Driving Tour Stakeholder Meeting at the Chattahoochee Nature Center

The Driving Tour Stakeholder Meeting took place on Tuesday, December 11, 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Chattahoochee Nature Center. The goal of the meeting was to begin to engage with community members, local businesses, schools, agencies and institutions along the River and to hear individual concerns, issues, and opportunities for connectivity. The meeting was one of three invited stakeholder meetings held during the 100-Mile Windshield Driving Tour that kicked off the research phase of the Study. At the meeting, the attendees broke into two groups to 1) talk through priority issues, recommended research, and precedents and 2) locate greenway aspirations, obstacles, and assets for the themes of ecology, history and culture, and connections and access. See notes below:

MEETING AGENDA

  • Meet and Greet
  • Chattahoochee Nature Center Introduction
  • Design Team Presentation
  • Break-out sessions
    • Group Discussion – Qualitative Assessment of priority issues, stakeholder involvement, recommended research, precedents and site visits
    • Mapping Exercise with Model – locating greenway aspirations, obstacles and assets for themes of ecology, History & culture, and connections & Access
  • Report Back
  • Next Steps

SUMMARY OF IDENTIFIED ASPIRATIONS

  • Connectivity – between places, between parks, across the river, between access pts.
  • Connect parks!
  • “United” as driving theme
  • Capitalize on recent successes and newly acquired public property (e.g., in Johns Creek, Gwinnet Trail Plan, etc.)
  • Sustainability
  • Public Access
  • Pedestrian access across the river

SUMMARY OF IDENTIFIED OBSTACLES

  • Pressures from development
  • Water quality south of Atlanta
  • Flooding

GROUPS IN ATTENDANCE

  • Atlanta Audubon Society
  • Atlanta Cycling
  • Chattahoochee Nature Center
  • Chattahoochee Parks Conservancy
  • Chattahoochee Riverkeeper
  • Georgia Aquarium
  • Sandy Springs Parks Conservancy
  • NPS
  • City of Johns Creek
  • City of Sandy Springs
  • City of Sugar Hill
  • Roswell Recreation Comm
  • Georgia Power

Help Share a New River Connection

Chattahoochee RiverLands Pedestrian Trail Bridge

The City of Smyrna and Trust for Public Land are exploring a new pedestrian and bicycle bridge across the Chattahoochee River. This bridge could improve connections between existing and planned trail systems in Smyrna and Atlanta while creating new opportunities for recreation, mobility, and access to the river. Share your input on project priorities, potential uses, and how this connection could serve the community.