Business View Civil and Municipal | June 2022

22 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 6 Overlay for a commercial/retail corridor that sets standards for redevelopment that include the creation of new trails and greenspace, sustainable landscape and other green initiatives. What was once a sea of strip malls and parking lots is now being turned into a place where nature is celebrated. It’s anchored by the Big Creek Greenway, which offers eight miles of trails for walking, biking, and running and the planned extension of the Alpha Loop, the City’s “urban trail” that “connects people to the stuff.” “If a development happens in that district, they have to meet certain standards that are green-focused, more pedestrian friendly for that overlay,” Morsell says. “As retail evolves, as office space evolves, there are incentives to break up that asphalt and build structured parking or reduced parking requirements and incorporate pedestrian connections, green space and natural spaces within that whole corridor.” DISCOVER An Economic Development Initiative of the Alpharetta Chamber For more information: Deborah@alpharettachamber.com www.AlpharettaChamber.com | www.DowntownAlpharetta.com DowntownAlpharetta District Give your business he SUPPORT it needs and GR The power of the Downtown Alphar Join The Alpharetta Chamber Activate Member EHQHȴWV Ignite Marketing featuring YOUR EXVLQHVV eng :LWK EXV owner Become a part of the District, join online NOW! www.A D iscover Supporting business Connecting people Gilvin says. “A lot of our local communities around here and throughout the state are starting to copy the blueprint that we’ve outlined.” That plan includes templates for builders and developers, which help them understand what can be built in certain areas of the city. “It’s also not set in stone,” Gilvin warns. “I think we’ve done a great job as a community of helping people who want to invest in this community do it in a way that is consistent with the comprehensive land use plan, without being punitive and driving off people that want to invest.” The city was the first to create an Eco District