I had a flashback to this childhood memory yesterday. I was scrolling through the Alpharetta City Council meeting agenda for Monday when I came across a request from the Community Development Department. It seems they are suggesting changes be made to the city’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan (which is barely two months old).

The proposed changes would allow mixed use zoning on properties as small as 10 acres and would exempt apartments in mixed use from the 85/15 for-sale to for-rent ratio. Councilmen were given a page (which is not provided on the city’s website) that shows how the Avalon project would compare to the proposed changes. According to the cover memo, this page “demonstrates that Avalon would meet the modified MU regulations without variances.”

Remember that North American Properties wants 250 for-rent apartments in their Avalon development. Their request easily violates the 85/15 guideline. Is Alpharetta’s Community Development department suggesting a land use change so as to allow Avalon’s project to pass without a variance?

Councilman Mike Kennedy told me Monday’s discussion is to be about allowing different mixed use densities in each character area of Alpharetta. But this concept isn’t touched upon in the proposal from Community Development.

Kennedy eased some of my concern with this assurance: “It is not my intention – nor is it anyone else’s that I know of – that Avalon be considered under anything other than the CURRENT Mixed Use code as it is written today.”

At best this change is a suspicious and inappropriate matter to consider at this time. I would be most upset if I were a Councilman considering allowing Avalon to have apartments. This memo and its wording taint any vote in favor of apartments, even if that vote is made with the best of pure intentions. Let’s strive to be above reproach, guys!

Photo Credit: ChrisGoldNY (creative commons)

Andre Airich and his partner Cody Anderson accomplished much before their business even opened. In a few short months they managed to change the law in Forsyth County. They successfully lobbied for a change to an alcohol ordinance, a remarkable feat here in the South. We’re not exactly known for our forward-thinking laws when it comes to booze.

What did Airich and Anderson change? Forsyth now allows retailers to break the original packaging of beer. This paves the way for growlers. What’s a growler? It’s a 64 ounce glass jug used to transport draught beer. Their newly opened beer store, the Crafty Draught, will fill your growler with one of twenty craft beers they have on-tap. It’s a new concept for this area, something I had to try.

Crafty Draught’s selection changes almost daily. It’s best to check their website ahead of time to see what’s pouring. Also be sure to check their “coming soon” page. It’s sort of an on-deck circle of beer – a list of kegs in the backroom waiting to be tapped. When they empty a keg, one of these will replace it.

Most beers are in the $10 to $12 range for the 64 oz growler portion although some can reach as high as $20. Unfortunately samples are not available. New growlers can be purchased for $5, a one-time cost.

On my visit I met co-owner Andre Airich and secretly put him to the test. I explained that I don’t like beers with a lot of hops. I also mentioned my love of Bavarian hefe-weizens. Both of these statements are true which probably completely ruins any credibility I may have with the beer drinking world.

Being wintertime their selection is geared towards a lot of stouts and IPAs. Thankfully Airich didn’t steer me towards any of these. I let him talk me into a highly-rated beer called Ommegang Abbey, a Belgium-style ale made by a microbrewery in Cooperstown, NY. Twenty bucks later I had paid for my beer and new growler. Yikes, this had better be good! How did I like it?

Airich didn’t lead me astray. The beer had a yeasty character much like the hefe-weizens I enjoy. I tasted a lot of rich flavor going on including toasted nuts and honey. I can see why this brew wins awards. It also had a higher alcohol content, something I’m not accustomed to. Let’s just say I would avoid operating heavy machinery or writing wordpress blogs while  enjoying this beer.

Airich and Anderson might make successful political lobbyist if this beer gig doesn’t work out. I doubt that career change will be necessary. Crafty Draught is a cool little shop and I wish these young men much success. If this concept catches on I’d imagine they might have some competition soon. They’re well prepared to face it in my opinion. Check them out at 415 Peachtree Parkway, across the street from the Avenue Forsyth. I also like they’re active and effective use of social media. Follow them on Facebook and twitter @CraftyDraught.

Photo Copyright Robyn Guy Photography, used with permission

That’s certainly something you won’t see me say a lot, but it’s true. Maybe I should be careful what I wish for. Let’s get back to apartments in a minute.

