The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) has awarded a $150,000 Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) planning grant to the City of Alpharetta to help develop concepts to connect the Alpha Loop Trail and Big Creek Greenway, with linkages to the planned North Point bus rapid transit station.
“The City was previously awarded an LCI grant to study the North Point area, which resulted in the North Point Activity Center LCI Plan,” stated Kathi Cook, Alpharetta’s Director of Community Development. “It envisions a walkable, mixed-use Eco District centered on pedestrian trails and greenspace. This vision relies heavily on a series of pedestrian and multiuse trail connections improvements that are needed to sustain and enhance the North Point area well into the future.”
The Alpha Loop is a trail project that connects people, places, activities and jobs in the core of Alpharetta. It has two sections: a 3-mile inner loop and a 5-mile outer loop. Big Creek Greenway is a 20-mile multi-use trail that connects Alpharetta with Cumming and Roswell.
According to Cook, the new ARC grant funding will help fund a feasibility/scoping study for a portion of the Alpha Loop from Encore Parkway to Haynes Bridge Road, as well as provide connectivity between the area around North Point Mall and future MARTA bus station and the Alpha Loop by way of a new trail head and system access point on the south side of North Point Parkway at Encore Parkway. Determining the best location and method to cross Haynes Bridge with the Alpha Loop will be included.
The grant is among $1.6 million in LCI planning funds that ARC has awarded to 10 metro Atlanta communities. Once the planning studies are complete, Alpharetta and the other communities will become eligible to receive federal transportation funding for projects, such as sidewalks, multi-use trails, and intersection improvements, to bring their visions to life.
“The LCI program is an innovative way to help transform communities and improve quality of life across the Atlanta region,” said ARC Executive Director Doug Hooker. “So many of us today want to live and work in dynamic, lively places where you can walk or bike to get your errands done, grab a meal, or visit with friends. These investments will help foster these kinds of spaces throughout metro Atlanta.”