James_September-October_2026_web - Flipbook - Page 88
multimillion-dollar planning decisions simply because they are the
loudest constituency in the room.
If customers have to walk a few
blocks to dinner, so be it. Successful
cities around the world have operated that way for centuries.
Too often Roswell has allowed
whichever group is making the
most noise to shape public policy
instead of asking the more important question: what best serves the
city’s long-term interests?
For years I viewed this simply
as weak leadership and short-term
thinking. Today the ideological component is much harder to ignore.
Roswell’s proposed 2045
Comprehensive Plan illustrates the
divide. City officials correctly note
that the plan does not itself rezone
neighborhoods. But comprehensive
plans establish the policy blueprint
for future zoning decisions, housing
studies, infrastructure priorities
and development proposals. They
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ROSWELL’S HISTORIC DISTRICT
become the language future councils, consultants and developers
cite when arguing that a project is
consistent with the city’s long-term
focus and vision.
Roswell itself points toward a
better strategy. Alpharetta Highway is lined with aging shopping
centers, obsolete commercial property, oversized parking lots and underused parcels that are obvious
candidates for redevelopment. It
JAMES SEPTEM B E R/O C TO BE R 2 0 2 6
already possesses the transportation access, utilities and commercial infrastructure planners claim
to be seeking.
If Roswell needs more housing,
offices, restaurants or mixed-use
development, this is where the
conversation should begin. Replacing obsolete commercial property
with attractive mixed-use districts
would strengthen the city’s tax
base, modernize aging corridors