2030 Comprehensive Plan

North American Properties’ recently proposed Avalon project violates Alpharetta’s new 2030 Comprehensive Plan. It’s ironic in a way. The plan very much supports and encourages mixed-use projects like Avalon. I was critical of this and still believe this isn’t the will of the people. But it is what it is.

Avalon violates the land use plan by proposing 250 apartments in the development. The land use plan continues Alpharetta’s history of limiting apartments. It calls for a 85/15 ratio of houses to apartments in the city. Currently the fraction is skewed too far towards the apartment side.

It is certainly the will of suburbanites to have a healthy, yet limited mix of apartments. Avalon’s proposed 250 apartments would push the 85/15 ratio ever farther out of kilter.

So the ink isn’t even dry on the 2030 Plan and it’s already being challenged. This will be a critical first test of Alpharetta’s very young City Council. Everyone wants Avalon to be successful but it shouldn’t come at the cost of violating this longstanding vision. It also shouldn’t set a precedent of approving apartments in spite of limits on them. Does the council have the courage to stand up to Mark Toro on this matter? They should.

This will also be a critical test of North American Properties. Will they compromise and agree to abide by the city’s new land use plan? Or will they seek to undermine a plan that was designed to encourage their type of project?

In my mind I’d already resigned the fact that condos would be a part of Avalon. The only question left unanswered was how many we’d see. So when NAP proposed apartments it caught me off guard. I would be much more likely to support the project if the apartments were changed to condos. Let’s see how this chapter of the project unfolds.

Avalon

North American Properties has submitted plans for its first phase of Avalon, formerly known as Prospect Park. Hatcher Herd’s story in the Revue and News is the best source of information at this point (the city’s website almost never publishes things like site plans. Boo). According to Hatcher’s article, the project will have office, retail and hotel space, a 14 story building, 118 condos and 14 houses. But the strangest part… they want 250 apartments.

Alpharetta is already over its ratio of apartments. The folks at NAP are smart and they know this. I’m curious as to why they would even consider asking for them. My guess is that these change into more condos pretty quick. We’ll have to see.

Avalon’s phase 1 plan goes before the Planning Commission on March 1st.

Goodwill

Everyone loves Goodwill but no one seems to want them next door. Back in 2009 the city rejected plans for a Goodwill on Main Street near Cogburn Road. Now Goodwill wants to build down the road a bit at 495 North Main. An online petition from neighbors is already up and going. I expect objections this year to be the same as in 2009. Alpharetta’s Planning Commission will take up the matter on February 2nd.

At this very moment Goodwill is building a large store on McFarland Parkway in south Forsyth. This store is in a much better location and on a bigger road. My concern about a Main Street location is traffic. It’s clear that Alpharetta and Milton want less traffic and slower speeds on highway 9. A Main Street store would add 1500 trips each day. Sorry Goodwill, you need to keep looking.

Fulton Science Academy’s Impact Fees

Alpharetta’s embattled charter school will ask the city to waive impact fees on their $18 million construction project at Westside and Encore Parkways. The matter has been postponed once already and this issue has been overshadowed by the school’s charter renewal controversy.

City staff recommends that the FSA’s request be denied, requiring the school to fork over the impact fees. If the City Council agrees, will the school’s supporters use the same rhetoric from their BOE struggles? I can see the headlines now… “City denies award-winning charter school.” Tread carefully, councilmen.

Northpoint’s Movie Theater

I don’t expect this to be controversial, but it’s worth watching. On February 2nd the Planning Commission will consider the mall’s request to convert the vacant Parisian space into a movie theater. I expect we will learn the name of the theater at this time.

Photo credit: Dwight Burdette (creative commons)

Crystal and Midler play grandparents who must watch their grandkids while their daughter (Marisa Tomei) goes on vacation. Hilarity ensues as they deal with the generation gap. The movie should be in theaters later this year.

The filming crew set up a base in Dunwoody while filming in Atlanta and north Fulton. Here’s a rundown of Alpharetta-area filming locations.

View Parental Guidance Filming Locations in a larger map

165 Pebble Trail

This ranch-style home near downtown Alpharetta was commandeered by the production company for two full days of filming. On-screen this will be Billy Crystal and Bette Midler’s home in Fresno, California. Look for mostly interior shots.

