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Location: Mableton, GA USA (NW Atlanta suburb, 4 miles OTP)
11,334 posts, read 26,074,740 times
Reputation: 3995
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KevK
I don't like the covered bridge on Concord Rd. It is stupid to have a major bottleneck in a main road like that where you have to pull over while oncoming traffic uses the thing. Not only that but trucks and even vans with extended tops hit the thing all the time because it is only 7 feet tall. They should have demolished it years ago and put a regular 2 lane bridge there.
The Concord Covered Bridge was originally built in 1848 across Nickajack Creek, but was largely destroyed during the Civil War. The current incarnation was built in 1872 and is a historic structure, which I'm sure is the main reason it still exists.
I don't like the covered bridge on Concord Rd. It is stupid to have a major bottleneck in a main road like that where you have to pull over while oncoming traffic uses the thing. Not only that but trucks and even vans with extended tops hit the thing all the time because it is only 7 feet tall. They should have demolished it years ago and put a regular 2 lane bridge there.
I would throw a fit if they even laid a finger on that bridge. It's so historic and reminds me of covered bridges in Vermont. I already called the state and county to complain when they talked about it last time.
There's a very easy solution that doesn't involve touching the bridge. A bypass that goes from the park for the Silver Comet trail and then heads in the direction of Hurt Rd across Nickajack Creek, ending at Covered Bridge Rd. That's the kind of thing they do in Vermont all the time - bypass the covered bridge, but leave it for historic reasons.
Last edited by netdragon; 04-03-2010 at 12:54 AM..
I can't remember the name of this one (photo below) but it's just down the road from Market Village at the corner of the East/West Connector
Ivy Walk (actually Cumberland Pkwy there). Interestingly, if you open up Bing 3d, there is already a 3d model of it automatically created from satellite imagery.
What is going up at the corner of S. Cobb Drive and E/W may be interesting because it'll be West Hollywood/Beverly Hillsish. It'll be two stories with two small stores on the top floor and a central roof sitting area between the two stores.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KevK
There is no such a place as "Vinings". People might say they live in "Vinings" but they either live in Smyrna or Atlanta city proper. If you call 911, the "Vinings" police and fire will not be coming.
Anything ITP in Cobb County is the unincorporated village of Vinings for the residential area or Cumberland for the commercial area. Don't let the Atlanta address for Vinings homes fool you - - it is not Atlanta and not even Fulton county. However, some areas right OTP but not in Smyrna also have to follow Vinings HOA rules. Those areas do have a Smyrna address instead of an Atlanta address (like Ivy Walk area and Spring Hill where Home Depot HQ is, along with Cooper Lake Rd) but they aren't Smyrna.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KevK
You took those with a PHONE camera?? WTH! I am impressed! Mine takes little tiny pics!
Blackberry Storm. Wouldn't pay that kind of money but didn't have to since it's work issued. Only problem with it is it takes so darn long to snap it. You have to hold the button down for something like 5 seconds.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KevK
The only "redneck" places are the trailer courts off Atlanta Rd by Dobbins AFB and most of the people that live there are immigrants.
Most of that is Fair Oaks. Here's a map of current Smyrna boundaries to help you out (turn up your contrast to see the grey bg for Smyrna). Fair Oaks probably won't let Smyrna annex it because they know Smyrna's just itching to tear it down and replace it with townhomes and half million dollar homes in typical Smyrna style.
Last edited by netdragon; 04-03-2010 at 01:21 AM..
Location: Jonquil City (aka Smyrna) Georgia- by Atlanta
16,259 posts, read 24,752,651 times
Reputation: 3587
Quote:
Originally Posted by rcsteiner
The Concord Covered Bridge was originally built in 1848 across Nickajack Creek, but was largely destroyed during the Civil War. The current incarnation was built in 1872 and is a historic structure, which I'm sure is the main reason it still exists.
They used to have a frame up before the bridge so that tall vehicles could not even approach it, didn't they?
There's also another single-lane bridge on Concord Road not far north from the covered bridge. FWIW.
I think the area is rather pretty, but I don't drive on Concord Road normally.
They have that ugly steel frame there and that is what vehicles run into all the time. Mostly tall work vans with ladder racks or family vans with those extended tops on them. Most truck drivers know better. If they want to leave the thing there, they ought to reroute the road around it. We drive on it to go to Kmart and Food Depot on Mableton Pkwy.
