Stonecrest LCI Plan Dekalb County in Association with Atlanta Regional Commission
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Stonecrest LCI Plan DeKalb County in association with Atlanta Regional Commission SIZEMORE GROUP in association with KIMLEY HORN and ASSOCIATES INC., GIBBS PLANNING GROUP, and SYCAMORE CONSULTING, INC. Stonecrest LCI Plan DeKalb County in association with Atlanta Regional Commission Final Report - August 2013 SIZEMORE GROUP in association with KIMLEY HORN and ASSOCIATES INC., GIBBS PLANNING GROUP, and SYCAMORE CONSULTING, INC. Credits DeKalb County Natural Resources Management Susan Hood Board of Commissioners Director Elaine Boyer - District 1 Kathie Gannon - District 6 School System Larry Johnson - District 3 Hans Williams Lee May - District 5 / Interim CEO Planner Sharon Barnes Sutton - District 4 Dan Drake Jeff Rader - District 2 SPLOST and Planning Director Stan Watson - Super District 7 Nichole Simms - District 7 Policy Director Edmond Richardson - District 5 Chief of Staff GIS Department Araya D. Araya Planning Department GIS Specialist Andrew Baker Director of Planning and Sustainability, AICP Cedric Hudson Project Manager, MCRP Brian Brewer Planner Shawanna Qawiy Planner, MPA, MSCM Sidney Douse, III Planner, AICP Madolyn Spann Planning Manager Public Works Department Sylvia Smith Transportation Engineer Office of Neighborhood Empowerment Bettye Davis Director Atlanta Regional Commission Consultant Team Allison Duncan LEAD FIRM :: URBAN DESIGN, PLANNING and PROJECT MANAGEMENT Senior Planner, Land Use SIZEMORE GROUP Amy Goodwin Bill De St. Aubin Lily Berrios Principal Planner, Land Use Principal-in-Charge, AIA, LEED AP Principal / Project Manager, AIA Michael M. Sizemore Deanna Murphy MARTA Principal, FAIA Planner Gregory Floyd Senior Land Use Planner PUBLIC OUTREACH AND CONSENSUS Sycamore Consulting, Inc. Janide Sidifall Jen Price MARTA I-20 Transit Initiative Project Manager Project Manager, ACIP Stonecrest Business Alliance MARKET STUDY Sam Armstrong, Stonecrest Business Alliance Wesley Dowdy, Stonecrest Business Alliance Gibbs Planning Group Jetha Wagner, Stonecrest Business Alliance Bob Gibbs Principal Core Stakeholder Team Robert Astrove, Arabia Mountain Preserve TRANSPORTATION Chad Belinfanti, Parks at Stonecrest Civic Association Kimley Horn and Associates, Inc. Donald Bieler, The Mall at Stonecrest Mera Cardenas, Arabia Mountain Alliance Rob Ross Elizabeth Hammer Wesley Dowdy, Stonecrest Business Alliance Captain Project Manager Engineer in Training Patricia Elmore-Edge, The Mall at Stonecrest Captain Scott Gassner, DeKalb Police Department Deborah A. Jackson, City of Lithonia Jason Lary, Spring Lake Johanna McCrehan, Georgia Conservancy Gerald McDowell, Hidden Hills Neighborhood Assoc. Charlie Monroe, Natural Resources Management Major M.L. Reynolds, DeKalb Police Department George Turner, Jr., S, Lithonia Neighborhd, Coalition Contents 1.0 Introduction .................................................................................08 1.1 Location and Context 1.2 The LCI Program 1.3 Previous Studies and Plans 1.4 The Process 2.0 Facts and Analysis .................................................................................14 2.1 Land Use and Zoning 2.2 Greenspace, Parks and Trails 2.3 Transportation 2.4 Market, Demographic, and Socio-Economic Profile 3.0 Plan Development .................................................................................34 3.1 Public Process 3.2 Vision and Goals 3.3 Design Workshop Creating the “Place to Be” Live-Work-Play-Shop Transportation Green Strategies Economic Development 4.0 Recommendations .................................................................................44 4.1 Master Plan 4.2 Land Use and Zoning 4.3 Transportation 4.4 Green Strategies 4.5 Economic Development 5.0 Implementation Plan .................................................................................66 5.1 Implementation Strategies 5.2 Work Program and Five Year Schedule 5.3 Twenty-Five Year Projections 6.0 Appendix .................................................................................... i 6.1 Stakeholder Input 6.2 Case Study: Silver Comet Trail Economic Impact 6.3 Arabia Mountain Trail STONECREST LCI PLAN LCI Study Introduction STONECREST LCI PLAN LCI Study 1.0 Introduction unique history, environment and culture. The Stonecrest Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) Plan The Stonecrest study area is a designated Regional is a planning study led by DeKalb County and spon- Activity Center, by DeKalb County, due to the sored by the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC). existing and planned high density mixed land use, DeKalb County was the recipient of a 2012 ARC including retail, office, and high density residential. Livable Centers Initiative Study Grant to complete Continued growth and proposed development of the