Smyrna is on a roll again (w/ pictures) (Atlanta, Boston: sale, mortgages)

[ostriches]

Tryska, answer to your question. Since locating to Cobb County 1999, I've pretty much lost my American dream. MY job was to paint houses & make people happy. (we all know whose painting houses now,... for NOTHING!!) The Cobb elected officials job was to be responsible w/ our tax money & protect her citizens property values & persons. While I was doing my job, the drug cartel was doing IT's job in the house next door to me! The people NOT being diligent to what Cobb County was quickly turning into was our elected oficials. So I wake up one day & realize the whole section of Cobb County west of I-75 turned into a run down 3rd world that caters primarily to its illegal citizens.
Gave away that house (that I loved!)
Made a quick move over tp Smyrna city 3 years ago in hopes I could regroup & recoup my loses, because, as we were told,... all these Smyrna projects were all about to take off! Well, 3 years later,.. Concord Rd. looks like a war torn county. Smyrna is becoming known as a forgotten wasteland of vacant lots & empty storefronts! Why should the people in Smyrna be paying HIGHER TAXES, than people in Vinigs & East Cobb, when to shop I must drive 4-8 miles leaving the city , & to find peaceful nature trails & serene senic bike rides, I first have to load bike on truck & drive 10 miles to a different pleasant city!!
And I hear the same drumbeat from long time Smyrna residents- "we like smyrna, rah rah rah"
Its called QUALITY OF LIFE, ART & ASTHETIC BEAUTY, MOVING YOUR CITY FORWARD, SOLVING TRAFFIC PROBLEMS, BRINGING JOBS & BUSINESSES TO YOUR COMMUNITY & lastly-- HOUSE & LAND VALUES-- these things are NON existant in the city of Smyrna,... & unfortunately for future generations,... the locals are letting pride get in the way of PROGRESS!
It makes me very bitter that I'm stuck w/ a house I can't sell in a city I don't want to be in!
And as a side note,... when the mayor holds office over 35 years,... there should be some accountability!!

[KevK]

Originally Posted by netdragon

Projects all seemed to be starting up again in Smyrna this year (aside from Jonquil Village). I have some pictures I just took this weekend :-)

* Belmont Hills is under development (corner Windy Hill / Atlanta Hill)
* West Haven has begun development again (stalled project of $600+ homes, near Cooper Lake. Newer homes will be less)
* Wakefield Estates off Atlanta Rd just South of Paces Ferry just sold out
* Homes behind Ivy Walk nearly sold out

And now the pictures!
* Stalled tudor style townhomes off Cooper Lake Rd / Atlanta Rd intersection, which was auction, is now owned by John Wieland and in the process of being finished.

* High-end shopping center with rooftop seating on corner of S. Cobb and Cumberland Parkway now under development

Yeah... just what we need. More $600K homes and snobbish yuppies moving in here. They already spoiled Vinings so now I guess they want the rest of the city too. I wonder when they will demand we raze Ken's Corner Grill and replace it with a sushi bar.....

[KevK]

Originally Posted by ostriches

Tryska, answer to your question. Since locating to Cobb County 1999, I've pretty much lost my American dream. MY job was to paint houses & make people happy. (we all know whose painting houses now,... for NOTHING!!) The Cobb elected officials job was to be responsible w/ our tax money & protect her citizens property values & persons. While I was doing my job, the drug cartel was doing IT's job in the house next door to me! The people NOT being diligent to what Cobb County was quickly turning into was our elected oficials. So I wake up one day & realize the whole section of Cobb County west of I-75 turned into a run down 3rd world that caters primarily to its illegal citizens.
Gave away that house (that I loved!)
Made a quick move over tp Smyrna city 3 years ago in hopes I could regroup & recoup my loses, because, as we were told,... all these Smyrna projects were all about to take off! Well, 3 years later,.. Concord Rd. looks like a war torn county. Smyrna is becoming known as a forgotten wasteland of vacant lots & empty storefronts! Why should the people in Smyrna be paying HIGHER TAXES, than people in Vinigs & East Cobb, when to shop I must drive 4-8 miles leaving the city , & to find peaceful nature trails & serene senic bike rides, I first have to load bike on truck & drive 10 miles to a different pleasant city!!
And I hear the same drumbeat from long time Smyrna residents- "we like smyrna, rah rah rah"
Its called QUALITY OF LIFE, ART & ASTHETIC BEAUTY, MOVING YOUR CITY FORWARD, SOLVING TRAFFIC PROBLEMS, BRINGING JOBS & BUSINESSES TO YOUR COMMUNITY & lastly-- HOUSE & LAND VALUES-- these things are NON existant in the city of Smyrna,... & unfortunately for future generations,... the locals are letting pride get in the way of PROGRESS!
It makes me very bitter that I'm stuck w/ a house I can't sell in a city I don't want to be in!
And as a side note,... when the mayor holds office over 35 years,... there should be some accountability!!

Concord Rd is BEAUTIFUL!

[Tryska]

You know - i still don't understand the math on housing prices.

