By Jonathan Copsey / STAFF

At what point do you pull the plug on a project?

With The Georgian at the Garden District, that’s exactly the problem faced by Alpharetta’s City Council.

Located on Canton Street near Old Milton High School, developer Norman Cohen asked the Council to allow his company to extend their contract to build 54 townhomes on the property due the flounderig economy. He currently has until June.

In 2006 Cohen came before Council asking for permission to build his large development. Included in his contract was a clause demanding that he complete the project within two years; as Community Development Director Diana Wheeler said, it was to “inspire and motivate” timely construction instead of allowing a vacant lot. 

Now Cohen’s time is nearly up and he requested a two year extension, citing a hardship due to the economy.

“The real estate market has changed dramatically,” said Cohen. “[But] no one wants to build this [development] like I do.” 

To date, Cohen’s company has invested $5.6 million into the land, building a detention pond to handle water flow for the entire district as well as the roads and utility hookups for houses. All that remains is to actually build them.

A 5 Year Backlog

But will the townhomes be built? This is the latest in line of grandiose construction projects that have stalled mid-build due to the economy, Prospect Park being the most prominent. Council amended city code early this year to urge partially built construction sites to clean up and at least try to make it look other than an empty site. According to real estate numbers, Alpharetta currently has a 5 year glut of townhomes waiting to be sold. Only a few dozen were sold last year and several hundred remain. Obviously that will also contribute to when Cohen can build his homes. He declined an offer by Council to complete the building plans, thereby ending the time limit placed on him, saying that the cost to finish the plans was much higher than the interest he is currently paying on the land.

“I have heartache over this,” said Councilman Doug DeRito. “As much as I want to deny this, that could be a detriment to the city. If we turn this down [forcing Cohen to either build or abandon the property] this will only exacerbate the problems with development. It will make them worse.” 

A major issue of contention for the Council, other than the extension of the time limit, was the upkeep of the property since building stopped. Weeds, mud and fencing have been drawing the ire of local residents for some time now. The attitude of “if you are a good neighbor, I’ll be one too” was aired.

“If the property of my neighbor looked like that,” said Councilman D.C. Aiken, “I would not be willing to grant favors.”

In the end, Council did grant a favor, agreeing to the extension, although it was only for one year instead of the requested two. They also mandated that the lot be kept tidy and neat while there is no activity. This includes shrubbery, small trees, grass, etc to screen the lot from neighbors and the road.   

They did note, not necessarily against Cohen, that the Master Plan for the downtown area should be revisited. “Is that [level of] density still viable for Alpharetta?” asked DeRito, with Councilwoman Cheryl Oakes echoing it.
Only time will tell.