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Today's stories . . .
Alpharetta coach Angela Hurt warned her team that Roswell was going to come out with some fire on their Senior Night, and the Lady Hornets did. But …
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5/20/09
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Tucker nearing renovation
Construction on a project to redesign Tucker’s historic commercial district is scheduled to begin this fall, according to county officials. The $2.5 million Main Street Tucker streetscape project will be the culmination of what is now a nine-year effort to overhaul the district near Tucker High School. “This is really amazing,” Main Street Tucker Alliance Co-General Manager Honey Van de Kreke said. “We’re very excited.” The county has acquired 80 percent of the needed right of way, DeKalb government spokeswoman Kristie Swink said in an e-mail. “We anticipate the construction plans to go out for advertisement to bid in late summer or early fall, with construction starting in late fall of this year,” she said. There are only two parcels left before the county completes the right of way acquisition. The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners moved to condemn one of the properties at last week’s regular meeting. The project will make Main Street between LaVista Road and Lawrenceville Highway narrower, from four lanes to two lanes. Improvements include the widening of sidewalks and the addition of street lights, new traffic signals and new pedestrian furniture, such as benches, trash cans, and bike racks. The project is being funded by grants from the Georgia Department of Transportation and the Atlanta Regional Commission and funds raised by the Main Street Tucker Alliance, a non-profit organization that focuses on the revitalization of the Main Street Tucker area. The county is providing about $500,000 for the project. The Alliance was founded in 2000. The group has a staff of nine volunteers who organized fund raisers and community meetings to develop the plan for the area. The Main Street Tucker streetscape project was designed by Atlanta-based planning company Hughes Good O’Leary & Ryan Company. The Alliance also is selling bricks that will be engraved and placed along Main Street and is accepting donations to pay for benches, bike racks and trash cans along the street. Information: www.tuckergeorgia.org.
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The money being spent on Main Street is a waste. It is very simple. Having a viable commercial town center is just like a math formula. You need at least two restaurants and they need to sell at a minimum beer and wine as that is 50% of profits for dinner. The traffic to the two restaurants then support the dress shop, the art gallery, the coffee shop, the book store, the ice cream shop etc. The crazies in Tucker think they can have a main street with no liquor. Social/religious warfare has doomed downtown Tucker to poverty and spending money won't help unless the churches allow liquor sales for at least two restaurants. Yes, it is that simple! Either allow liquor sales at two restaurants or just bulldoze the place as it will fall into further ruin and be a crime blight on the community. Ask any banker or restaurant owner about what I just wrote. I'll never forget being told "we don't want them fancy people in our community anyways". Those "fancy people" would be anyone with money. So I guess they are trying to make a viable downtown Tucker based on the virtuous poor! Good luck, I've got better things to do than participate in insanity.
I agree with you about the alcohol and I don't even drink. Restaurants attract people to an area then the other businesses get to reap the benefits of the visitors. However, I disagree that the money being spent is a waste. Main Street needs a makeover it is unfortunate that such a great community as Tucker has such a poor excuse for a “town” center. We need a more pedestrian friendly aesthetically pleasing main street with anchor business that will bring life to Tucker. It is ludicrous to not allow a restaurant to at least serve beer and wine. Count my vote in favor of allowing beer and wine sales at restaurants.