Maybe i'm stupid, but I thought the days of signing up for ARMS is gone. Considering the volume of 600K subdivision housing just in Smyrna, and not counting that there are other areas building this type of construction, are their really enough people at that pricepoint to support this type of housing on conventional loans?

that's a 120K downpayment at 20% and even if i were being generous and say half of your gross takehome should go to housing - that would mean income would need to be $720,000 a year.

Are there really that many families bringing that in a year to support the housing they are building?

Bear in mind I have been wondering this since about 2000. Back then I could explain it away with stupid no money down ARMS - but since we all should be back in fixed rate world, it still makes no sense.

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by Tryska

that's a 120K downpayment at 20% and even if i were being generous and say half of your gross takehome should go to housing - that would mean income would need to be $720,000 a year.

Are there really that many families bringing that in a year to support the housing they are building?

Huh??? Assuming you bought a $600k house and put $120k down, you'd have a mortgage of $480k, which would be around $2,500-3,000/month, depending on your rate. With taxes, insurance, etc, you might be looking another $500/month. Even at $3,500/month, you'd be able to qualify for that with a gross income of around $12k/month using the 28% of gross pay= housing expense ratio that the mortgage companies use. That's less than $150k/year, which isn't hard to do, especially if husband and wife are both working.

Personally, I wouldn't got that high on $150k/year, as it might leave you strapped for other expenses, but there are plenty of folks who make that work.

[Tryska]

Darnit - you caught me - i was just coming on here to correct what I said! There was a tragic flaw in my math, and I forgot to amortize over 30 years. You're right - when i actually amortized it's much more reasonable. And yes - i would agree - roughly 150K..which with dual incomes not that bad at all - still tight - but inline with typical salaries.

I really should know by now not to try math until well after coffee and a shower.

[Windu]

Originally Posted by ostriches

Why should the people in Smyrna be paying HIGHER TAXES, than people in Vinigs & East Cobb, when to shop I must drive 4-8 miles leaving the city , & to find peaceful nature trails & serene senic bike rides, I first have to load bike on truck & drive 10 miles to a different pleasant city!!

Now you're starting to scare me. Last time I checked the Silver Comet Trail begins in Smyrna, no? Lined with trees, bridges, rivers, mill ruins? Or is that ugly too? I don't get it. Really losing credibility now.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by Windu

Now you're starting to scare me. Last time I checked the Silver Comet Trail begins in Smyrna, no? Lined with trees, bridges, rivers, mill ruins? Or is that ugly too? I don't get it. Really losing credibility now.

It does, and it links with the Cumberland Connector:

Silver Comet Trail Cumberland Connector - Smyrna Bike Trail | Smyrna Vinings Homes, Neighborhoods, Restaurants, Shopping, Events - SmyrnaVinings.com
MapMyWalk.com | View Silver Comet Cumberland Connector in Smyrna, Georgia

and the Cumberland Connector takes you within spitting distance of the Chattahoochee River.

Here's a trail map (both existing and proposed) for Cobb County if anyone is interested:

http://dot.cobbcountyga.gov/document...tyTrailMap.pdf

and it looks like eventually there'll be several nice trails around the Smyrna area (and Vinings). I snipped the lower right corner of the above map to illustrate.

[ostriches]

Its not the same, trust me. Silver Comet Trail is great for a workout,... if thats all your looking for. Its a straight shot,.. much very boring as you get out around the gas storage tanks in Powder Springs. Much of it feels unsafe in the secluded sections. I feel I have to carry, while I'm biking,
Arabia Mountain down by Stonecrest Mall was also built by P.A.T.H., but ther's so much to SEE as you ride through the rock out croppings, the waterfalls & the winding trails.
Then, what's also dif than the Silver Comet , @ the Roswell Greenway is the trail winds around, there are paths & mountain bike trails off the main trail,.. & Roswell has built nice wooden bridges & sight seeing stages for wildlife watching. Then as you get to the Alpharetta area there are more winding paths & interesting parks to stop & cool off @. You could also get off trail for a bite to eat in many areas. Going back towards Roswell, the trail along the Chatahoochee, though not secluded,.. if pretty & safe for single women. If you lived in Roswell, getting to these trails is easier on a bike than ever trying to get to the Silver Comet from Smyrna (unless you live @ trailhead).
Smyrna comes through & clearcuts everything, plants bermuda grass & calls it a park! There is nothing on that Brawner property that looks 'park-like. Instead in looks like a hospital or prison camp by day & airport runways w/ all the extreme lighting, @ nite.
And Intown, the PATH system is AWESOME as it winds all through Inman park neighborhoods over th Candler Park, 5 Points & Decatur. You can actually go from neighborhood to NEIGHBORHOOD along these pretty city paths!
(please ,... dont call Concord Road a PATH,... its a glorified SIDEWALK in a STRAIGHT LINE in the HOT blazing sun along a tree-less sidewalk,... going no-where??!!)-
Smyrna doen't have a clue how to leave something NATURAL, so people & wild animals can both roam around & enjoy together.

[beanryboy]

Thanks for the update!

Originally Posted by netdragon

beanryboy: the developer had trouble getting funding over a year back to continue building due to the bad economy. We should know more by the end of the summer where that stands. At least temporarily, it suffered the same fate as many big metro Atlanta projects during the bad economy.