About 30 residents and representatives from organizations like the Sandy Springs City Council, MARTA, Perimeter Community Improvement Districts and the Watershed Alliance of Sandy Springs assembled last week at City Hall for an information-gathering meeting, or charette, hosted by the Atlanta Regional Commission.

Frank Danchetz, vice president of Denver-based planning and engineering firm Arcadis U.S., asked attendees for help with the ARC’s North Fulton Comprehensive Transportation Plan.

“We’re going to put you to work,” Danchetz said before breaking the audience up into four small groups whose job was to mark on maps where significant destinations and needed improvements to roads, public transit, bicycle and pedestrian access existed. “We want to inspire you to think about the different types that are needed.”

Results of the meeting will be tabulated by May with other findings from meetings in Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Roswell, Milton and Mountain Park and sent to mayors and city councils for their approval by September, Danchetz said.

“We are looking to adopt a plan by July 2011,” he said.

Priorities identified will form the basis of funding requests submitted to the ARC and the Georgia Department of Transportation.

During the breakout session, all four groups identified Hammond Drive east of Roswell Road as a problem area, although disagreements occurred on how to address congestion from the upcoming half-diamond interchange with Ga. 400, an $18 million project with a December 2011 completion date.

Resident Bill Huff advocated adding two lanes, but Sandy Springs Planning Commission member Roger Rupnow said extra capacity will only encourage more traffic.

In another group, resident Dick Farmer said viable alternatives might be traffic-calming measures like those on Lindbergh Drive between Peachtree and Piedmont roads in Buckhead.

“They deliberately didn’t widen,” Farmer said. “It keeps east-west traffic to destination travelers, not commuters.”

Mayor Eva Galambos visited the charette and contributed to the transit portion.

“Rail is a very inefficient way of providing transportation. I don’t want any more fixed rail, ever,” she said. “I want bus rapid transit.”

Residents wishing to contribute ideas are encouraged to visit the ARC Web site www.atlantaregional.com/nfctp or e-mail public.meetingatl@kimley-horn.com.

A similar charette was also held in April by GDOT and the Georgia Regional Transit Authority for their Revive 285 project, of which Danchetz is project coordinator. Residents can vote on their choice of eight alternatives at www.revive285.com.