By Jonathan Copsey / STAFF

Just what is the gateway to Roswell? If you said GA 400, you might be right. Unfortunately, Roswell’s only entrance to the “Hospitality Highway” is at Holcomb Bridge Road, and is little more than a few messy fields and unkempt buildings. And for some of Roswell’s leading citizens, that is just unacceptable.

Al Nash, a local businessman, has held several meetings in the past few weeks asking for support for a dream of his – to beautify the entire length of Holcomb Bridge Road. Trees, bushes, markers, landscaping, anything to make the road and the city more welcoming to visitors and more appealing to drive through. And he wants to start at the intersection of Holcomb Bridge and GA 400.

“More people pass through that interchange than anywhere else in the city,” explained Nash at a meeting of Roswell’s Homeowners Associations on Thursday. “If you have ever been out there you know how bad it looks.” Fences are crumbling, fields are overgrown, there’s even a manhole with a large tree growing out of it.

Nash was joined by Brandon Beach, North Fulton’s member on the GDOT board and president of the North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, both of which make him ideal to help with any project. Money is out there, said Beach, waiting for projects to apply for it. Some money has already been allocated to any future beautification thanks to his efforts. But the will and support of the community is necessary. To that end, he proposed creating a Community Improvement District (CID).

A CID would levy a tax on commercial properties – a self-imposed tax – that would raise funds needed for a project such as the beautification of Roswell. With better entrances, the logic goes, come more visitors. With can translate into more business.

Surrounding cities have done similarly. Alpharetta has landscaped their interchanges with 400, planting trees and bushes, to make their city look more welcoming both to visitors as well as residents. Even Regal Nissan of Roswell, just west of the intersection, has decorated their frontage with bushes spelling “Roswell.”

Possible improvements that could be made were presented by Roberto Paredes, of architectural firm ASD, including formal landscaping such as trees and hedges along the onramps; town monuments – or markers – could be placed on all four corners of the intersection; perhaps the most radical idea was replacing the chain-link fence along the bridge with girders spelling out “Roswell,” possibly even including lighting. The possibilities are fairly endless.

“The 400/ Holcomb Bridge interchange is neither east nor west,” said Mayor Jere Wood, who was also at the meeting. “It’s a problem for all of Roswell… the sooner we get started the sooner we can finish.”

It should be noted that Nash’s plans do not include any transportation improvements; since GA 400 is a state highway, GDOT controls it and there are no immediate plans to do anything with it. Nash only proposes a “facelift” for an aging city that is in need of reinventing itself.

The response was positive, both from business leaders and the HOA’s, with all saying something needed to be done, and if support continues to grow in the coming weeks, Mayor Wood hopes the project could be underway by fall, the planting season.  

If residents wish to support such a solution, they are urged to contact their local councilmember, whose contact information can be found at www.roswellgov.com.