown district’s long-awaited parking deck.
Parking has been a growing problem for the Canton Street dining and entertainment area. Local business owners have worried that visitors become weary of searching for available parking and decide to drive to such places as downtown Alpharetta where there is a free deck.
During a regular City Council meeting on Monday, officials approved a plan for a triangular site at Alpharetta and Green Streets. The stretch of land is located across the street from the Southern Post mixed-use development that is currently under construction.
The project will be funded through a $20 million bond referendum that was specifically for a parking deck and approved by voters in 2022.
Ryan Pernice, owner of two restaurants on nearby Canton Street, praised the mayor and council members for moving forward with the project. It helps Roswell compete, he said.
“Thank you,” Pernice said. “I can tell you this is sorely needed ...The business community has been clamoring for a solution for what I see as the parking problem in downtown Roswell since I opened Table and Main in 2011.”
Roswell consultants and staff already have road enhancements planned for the surrounding area of Green Street, without public input. There will be easy access in and out of the parking deck, according to the city.
Green Street is a two-way road that resembles an alley. Plans are to convert the street to one-way southbound for vehicular traffic with a 10-foot-wide sidewalk for pedestrians and bicyclists, as well as lighting.
“The Green Street plan was not brought to the public for review because it is directly related to the parking deck project,” Roswell Mayor Kurt Wilson said.
Roswell also plans to convert Plum Tree Street, which runs between Canton and Green streets, into a brick-paved multi-use trail.
Jacobs Engineering helped Roswell officials narrow down the parking deck location, Wilson said. Roswell will now look for a firm to design and build the deck, which is expected to take 30 months.
The city would not say how many parking spaces are intended for the deck; if there will be underground and surface parking, or if the deck will be free to the public.
In February, Roswell City Council approved the purchase of two properties at the proposed location — 1065 Green Street and 1058 Alpharetta Street — for $2 million, but did not inform the public that the purchases were for the parking deck project.
The city is planning at least one more lot purchase for the project but would not comment on the pending real estate matter.
Jenna Aronowitz, owner of 1920 Tavern on Canton Street, is not as pleased about the parking deck location as Pernice. Aronowitz worries that the location is too far for businesses located on the southern part of Canton Street, she said.
“I’m happy that there is a parking solution at play, but I can’t say that I am happy about the location,” she said. “Most businesses located north (of 1920 Tavern) have their own parking lots.”
“It’s just too far, It’s still a 10-minute walk (to Canton).”
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