Friday, July 18, 2003

Union City looking to help remake Shannon Mall

After winning a $60,000 planning grant from the Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) in January, Union City has selected the firm to take its plan into action.

The community design and architecture firm of Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh & Associates of Atlanta was picked from three finalists out of six proposals submitted and has already begun work by reviewing existing Union City projects and inventorying land use and analysis.

Union City was among three recipients in South Fulton to receive an award and will be eligible to receive significantly more money for implementation of their study through the federally funded program, administered through the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC).

Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh has extensive experience in Atlanta and the Southeast.One of the projects that most appealed to Union City officials is the firm's work on the Winter Park (Florida) Mall Redevelopment, partnering with the firm of Glatting Jackson, who will again team with Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh in Union City.

Winter Park was challenged by a 500,000 sq.ft. mall that was badly in need of reinvestment.The team worked with both the city and the property owner to develop an alternative urban design concept that essentially integrated the city into the mall.Today, Winter Park Village is a revitalized live, work and play community that is highly successful.

"We are looking for the help of the Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh team to remake the Shannon Mall area and environs into a seamless community," said Mayor Ralph Moore, himself a professional city planner."With our enviable location on Interstate 85 and its direct connection with Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport and the amenities of Atlanta nearby, Union City has a very good chance of being a highly desired address."

Thomas H. Walsh, a principal of the firm, says he is very excited at this opportunity to work with Union City."We've done a lot of work in Atlanta and her suburbs but the potential of Union City has really gotten our interest.We're grateful to have the opportunity to help Union City's vision and virtually re-create the downtown to this dynamic area around Shannon Mall."

City Administrator Alan Grindstaff and City Planner Ann Lippmann will be the City's liaison with the Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh team.

According to Grindstaff, one of the reasons they picked TSW was their philosophy of development.

"Their work rejects the formulaic development patterns of the last 40 years in favor of the traditional principles of American town and city planning which shaped our communities prior to World War II.Union City is very much interested in recapturing that "feel" right here and is greatly encouraged by TSW's feeling that we offer a real chance of achieving that result."

The initial scoping session will take place during the month of July and will incorporate "visual preference survey" tools to help to understand what the citizens and stakeholders of Union City want in their community.Notices of the time and location will be published as soon as they are known so that a broad base of information can be constructed.

The LCI contract calls for all work to be submitted to the ARC by December 31, 2003.Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh plans for their final document to be presented to the City by November 21, 2003.