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Consultant outlines expanded URA study area along Jonesboro Road; board selects Site A as priority for concept planning
Summary
TSW consultants presented an expanded study area for the Forest Park Urban Redevelopment Area (URA) along Jonesboro Road and identified four potential redevelopment sites; the URA agreed to start concept planning for Site A, which is largely city-owned.
TSW consultants on Tuesday presented an update on a study to expand the Forest Park Urban Redevelopment Area boundary and to identify redevelopment opportunities along Jonesboro Road and Forest Parkway.
Jia Li of TSW and colleagues described a proposed expansion east to Old Dixie Highway to include commercial parcels with frontage on Jonesboro Road and mapped dilapidated properties within the study area. The team identified four candidate redevelopment sites — labeled Sites A, B, C and D — and recommended the URA select two of them for detailed concept planning. The URA members agreed to begin design work for Site A as the initial priority.
TSW described Site A as a roughly 6-acre area between Central Avenue and Forest Parkway near the downtown gateway. TSW said most of Site A is already owned by the city, reducing land cost, though a small privately owned corner parcel and a vacant former car service shop sit at the site’s edge and could require acquisition and possible demolition. The consultant noted the site’s zoning as Urban Village and its proximity to downtown as advantages, and flagged an active railroad nearby that carries an estimated 20 to 30 trains per day as a significant constraint needing design mitigation.
Site B (Clayton Plaza) and Site C (A to Z outlet center) were presented as larger commercial parcels along Jonesboro Road that are under private ownership; Site B is a single-owner parcel with a tax value cited in the presentation and Site C consists of multiple parcels with several owners, which TSW recommended could be addressed with a phased acquisition strategy. Site D includes a commercial frontage parcel with an adjacent vacant, multifamily-zoned linear parcel to the rear; the consultant noted a 30–40 foot grade change between parcels as a design challenge.
TSW recommended the URA choose two sites to proceed to concept planning, suggesting Site A as the top priority because of favorable zoning and existing city ownership; the consultant also suggested Site C as a contrasting example to the commercial shopping-center sites. Board members discussed using mixed-use concepts (ground-floor retail with housing above), mitigation of railroad noise through design and construction methods such as sound insulation, and potential funding and streetscape improvements along Jonesboro Road that could link the sites and support redevelopment.
After the presentation the URA directed staff to move forward with the scope of work to begin design alternatives for Site A, with the consultant to prepare one or two concept alternatives and an option that includes the small corner parcel so the board can compare choices.
Speakers on the item included Jia Li, Adam Williamson and Nick Johnson (TSW), and URA members and staff. No formal vote was required that evening; staff said they would return with a scope of work for design of Site A.
