Committee of the Whole Meeting - A. MAX BACON CITY HALL, HR TRAINING ROOM — Minutes
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May 15, 2025 6:00 PM City of Smyrna Mayor and Council Meeting 2800 King Street SE Human Resources Training Room Page 6 of 12 1. The site redevelopment will strengthen downtown as a whole and help continue its strong momentum. 2. This is an opportunity to create new parks, plazas, or community gathering spaces for the community. 3. The site should feel seamlessly connected to downtown and the rest of the city, with a key focus on walkability 4. The redevelopment should feel uniquely Smyrna, reflecting the charm and character of downtown. 5. The site is a tremendous opportunity to bring new life and economic activity to downtown. Online Survey Results: Community Aspirations What types of development would you like to see happen on the site? Restaurants 85% Retail/Shopping 71% Entertainment 59% Pocket Park/Plazas 51% Public Art 33% Mixed Use 25% Public Parking 22% Other 10% Hotels + Hospitality 5% Town homes 4% Condos 3% Apartments 2% How do you see this site in 5 years’ time? (Top 5 things we heard) In 5 years, the First Baptist Church site... ...will be home to new restaurants, shops, and cafes. ...will be home to new Smyrna residents in an appropriate amount of new housing ...will host events and festivals in new gathering spaces ...will welcome visitors with an adequate amount of parking ...will be a vibrant mixed use development There is support for housing, but... Support for housing on this site is mixed. Of the approximately 103 total comments related to housing in this question... ▷ 57 were supportive of housing of the site, with most expressing a desire for mixed use. ▷ 46 were hesitant or not supportive of new housing on the site, especially apartments or townhomes. Community Meeting Results: Land Uses Living Downtown – Important Shopping and Dining Downtown – Very Important Working Downtown – Less Important Enjoying Downtown – Very Important Community Meeting Results: Mobility What improvements should we focus on to create a safer and more walkable downtown? Re-thinking/pedestrianizing key streets through downtown 28% Beautifying streets and sidewalks 23% Creating more pedestrian connections through downtown 18% Connecting downtown to nearby neighborhoods 17% Making parking more convenient and intuitive 10% Improving signage 2%