Location: Jonquil City (aka Smyrna) Georgia- by Atlanta
16,259 posts, read 24,752,651 times
Reputation: 3587
Quote:
Originally Posted by netdragon
I would throw a fit if they even laid a finger on that bridge. It's so historic and reminds me of covered bridges in Vermont. I already called the state and county to complain when they talked about it last time.
There's a very easy solution that doesn't involve touching the bridge. A bypass that goes from the park for the Silver Comet trail and then heads in the direction of Hurt Rd across Nickajack Creek, ending at Covered Bridge Rd. That's the kind of thing they do in Vermont all the time - bypass the covered bridge, but leave it for historic reasons.
I would be happy of they would just move the road 20 feet over and by pass the thing. In fact, I would even be happy if they move ONE lane over 20 feet and use the bridge for traffic one way and another for traffic the other way.
I would be happy of they would just move the road 20 feet over and by pass the thing. In fact, I would even be happy if they move ONE lane over 20 feet and use the bridge for traffic one way and another for traffic the other way.
I don't think they should bypass that close to the covered bridge with a modern bridge - I think that would be an eyesore. A replica covered bridge next to it may be ok. However, keep in mind 3 things:
* As someone else mentioned, there is already a 1 lane bridge across the silver comet trail (probably to slow down traffic so they don't ram into the bridge). A second lane would have to be added there.
* There are a bunch of $500k-$1M homes right around the bridge. The one on the Smyrna side of the bridge is on sale for $900k right now, and what you are proposing would cut into that home's land.
* Even with 2 lanes, the dip in the land towards that bridge would still slow down traffic a lot and be a problem in the winter. Modern bridges span a much greater distance than the covered bridge and would be much higher. However, they can't build it right over peoples' homes.
As I showed above, there is nothing between the entrance to the silver comet trail and Covered bridge rd but woods. It makes for the perfect bypass. The sharp corners can be smoothed out, and that would make it a real road. A brand new bridge can be built high enough to have smooth traffic flow.
but id still put Chamblee ahead of it simply because its ITP, which is a huge asset that smyrna will never have.
Well, you ignore the fact that Chamblee is actually farther away from midtown and downtown Atlanta than Smyrna. The perimeter is not a perfect circle and is farther away from the center of Atlanta on the Northeast side than the Northwest side and on the West side than the East side. Chamblee, unlike Smyrna, is not 1-2 miles from the richest part of Buckhead: W. Paces Ferry and not a stone's throw away from a major activity center like Cumberland. Doraville doesn't match up to Cumberland.
Chamblee is 12.9 miles from downtown Atlanta at the farthest south part of Chamblee - 8th street. The southern edge of Smyrna near "West Vinings", Riverview Rd SE, is actually 11.8 miles from from downtown Atlanta (as the car drives). I picked the closest roads in both towns. Maps don't lie.
So you can make all the ITP statements you want, but that doesn't negate the fact that Smyrna is actually more ITP than Chamblee if you want to go by driving distance. Chamblee, like Smyrna and Vinings, can be better described as "Along the Perimeter" (ATP). ATP is where it's all happening anyway - Cumberland, Vinings, Perimeter Center, etc :-)
Quote:
Originally Posted by ostriches
lovely,.... if you're an 'illegal' enjoying our 'failing' government schools, deteriorated neighborhood & citizens that don't really care that their home values are woth nothing in a 3rd world city!
I could pick any one of your random tirades and pull it apart, however I'll start with this one. Where do you think you live? North Druid Hills or W. Paces Ferry? If you compare tangibles between Smyrna's schools and Decatur's schools, Smyrna schools do much better for the most part. More spending per student, IB for Campbell High, etc. Because of poverty for some schools in North Smyrna, poor student achievement for poor students isn't as high due to lack of parental involvement in argyle and some other N. Smyrna elementary schools driving down some statistics, however most people rate even the so-called bad schools like Belmont Hills Elementary very high as far as what the teachers provide for the students. However, Kings Springs, Teasley, Nickajack, and Brown always perform well. Campbell High is one of the best high schools in Cobb County. When our family moved up from a condo to a single family home, we STAYED in Smyrna partially for the better schools we can get for a $300k home. Similar public schools would mean you need a $600k home in Decatur or Atlanta.
