Vinings 'Vision' coming into focus

Vinings residents filled every seat in the sanctuary at Vinings United Methodist Church Monday night to discuss a plan of action for the future of their community.

Around 140 residents met with Cobb County’s Community Development Planning Division and District 2 Commissioner Bob Ott to begin working on the Vinings Vision Plan, which will address land use, transportation and community character and improvement. The ultimate goal of the process is for the residents to create a strategic vision on how the area will grow.

“You the community are the ones that are going to design the plan,” Ott told the residents. “Not us, the staff. Not some hired consultant, but you.”

Ott praised Dana Johnson and the rest of the Cobb Planning staff for already successfully developing and implementing the same type of plan for redevelopment around Powers Ferry. As with the Vinings Vision Plan, the Powers Ferry community designed the plan right alongside Johnson and his team.

“This first public meeting is vital for us to understand how you, the community feel so that we can focus our direction in the right manner,” Johnson said. “We are trying to improve the quality of life for residents and businesses.”

Ott said that the Vinings Vision Plan will literally be a guidebook that all future development in the area will have to adhere to.

Those in attendance were divided up into five groups and asked to give their ideas for the plan, as well as what they feel are the positives and negatives about Vinings, to a member of Cobb Development. At the end of those sessions, all the groups came back together to openly discuss what they had come up with.

While atmosphere in the room was light, residents came to do their part and brought many ideas and opinions to the table.

The groups seemed to agree on many of the positive and negative issues in regards to their community. Diversity of housing, proximity to other desirable areas of metro Atlanta, low crime, quality amenities, and the walkability of the area were just some of the positives listed. Negatives included streets that needing repaving and the idea that connectivity between walkable areas could be improved. Also mentioned was a problem with the storm sewers on Woodland Brook, which apparently aren't cleaned out often enough to make a difference during periods of heavy rain.

Traffic issues seemed to be unanimously agreed upon as the number one negative since many people use Vinings as a thoroughfare to other destinations. Concerned Vinings resident Ron Sifen added that recent developments built on the south side of Paces Ferry have also contributed much of that problem. As development continues, the problem will only get worse if officials aren’t careful, he said.

“Traffic is already a huge problem in Vinings. We need to start figuring out how we’re going to manage it.”

Each group had a lot to say as well about what they considered to be good opportunities for the betterment of their community. Expansion of the village “core” was mentioned as well as ensuring in the future that there is more diversity among business architecture. Several groups expressed a desire to see the Silver Comet Trail brought there and the idea of building a park designed just for children was mentioned, as well.  

The next public meeting will not be until September, Johnson said, and there could be as many as two more meetings after that. He explained that each meeting will engage the residents who attend in a different way. Once the plan is completed, it will then go to the planning commission for consideration and the board of commissioners for approval. More of the county's Vinings Vision Plan can be found here.

“It is not going to be a short process,” Johnson said.

Although the process may take some time, Ott seemed confident that the final product will be well worth the wait.

“The goal is to have a plan that the entire community is comfortable with and addresses all the interests and uniqueness of Vinings,” he said.