Anneewakee Creek Greenway Project Meeting
Before you dive into this post I just want to remind you that this particular piece is long, 4 pages long, with details. Many details were not presented at the meeting in which I highlight because to understand this project one has to go all the way back to 1989. Alright, here's what you've been waiting for…
I attended the meeting about the Anneewakee Creek Greenway Project to see what this proposed development was about and it certainly was worth going to. The meeting was more of a presentation by the City of Douglasville and their consultants, Bron Cleveland Associates (BCA), about what could be done to an area along Anneewakee Creek between two locations: Rose Avenue to Interstate 20 and Interstate 20 to Stewarts Mill Road.
Let me stress that this meeting was only to present a case study and not to propose the greenway project. What the consultants were wanting was more feedback from the community and they certainly had it coming.
The meeting started off with a video presentation from BCA about what a greenway was in general. The Silver Comet Trail was the first example as to what comes along with a greenway like places of recreation, walking/biking trails, various path elements (boarded, gravel, natural), bridges, signage, outdoor classrooms and more.
The video than segued to three different greenway projects that BCA dealt with in the past that were located in Georgia. In the City of Jesup the McMillan Creek corridor, or what the video called a drainage ditch, was overhauled to clean up the creek, prevent further pollution and provide walking/equestrian trails.
More after the jump…
Duluth underwent a challenge to connect two parts of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Areas together at Rogers Bridge. This greenway project focused on assessing the natural environment, restoring the natural environment, providing walking/hiking/equestrian trails, kayak access points and other management benefits.
Lastly the video highlighted on a rain runoff problem at Candler Park Brook in Atlanta. The park was experiencing a large amount of urban storm water runoff that was eroding the watershed. Excess water was pushed through the golf course for a creek and above ground storage facilities stored water and then slowly released into the soil replicating nature.
An interesting point is that none of these greenway projects were in pre-established neighborhoods, rather in parks or natural corridors. After the video was over is when the meeting became a little hectic as residents living in Arbor Station clearly did not want a greenway in their backyards. Before I go any further let me establish a timeline that will explain the proposing of this greenway project.
Timeline
In 1989 CBL & Associates Properties, Inc were interested in building a mall somewhere in West Georgia and they found a prime spot on Douglas Boulevard. At that time the area was a 125 acre natural wetland with Anneewakee Creek flowing through it. After years of negotiations, planning, blasting and construction came the opening of Arbor Place Mall on October 1, 1999.
The opening of Arbor Place Mall created a retail epidemic on Douglas Boulevard and Chapel Hill Road which would radiate well into the future. Douglas Boulevard exploded with a new huge shopping center called Douglasville Marketplace which covered both sides of the road.
During 2003 Douglas County and the City of Douglasville established plans for new parks and trails. These recreational places would provide walking/hiking/equestrian trails, more football, soccer, baseball fields and preserve the little green space that was left. A good example is the Boundary Waters Park (Aquatic Center) and the yet to be built Dog River Park. Only the Aquatic Center has been built since that time, which was plagued with delays and ran well over budget.
From 2004 and on the City of Douglasville annexed land along Chapel Hill Road to build two large retail centers: Chapel Hill Centre and The Avenue Chapel Hill (formerly The Village at Chapel Hill). Later on the City purchased land further south on Stewarts Mill Road where Reynolds Road intersects. Keep in mind this is where Anneewakee Creek crosses Stewarts Mill Road.
All this buying up of land finalized the gap in the city limits on Chapel Hill Road which gives the City the tax money they've been wanting. Another interesting note is the City's agenda to push the city limits further south of Interstate 20, for instance lately Fowler Field became a city park.
Recently the City of Douglasville received a grant to conduct a study for a greenway project. Out of all the possible locations the City chose Anneewakee Creek. More importantly the City was interested in a key spot at the intersection of Stewarts Mill Road and Reynolds Road. Studies were done along the creek to test the water, watershed, natural habitat and etc…
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