A grant from the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Liveable Centers Initiative will help Smyrna city officials study the Spring Road corridor from Cobb Parkway to Atlanta Road.
The stretch of road is 2.4 miles long and the $100,000 grant, which the Smyrna City Council accepted at a recent meeting, will help to analyze future transportation and land use issues, according to the Marietta Daily Journal.
The issues are expected to stem from the new Atlanta Braves Stadium and Jonquil Village mixed-use development, which will bring about 6,000 residential units.
The MDJ reports that Councilwoman Teri Anulewicz said the grant’s findings will be an important tool as Smyrna evaluates different proposals from developers who are looking at the area. Anulewicz said the grant will help the city balance commercial and residential development and help the city not overdevelop the area.
“With the Braves moving near Smyrna, Anulewicz said the community is now facing development and projects that were never on its radar before,” the MDJ article reads. “She said about five different developers have reached out about projects so far from a high-rise condominium to a townhome development.”
The study is expected to last about a year, beginning by mid-summer and finishing sometime in the first quarter of 2017.
Another councilman said the city expects economic activity related to the new developments, according to the article. The study grant is expected to help make sure all developments and projects are done well.
The city’s 20 percent required match for the grant was $25,000, according to the article. Smyrna’s grant application requested $120,000 but was awarded $100,000. Norton said the funding decrease will not affect much, and the grant will still have sufficient funding.
In recent weeks about 50 Smyrna residents attended a two-hour meeting hosted by Commissioner Bob Ott to express their concerns about heavy traffic due to the new SunTrust Park opening.
Several Smyrna residents expressed concerns about how the new development will affect the flow of traffic now that the Atlanta Braves are building their new ballpark there. Officials expect the 6,000 residential units that are also planned for the area could reduce the number of people driving to the stadium from other areas of the county and state.