Furthermore, most of Decatur is a suburban wasteland, and much of the southern part of Dekalb right near Decatur has break-ins and other crime problems. There's a small part of Decatur that is really nice, but Smyrna has Market Village as well. Much of your so-called artsy areas are Virginia Highlands and Little Five Points and not Decatur. Decatur is also not in-town, so don't delude yourself. It's suburban. Furthermore, Decatur is not diverse - it's mostly white. Almost 70% white. I won't say people in Decatur are racist, but it definitely is segregated since the demographics flip the other way when you head into South Dekalb. Smyrna demographics on the other hand are very diverse:
* White Non-Hispanic (53.5%)
* Black (27.2%)
* Hispanic (13.8%)
* Other race (6.6%)
* Two or more races (2.4%)
* Asian Indian (1.6%)
* American Indian (0.9%)
* Chinese (0.6%)
Does this still look like rednecks or hillbillies to you?
As far as walk-ability: most of Decatur is old suburban neighborhoods far from shopping. Smyrna, on the other hand, is covered with walking and biking trails.
Smyrna's median household income is almost identical to Decatur's, which is in fact surprising considering a sizable chunk of Smyrna's population lives in small apartments and condos, especially in the North end and East end of Smyrna. Then let's hop on Trulia and type in Smyrna, GA and sort by price high to low Smyrna Real Estate & Smyrna Homes For Sale — Trulia.com
Hmm, interesting... A couple pages of homes over $1 million, 7 pages of homes over $500k, 30 pages over $300k. Yes, Smyrna is definately poor
- Oh, and what's really interesting is Decatur's $500k homes pretty much cut off on page 7 and $300k homes pretty much cut off on page 32. Interesting. I thought Decatur was so much richer.
And then culture: It's unfortunate that Decatur isn't closer to the Cobb Performing Arts Center. Then your citizens could get some real culture.
Ok, then you bring up Lockheed AFB. Did you know that does not touch Smyrna at all? Sorry, that's Fair Oaks which is NOT Smyrna. It's unincorporated Cobb County.
Finally, you talk about improving an area. It's kind of easy to improve an area where 19,000 people are packed into a very small area. Smyrna is a much larger city in area and over 50,000 people with real challenges a city faces, working to undo 50 years of suburban sprawl and increase density. However, even then Decatur didn't do so well. It had the largest price drops in the metro area and a high rate of foreclosures. Many parts of Smyrna, on the other hand, have done really well. My home value, for instance, has increased from $320k in 2007 to a recent re-appraisal of $327k.
Considering at least half of Smyrna city has been rebuilt already, I believe Smyrna is doing a very good job at urban renewal. The economic crisis stalled things a bit, but Smyrna is definitely established and becoming a model for outlying suburban areas like Austell, Milford, Powder Springs and Mableton that were later to the game. Even Vinings has something to learn from some of the great things happening in Smyrna. 15 years from now, you'll wish you could have gotten in the door, because once the real estate market nationally starts ticking again, Smyrna is going to be gone and prices will shoot up. Don't say I didn't tell you so. The average person misses opportunities.
Last edited by netdragon; 04-07-2010 at 01:15 AM..
I like the development we have had BUT the developers need to know that this is largely a blue to lower white collar town and some of the development here needs to trend that way. The fact is we are here to stay and we ain't going away and as much as I love the restuarants in Village Square, I am much more into Ken's Corner Grill. I like the little botiques in Vinings but we shop mostly at Target and Wal*Mart. If we could ever finish Publix at Atlanta and Spring, the wife would probably shop there as it is a tad bit closed than Kroger is where she shops now.
Well, you ignore the fact that Chamblee is actually farther away from midtown and downtown Atlanta than Smyrna. The perimeter is not a perfect circle and is farther away from the center of Atlanta on the Northeast side than the Northwest side and on the West side than the East side. Chamblee, unlike Smyrna, is not 1-2 miles from the richest part of Buckhead: W. Paces Ferry and not a stone's throw away from a major activity center like Cumberland. Doraville doesn't match up to Cumberland.