The owners of the home currently have it listed for sale. Of course a big part of the listing hypes the movie. It is reminiscent of a home in south Forsyth that sold after The Joneses was released in theaters. That home was used by Demi Moore during filming, a fact that no doubt influenced the sale of the property.

The Country Club of Roswell

Marisa Tomei was featured during scenes filmed here. They used the club’s ballroom and golf course. Look for country club staff and members as extras during these scenes.

Ocee Park

Little league scenes were filmed in this Johns Creek park. Skateboard legend Tony Hawk plays himself during scenes filmed here.

Independence High School

Filming occurred at the former Milton High School in downtown Alpharetta. No additional details are available.

Other Metro-Atlanta filming locations

• The former Bloomingdales at Perimeter Mall
• Peidmont Park
• Atlanta International School
• Gwinnett Braves Stadium

It is truly pitiful that I draw blogging inspiration from stuff at work. But indeed it happens and has resulted in this yearly article, now in its third year of life! Here’s how it works…

At the office we follow this routine during annual reviews. Your peers are asked to list things you should start doing in the new year, bad habits you should stop and activities you should continue. It is sort of a kinder and gentler way of telling someone what they should or shouldn’t be doing. I’ve adapted this theme for Alpharetta’s restaurant scene.

Start – Hot Dogs

Yeah, that’s right, I want hot dogs. Or maybe I should say “haute” dogs. They’ve got the potential to be our next great food craze. Hot dogs provide the chef a platform to be creative and innovative in a lot of ways – from the toppings to the protein and even the bun. They can be versatile culinary creations or simple ballpark grub, and everything in between. On top of that, hot dog margins are better than that of say a hamburger or pizza. I’d love to see a suburban restaurateur take a chance like this.

Stop – Self-serve Frozen Yogurt

I’m totally ripping this off from last year. It didn’t take a crystal ball to realize that closures were coming in the froyo space in 2011. We lost Tutti Frutti and Yoforia on Windward. Yoforia’s Alpharetta closure was significant as this was the franchise’s first failure. Also closing was the froyo shop in the Northpoint Mall food court (can’t remember their name).

I don’t wish failure on anyone, but I really would like to see a return to real, honest-to-goodness ice cream. Is that too much to ask?

Continue – Food trucks

2011 saw at least three food trucks make the drive up GA400 to Alpharetta. It’s a trend I’d very much like to continue. The suburbs could use the diversity and creativity these guys bring up from Atlanta. I’ll write more about this topic again.

What restaurant trends would you like to see begin or end in 2012?

Photo Credit: Maura Neill (creative commons)

The first kickoff meeting is Thursday January 26th, 6:30 pm at the Fulton County North Service Center, 7741 Roswell Road, Atlanta, Ga. 30350. Unfortunately I won’t be able to make this due to a prior commitment. The language on the MARTA webpage suggests that more meetings may be coming.

If you’re an opponent of transit expansion in Alpharetta like I am, then you should consider going to a meeting. And if you’re a politician who campaigned against MARTA (like say David Belle Isle or Jimmy Gilvin) then I’d certainly expect to see you working against this.

Here’s some links for your clicking pleasure:

An article in the Revue & News, the only mention I’ve seen thus far in the press.

MARTA’s webpage on the project:
http://www.itsmarta.com/north-line-400-corr.aspx

MARTA’s Facebook page on the project:
https://www.facebook.com/Connect400

So you want to open a restaurant. It’s a romantic idea at first, the notion that you could put together a beautiful space with a fabulous menu. Food writers would craft eloquent prose about your culinary creations and paste beautiful photographs in glossy magazines.

And while we’re day dreaming, let’s make this big! We don’t want a strip mall space next to a frozen yogurt shop or anything. Not a chance. Go big or go home, right? We’re talking free-standing building with cavernous space and sprawling patios.

Cue the record scratching sounds. Back to the real world of 2012 for a moment… No one is opening places like this. Today most new restaurants rarely exceed 2,000 square feet. However, if you do feel so inclined to open such a monster of a restaurant, there are options available! I’ve got three spaces ready to turn your dream into reality (or possibly bankrupt you).