Stonecrest area along with the effects on the this process. housing and retail market due to the current eco- nomic recession has created the need for a proac- 1.1 Location and Context tive approach in guiding future land use decisions and creative economic development strategies. FIGURES 1a: STONECREST SIGNAGE The study area is located in unincorporated south- This study will seek to enhance the long term eco- eastern DeKalb County. It is approximately 20 nomic viability, create a healthy and safe place for miles from downtown Atlanta, 10 miles east of the pedestrians and cyclists, improve local congestion I-20 and I-285 interchange, and is approximately three miles from the Rockdale County line farther and promote easy access to jobs and services. east. The land area for the Stonecrest LCI is 2,485 acres and is defined by Old Covington Highway to 1.2 The LCI Program the north, the DeKalb-Rockdale County line to the east, Rockland Road to the south, and Woodrow The Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) is a program of Drive to the west. The Mall at Stonecrest, the the Atlanta Regional Commission that awards plan- Arabia Mountain Trail, the Stonecrest Public Library, ning grants on a competitive basis to local govern- and Strayer University are all popular destinations ments and nonprofit organizations to prepare plans for the enhancement of existing centers and cor- located within the study area. Refer to Figurees 1a FIGURES 1b: STONECREST AERIAL to 1d. ridors that link transportation improvements with land use development strategies to create sustain- At the core of the study area is the Mall at Stonecrest able, livable communities consistent with regional - a regional mall built in 2001. The Mall and its development policies. Planning grants are awarded surrounding outparcels consist of retail, medical, to local governments and nonprofits to: office, hotel and residential uses which are regu- lated by the County’s Stonecrest Compatible Use • Encourage a diversity of mixed-income res- Overlay District and the Stonecrest Design Controls idential neighborhoods, employment, shop- Decatur Guidelines to encourage a pedestrian friendly envi- ping, and recreation choices at the activity Downtown Atlanta ronment and set forth design standards for the center, town center, and corridor level. preservation of the value and integrity of the Mall Stonecrest LCI at Stonecrest. Additionally, the study area is located • Provide access to a range of travel modes, within the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, including transit, roadways, walking, and bik- Airport Introduction which celebrates and works to preserve the area’s ing, to allow access to all uses within the study FIGURES 1c: STUDY AREA CONTEXT MAP 8 Introduction FIGURE 1d: STUDY AREA MAP 9 STONECREST LCI PLAN LCI Study area. • A concentration of regionally-marked family homes, are located further south. commercial and retail centers, office and • Develop an outreach process that promotes employment areas, higher-education facili- Arabia Mountain Plan ties, recreational complexes and higher den- the involvement of all stakeholders. In 2006, the Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance, sity housing. per National Park Service requirements, completed The LCI program has been an extremely popular The Community Agenda also identifies character a Management Plan. The community supported endeavor. LCI communities have made significant areas within the study area, including the regional plan, defines significant historic, natural, and cultural commitments and investments to create and imple- center near I-20, suburban and rural residential sites and addresses how they can be better shared ment innovative plans for the improvement of their areas south of the regional center, and conserva- with the public. town centers, activity nodes and corridors. This tion/greenspace throughout the study area. project will result in a master plan that brought vari- The Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area is a ous stakeholders together to form a unified vision Additionally, the Community Agenda identifies major asset to the study area. This plan and stake- for the ultimate enhancement of the Stonecrest the Stonecrest Overlay District, an Urban Design holder input from the Arabia Mountain Heritage area. Overlay District that is designed for existing low Area Alliance helped direct the recommendations density, single use areas to encourage new mixed- found within this document. use or higher density development. 1.3 Previous Studies and Plans The plan identifies a Heritage Area Visitor Center DeKalb County Comprehensive Transportation Over the last decade, several plans have been pre- and Culture and Community Gateway Facility to be Plan located adjacent to the study area, near the inter- pared for areas inside and in vicinity of LCI area. section