Chamblee is 12.9 miles from downtown Atlanta at the farthest south part of Chamblee - 8th street. The southern edge of Smyrna near "West Vinings", Riverview Rd SE, is actually 11.8 miles from from downtown Atlanta (as the car drives). I picked the closest roads in both towns. Maps don't lie.
So you can make all the ITP statements you want, but that doesn't negate the fact that Smyrna is actually more ITP than Chamblee if you want to go by driving distance. Chamblee, like Smyrna and Vinings, can be better described as "Along the Perimeter" (ATP). ATP is where it's all happening anyway - Cumberland, Vinings, Perimeter Center, etc :-)
Furthermore, most of Decatur is a suburban wasteland, and much of the southern part of Dekalb right near Decatur has break-ins and other crime problems. There's a small part of Decatur that is really nice, but Smyrna has Market Village as well. Much of your so-called artsy areas are Virginia Highlands and Little Five Points and not Decatur. Decatur is also not in-town, so don't delude yourself. It's suburban. Furthermore, Decatur is not diverse - it's mostly white. Almost 70% white. I won't say people in Decatur are racist, but it definitely is segregated since the demographics flip the other way when you head into South Dekalb.
As far as walk-ability: most of Decatur is old suburban neighborhoods far from shopping. Smyrna, on the other hand, is covered with walking and biking trails.
Smyrna's median household income is almost identical to Decatur's, which is in fact surprising considering a sizable chunk of Smyrna's population lives in small apartments and condos, especially in the North end and East end of Smyrna. Then let's hop on Trulia and type in Smyrna, GA and sort by price high to low Smyrna Real Estate & Smyrna Homes For Sale — Trulia.com
Hmm, interesting... A couple pages of homes over $1 million, 7 pages of homes over $500k, 30 pages over $300k. Yes, Smyrna is definately poor
- Oh, and what's really interesting is Decatur's $500k homes pretty much cut off on page 7 and $300k homes pretty much cut off on page 32. Interesting. I thought Decatur was so much richer.
And then culture: It's unfortunate that Decatur isn't closer to the Cobb Performing Arts Center. Then your citizens could get some real culture.
Ok, then you bring up Lockheed AFB. Did you know that does not touch Smyrna at all? Sorry, that's Fair Oaks which is NOT Smyrna. It's unincorporated Cobb County.
Finally, you talk about improving an area. It's kind of easy to improve an area where 19,000 people are packed into a very small area. Smyrna is a much larger city in area and over 50,000 people with real challenges a city faces, working to undo 50 years of suburban sprawl and increase density. However, even then Decatur didn't do so well. It had the largest price drops in the metro area and a high rate of foreclosures. Many parts of Smyrna, on the other hand, have done really well. My home value, for instance, has increased from $320k in 2007 to a recent re-appraisal of $327k.
Considering at least half of Smyrna city has been rebuilt already, I believe Smyrna is doing a very good job at urban renewal. The economic crisis stalled things a bit, but Smyrna is definitely established and becoming a model for outlying suburban areas like Austell, Milford, Powder Springs and Mableton that were later to the game. Even Vinings has something to learn from some of the great things happening in Smyrna. 15 years from now, you'll wish you could have gotten in the door, because once the real estate market nationally starts ticking again, Smyrna is going to be gone and prices will shoot up. Don't say I didn't tell you so. The average person misses opportunities.
Not sure why you felt the need to drop a bomb on the city of Decatur in order to prop up Smyrna...I've never seen a Decaturite do that to your city, and I for one have been very supportive on here of Smyrna's effort's at revitalization.
BTW, I highlighted the statements in your rant that are patently untrue. As far as your RE comparisons go, what do you expect? It's a city of 4 sq mi and 19,000 people, so of course there's going to be a finite number of houses for sale at any price point. When you're comparing it to a larger city, it would certainly lose that contest.
High foreclosure rate? Not here; apparently you have dragged the unincorporated part of DeKalb south of Decatur into the mix in order to boost your argument. Decatur is a tiny town of 19K when it benefits that point of argument, then it covers half the county when it suits another.
I can assure you that Decatur's RE market is quite brisk, it's values holding, schools are great, and the town and environs are lookin' good.
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It's so historic and reminds me of covered bridges in Vermont. I already called the state and county to complain when they talked about it last time.
