Saturday, January 15, 2011

DORAVILLE PLAN FOR GM PLANT TO BE DISCUSSED AT CHAMBLEE BUSINESS ASSOCIATION MEETING

Caleb Racicot to Present LCI Planning Process for GM Plant at January Chamblee Business Association Meeting
Mr. Caleb Racicot, AICP, is an award winning city planner and Senior Principal with Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh & Associates. He has over 10 years of experience in community planning, design-based zoning codes, and public outreach. Before joining TSW, he was a planner with the City of Atlanta Bureau of Planning working on urban design studies and leading community workshops.

The 2010 Doraville Downtown Master Plan is a community-based effort to prepare a plan for the GM Plant and surrounding area, including parts of the City of Chamblee. The plant’s redevelopment and its ripple effects provide opportunities to further connect these neighbor communities by filling housing and economic voids, fostering quality growth, and expanding public spaces. The study’s goal is to capitalize on these opportunities and ensure that future redevelopment benefits Doraville, Chamblee, other surrounding communities, and the region.

This current effort is the second LCI (Livable Centers Initiative) undertaken by the City of Doraville in recent years. The first, completed in 2005, focused on the Buford Highway corridor inside I-285. The previous LCI, along with several other initiatives impacting the study are, have been carefully studied and incorporated into this effort.

Throughout fall and winter of 2010/2011, a consultant team led by Caleb Racicot of Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh & Associates has orchestrated the effort to define a plan for realizing the transformative potential of the Doraville Assembly Plan redevelopment. Through a series of community meetings, stakeholder interviews, and advisory team meetings, a draft plan has been developed that incorporates:

• A vision for establishing a quality, mixed-use employment center on the GM site

• Concepts for the existing Doraville town center,

• Sidewalk, roadway, and transit upgrades

• Open space and greenway projects

• Economic development strategies

• Zoning, land use, and design concepts

• And much more!

The Chamblee Business Association is supported through memberships. Meetings are open to the public, and all are encouraged to attend. The meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month at the Chamblee Civic Center, located at 3540 Broad St. Chamblee, GA 30341. Doors open at 7:30am, and the program begins at 8:00am. There is no charge for first-time guests, returning guest are $10, and members are $5.

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