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South Fulton updates Red Oak Main Street push; city readies $2.5 million renovation for district office
Summary
City staff updated council on Main Street application plans for Red Oak, previewed renovation of 4800 Campbell Drive into the Red Oak district office with a $2.5 million budget, and said the Main Street startup application opens May 1. Georgia DCA staff said Main Street is one of several downtown tools and not every district qualifies.
City staff on March 19 told the City Council that work to pursue a Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Main Street designation for the Red Oak district is advancing and that the city is preparing to renovate a facility at 4800 Campbell Drive as a central Red Oak district office and community hub.
Assistant City Manager Carmen Davis presented the status report, describing community outreach and an urban design study by Sizemore. “The addition is being added to it. It has been budgeted for $2,500,000,” Davis said of the Campbell Drive renovation. Davis said the project includes about 4,600 square feet of interior space, an outdoor classroom and amphitheater, a pavilion for farmers markets, a playground, EV charging in the parking area and ADA upgrades including a new elevator. She said architectural design was about 90% complete, site design about 65%, and the team was targeting permit submission around April 15.
Davis said the project’s construction period is estimated at nine to 12 months following contract award, and that the city will request construction bids from its standby contractors once designs are finalized.
The city also summarized progress toward applying to the state Main Street program. Elizabeth Elliott, downtown preservation planner with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, briefed council on the statewide Main Street approach and its “four points” of organization, promotion, design and economic development. Elliott said the Main Street startup application opens May 1 and closes July 1, and she emphasized that Main Street is one of several tools DCA offers to support downtown revitalization. “Main Street is not the right approach for everybody,” Elliott said, urging the council to use the program where appropriate and to use DCA technical assistance for other kinds of downtown work.
Council members asked about timing and readiness for the application. Davis said Red Oak staff and volunteer advisory-board members have been doing preparatory work, including history research and community charrettes, and that Trevor Thornton is the Red Oak Main Street manager on the city team.
Several council members pressed for quicker completion of the Campbell Drive designs and clear, public briefings for neighborhood residents. Councilwoman Helen Willis said she wanted the community updated by the mid-April meeting and pressed staff to deliver the promised Sizemore report and the design package for the April 17 community meeting. Davis said the team expects to reach permitting and bid-ready documents as part of the 90% design milestone and that she would provide the requested materials.
Davis also noted that Old National District’s earlier analysis by DCA found it did not meet Main Street criteria; she recommended revising the Old National resolution to reflect a complementary revitalization strategy rather than Main Street designation.
No formal vote was required; staff said they would return with application materials and any necessary council resolutions before the May 1 application window.
