Mayor Bill Dunaway and Councilperson Betty Hunter climbed into a trackhoe today to demolish a house and break ground on a $55 million mixed use redevelopment in the heart of the city that will transform an aging neighborhood with smart growth and neo-traditional owner-occupied housing.
City Council recently approved the detailed plan for phase one of the Manget Street Redevelopment Area and rezoning of additional properties to be included in phase two of the project, which includes Lakewood Drive, Manget, Frasier, Haley and Waterman Streets and South Avenue.
The project, which will include single family detached homes, attached single family town homes and residential condominium buildings, will offer a wide range of housing types and price plans near the Marietta Square.
The Manget Project will create new owner-occupied housing in the area while reducing the number of available rentals. The redevelopment will include 265 homes and increase home ownership in the surrounding area to 60 percent.
The plans are a result of a 15-month process that included four neighborhood meetings while the city sought proposals, selected a developer and reviewed potential plans. Council must still give final approval of phase two's detailed plan, which includes architecture and landscaping.
Hedgewood Development, of Cumming, Ga, has created a plan that benefits the project and neighborhood by respecting the neighborhood's scale and character. The project will include parks, tree-lined sidewalks and gracious porches.