45 Roswell Street

If you build it, he will come? Not exactly. This restaurant space was built about three years ago and no one came. It’s in the heart of what might someday become Alpharetta’s hip downtown restaurant scene. Pure Taqueria is a stone’s throw away. La Casa is across the street.

45 Roswell is 5,300 square feet of unfinished restaurant with a 1,400 square foot patio. It’s a beautiful building with nice landscaping and decent parking. Last year a film production company nearly purchased the building but the deal fell through. It’s a shame a thriving restaurant doesn’t live here.

Rainwater – 11655 Haynes Bridge Road

The grandaddy of all empty restaurant spaces in Alpharetta. The old Rainwater restaurant building has two floors, an elevator and measures in at over 20,000 square feet . The architecture is similar to that of a vineyard estate. It’s much more than a restaurant as this place was built for events like large wedding receptions. It’s been vacant for over three years.

Champps – 7955 North Point Parkway

When Champps opened here they spent $4.5 million on the real estate, buildout and fixtures. They’ve had the building on the market for a while now but about two weeks ago they closed up shop. If you’re interested in this joint you’ll find 9,000 square feet of restaurant space, a beautiful bar, 1,500 square feet of patio and an exceedingly large kitchen.

Joan Durbin

Joan writes for the Neighbor Newspapers. It’s her restaurant reviews, written in a column called “Dining Destinations”, that stand out to me. She’s easily the best food writer in north Fulton. Writing about food may seem like, um, a piece of cake. In fact it can be pretty difficult to put into words the taste, smell and texture of a dish. Joan does this in a way that places you in the seat right next to her.

She wrote one of the first legitimate reviews of Bite in Alpharetta right after they opened – and it was a good one. I also appreciate her frankness in a review of Scratch Fresh. She was delicately critical of a popular locals joint.

Ray Appen

I don’t agree with Ray Appen on every issue, but you’ve got to respect him for his longevity in Alpharetta. He’s published Alpharetta’s weekly newspaper, the Revue & News, for 29 years. Needless to say, a lot has changed in Alpharetta in that span of time. His little paper has covered it all. I appreciate his opinion and perspective.

My favorite recent column from Ray was his father’s day story from last year. It’s an amazingly vivid and almost surreal account of a traffic accident he observed with his son.

Randy Wyles

He’s got an amazing background as both a private investigator as well as journalism. Wyles has mastered all media from television to radio and print. I’ve enjoyed his recent online work at examiner.com and the Johns Creek Patch. His article on teen-aged daughters and their boyfriends is hysterical.

a.e. mayer

Ok, this is a but of a stretch, but maybe not. She used to be a journalist, is that good enough? Mayer makes this list because she’s just too darn cool. I have one initial in my writing name – she’s got two… in all lowercase. Double cool.

Mayer writers a very witty blog that doesn’t get enough attention. She’s also written a book called Temp: An Accidental Fairytale. I’ve been told it’s a fantasy story about cubicle dwellers in a fairytale setting. I’ve promised to read and review the book. I haven’t forgotten about you a.e!

Spending

I’ve forgotten most of my college statistics class. But it seems pretty clear that dollars spent on local campaigns correlate to votes. It’s expensive to get your message to the electorate. Candidates dropped thousands on newspaper ads, mailings and robocalls.

Milton newcomer Lance Large spent a staggering amount of money (24 large) for a simple council seat… and won. David Belle Isle dropped the most cash in Alpharetta.

Length of Campaign

It’s also worth noting that both Belle Isle and Large ran lengthy campaigns. Both were among the first candidates in north Fulton to announce. Could this be a trend in the future?

Consultants

I’ve listed consultants when I see evidence of a campaign sending money their way. Nearly every establishment candidate had at least one professional working on their behalf. One interesting note is Fred Hicks at HEG. Four years ago he worked for Alan Tart and Julie Zahner Bailey. This time around he worked to defeat them. It’s all business I suppose. Then again, Hicks is building a pretty good track record in Milton.

A few things to note on this data… I’ve done my best tabulating the numbers, but mistakes are possible. What I call “spending” is total campaign expenditures minus loan repayments. I had incomplete or partial reports from Michael Cross and Hans Appen due to filings that were not made electronically.