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 3 of 12 ▶ Explore transportation solutions ▶ Look at land use mix downtown ▶ Establish market strategy ▶ Develop site concept alternatives ▶ Host Community Meeting 2 Phase 3: Synthesize August - Nov. ▶ Design a preferred site concept ▶ Develop an implementation strategy ▶ Host Community Meeting 3 ▶ Create a final document ▶ Adopt the plan! Six Project Goals to Guide the Process The six project goals below were developed by the planning team using key take-aways from conversations with City Staff and project stakeholders. The goals were shared with the community at the Community Visioning Meeting and refined per their feedback. • Preserve and enhance downtown’s small town charm • Expand downtown’s walkable core • Connect downtown with Smyrna’s Neighborhoods • Create great public spaces in downtown • Attract new residents, businesses, and activity to downtown • Strengthen Smyrna’s fiscal health and economic competitiveness Existing Conditions Overview Land Use and Built Environment The planning team has started an existing conditions analysis looking at current land use patterns, regulatory tools, and downtown's built environment. Key Findings include: ▶The Central Business District Zoning covers only 23% of Downtown (21 acres of 92 total acres) ▶43% of Downtown’s area has a future land use of ‘Mixed Use’ ▶ Of the 92 acres that make up the downtown boundary, 5.7 acres is park space (6%) ▶ One-third of the downtown boundary is dedicated to surface parking lots. Transportation: Parking Utilization Parking Utilization for public (or publicly used) parking lots varies between peak lunch and dinner times: ▶Parking is generally available southwest of activity centers, behind City Hall. ▶Parking utilization is highest in the core of the Market Village. Transportation: Bike & Pedestrian Connectivity – The community indicated a desire to improve safety along Spring Street. Market Scan: Housing ▶Strong sales prices for last 8 quarters, at a consistent pace ▶Newer multifamily properties nearby are leasing consistently, while older stock is at a healthy 4% vacancy rate. ▶ Housing is critical for the support of complementary uses, like shopping, dining, and entertainment. Market Scan: Office ▶ Dated office complexes with larger floorplates have higher vacancies.