Cherokee County has been dogged in attempting to secure funding for a Study Plan under the LCI program having submitted an application for consideration every year for the past three years. In addition, the County also sought funding via other means such as the Quality Growth Grants through the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. In 2005, Cherokee County was successful in securing approval for its Bells Ferry Corridor application and will be one of the first LCI studies to focus on a suburban corridor. The Corridor is three miles in length extending from just south of the intersection of Bells Ferry Road and State Route 92 north to Kellogg Creek Road and the gateway into the Towne Lake master planned community in southwest Cherokee County.

As a part of the LCI Study Plan, the County envisions the plan having three distinct sections within such plan: an Illustrative Plan, a Regulatory Plan and Architectural Standards. The three sections may be intermingled within the plan as to meet the requirements for LCI Projects from the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC).

Illustrative Plan

The Illustrative plan, as its name suggests, illustrates the vision of the corridor with illustrations, photographs, images and other graphics. The illustrative plan is meant to convey the planning concepts and issues within the corridor in a graphic manner.

Regulatory Plan

The Regulatory Plan should determine where certain land uses should be located with the corridor; what uses are complimentary and appropriate within the corridor; should provide a classification of the type of streets to be used within the corridor and define the network of streets in the study area; and establish a network of civic spaces / greenspaces, including parks, greenways, schools, public amenities, etc.

Architectural Standards

A set of design standards relating to; appropriate building types, massing and location in relation to the appropriate street; type of landscaping treatments; treatments for pedestrian mobility and other modes of transportation; and other standards relating to the quality of the built environment

The citizens of Cherokee County are committed to making the Bells Ferry Corridor an asset to the community. On November 2, 2004, the citizens of Cherokee County granted the Board of Commissioner the ability to establish Tax Allocation Districts in areas such as the Bells Ferry Corridor. The combination of the LCI Study, the subsequent LCI implementation funding, and the implementation of the Tax Allocation District will insure the vision for the Bells Ferry Corridor becomes a reality

The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners intends on taking full advantage of the capital improvement funding mechanisms permissible within a Tax Allocation District. The redevelopment plan should address the following elements, or otherwise meet the requirements for such plans in the State of Georgia:

• Define the geographic boundaries / Description of the Proposed TAD
• Establish the legal basis for the TAD
• Key Findings within the Redevelopment area
• Rationale for the Redevelopment Area and the TAD
• Market Conditions and Trends
• Retail Market Comparisons
• Residential Market Comparisons
• Demographic Findings
• Describe Property Conditions within the TAD
• Identify Proposed Land Uses and Redevelopment Projects
• Establish strategy and goals for TAD
• Identify Public Improvements to be constructed within the TAD

Through a competitive selection process, the Sizemore Group team was selected to help develop the plans for the Bells Ferry Corridor. The complete list of study partners is listed below:

Sizemore Group
Huntly & Associates-(404) 581-0049
Pond & Co.

The Bells Ferry LCI Study has three distinct components; public participation, inventory/analysis/master planning and development of implementation strategies. For a more detailed description, you may view our Study Process document. (Link to Study Process PDF)

Below are listed the major project milestones and timeframes for those events:

• Transportation Project Coordination Meeting, Mid-November

To ensure the projects are feasible, a coordination meeting will be conducted with affected transportation organizations to discuss potential projects (if relevant) prior to the transportation improvement list being finalized.

• Public Review and Comment on Draft Plan, Mid-November

Based on the public input from the Visual Preference Exercise and the Design Workshop plus additional research, our consultant will develop a draft plan and present it to the public for their reactions.

• Study Complete, Beginning of December

In order to ensure that all work and final products are complete, the study process should be complete by the beginning of December.

• Review Meeting with ARC, End of December

Prior to completing the final document and submitting it to ARC, the project sponsor and their consultant are required to have a review meeting with ARC staff. At this meeting, the project sponsor will present a draft plan and discuss the study process, significant findings, and key projects.