The North Fulton Community Improvement District is moving forward with its master plan to improve connectivity across north Fulton, with the approval of partial funding for a new roadway next to the planned Gwinnett Technical College site.

The CID board approved up to $500,000 for the designing of an extension of Northwinds Parkway.

“One of the main things the CID has focused on is connectivity,” said Ann Hanlon, COO of the North Fulton CID. “We’ve always been at the mercy of having Ga. 400 for our main north/south connector. Northwinds is part of the plan to get away from that.”

Hanlon said the CID completed its Blueprint North Fulton master plan four years ago to work on creating a grid-like road system in north Fulton to improve north/south and east/west connections across the area.

“Our master plan was completed in 2008 and has kind of guided our actions since then,” she said.

The Northwinds Parkway extension was identified as one of their priority projects in this plan even before Gwinnett Technical College announced its plans to expand to the site adjacent to the planned extension.

The extension will also open more land to development possibilities.

Hanlon said funding for the project is coming mostly from the CID, but the city of Alpharetta has recently received a grant from the Georgia Department of Transportation that will be used to cover part of the construction costs.

The city’s grant is for $500,000, and Hanlon said the total cost of the construction will probably come close to $2 million.

“That $500,000 puts a dent in that number,” she said.

Additionally, Hanlon said they are looking for donations, particularly land donations around the site, to offset more of the remainder of that price tag.

“Any land that could be donated would help ease that cost,” she said.