Project Would Bring More Retail, Restaurant Space To Downtown

WOODSTOCK, GA — The city of Woodstock has hired a firm to help redevelop a portion of its downtown area. Woodstock City Center will be a 3.5-acre mixed-use district that will be added to the existing city center site planned for the heart of downtown.

Woodstock has chosen Morris & Fellows, the firm behind the Woodstock Downtown project and the Alpharetta City Center redevelopment initiative, the company said Thursday. The city has also unveiled that it will move forward in acquiring the last parcel needed for the redevelopment plan. An "arrangement" is in place with Morgan's Ace Hardware at 109 East Main Street to move to another location near downtown and create the land needed for the project.

Initial concepts call for a mix of additional retail, professional office, restaurant space and boutique hotel with meeting space.

“Over the years, the City has been presented many plans for this land that we knew our citizens would
not like, from big boxes to highly dense projects,” said Woodstock Mayor Donnie Henriques. “We
reviewed numerous partner options and proposed plans, and Morris & Fellows is the clear choice based
on their history of successful downtown redevelopments and their lower density approach to address
our needs and vision. We are very focused on creating a City Center in keeping with the existing
downtown character and Morris & Fellows shares that vision.”

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City Manager Jeff Moon said the city will work on the master plan for the City Center site and the Morgan property at the same time. The Morgan's site slated for redevelopment includes the gravel parking lot Woodstock already owns that's to the east of the store, the Wheeler Street parking lot it also owns and the seven undeveloped townhome lots owned by the Downtown Development Authority. Those lots sit next to the Wheeler Street parking lot. Readers should note the Park at City Center and the Amphitheater sites are not included in this redevelopment plan. Moon also said the city has the Morgan's property under contract.

Woodstock notes the site will allow the city to bring much-needed downtown parking options, improvements to the East Main Street/Main Street/Arnold Mill Road intersection and expanding pedestrian connectivity along the Arnold Mill corridor.

Mike Morgan, owner of Ace Hardware, said he's "pleased" the city has stepped forward to lead the redevelopment project that will "fit the overall character of downtown Woodstock.

"It’s also great that the city has agreed to help me with the relocation of our business to a place that will allow easier access for our customers," he added. "I am excited that our store will be able to continue to serve our customers and the community for many years to come."

Project timing, details and renderings will be released in the coming weeks and months as plans are fine-tuned and developed. You can follow these updates by visiting the city's website.

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