Going Gated | Alpharetta and Milton Neighborhods Installing Gates
By kwarmath on May 24th, 2008
Often when we ask people, particularly those relocating from Florida, their requirements for a new home in Alpharetta, they say they want to live in a gated community. The reason is not so much exclusivity, but security. They don’t understand that for all intents and purposes we have no crime.
So why in the world then would two of Alpharetta’s largest subdivisions just elect to gate their communities? Read on to find out.
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Currently there aren’t that many gated neighborhoods in North Fulton from which to choose relative to the over 700 existing subdivisions. Because you don’t see that many gated communities when driving around town, indeed, you get the impression that there just aren’t very many of them. However, when I did some research for this post there were more gated communities than I expected. On the east side there are thirty-five or so gated communities including the gated golf course communities of Country Club of the South, St. Ives, St. Marlo, a couple sections of Windward and in Forsyth County, Laurel Springs. Other gated communities without golf are listed on the right where you can click to see homes for sale in each. These neighborhoods include Amersee Lakes, Atherton Park, Centennial, Ellard, Haynes Manor, Quail Hollow, River Falls, Tavistock and Winthrop Park. On the west side of GA-400, you have fewer gated communities. This is because it is more rural, less commercial and frankly, I think that gating for exclusivity or security is the furthest thing from peoples’ mind on the west side. That said, there are some gated communities west of 400. Providence at Atlanta National has always been gated – and guarded. The high-end, luxury homes at Greystone have always been gated. Jennifer Oaks, a mid-range neighborhood off Mid-Broadwell Road has always been gated and one of the few moderately priced gated neighborhoods in the area. As they have been built, the new high-end neighborhoods have been gated: The Manor, Lakeside at Ansley, Crabapple Brook, Chatham Park, etc. But now, two existing west-side neighborhoods are going the way of the gate. Well, I take that back. One is going the way of the gate; the other the way of the guard. Crooked Creek Votes to Add Gate and Improve Swim/TennisSeventy-two percent of voting Crooked Creek homeowners recently decided to gate their community (along with approving a $4 million upgrade to their existing swim and tennis facilities.) Crooked Creek is Milton’s largest neighborhood with 620 homes and six miles of roads within the neighborhood. The reason for gating the neighborhood? Not crime. Not even exclusivity. Traffic. The neighborhood reports that about 2,000 cars a day cut through Crooked Creek to get from HWY 9 to Francis Road. That is about 1/4 to 1/3 of all the traffic on the main neighborhood road, Creek Club Drive. |
Gated Neighborhoods East of GA-400. Click to see homes for sale in that neighborhood.Abberley Towneship
Gated Neighborhoods West of GA-400. Click to see homes for sale in that neighborhood.Atlanta National |
One obstacle in the way of Crooked Creek is that when and if it gates its neighborhood, it will then own and be responsible for the maintenance of the roads. The City of Milton has a "road abandonment"policy that currently states that 100% of people living on a road must agree to take it private and bear that responsibility. Before Crooked Creek can get approval to gate itself, either the city has to modify the policy that all residents be on board or there needs to be some more neighborhood arm twisting sessions.
The cost to a Crooked Creek home owner for a gate and new amenities? An increase of $675 a year in HOA dues, which would basically double what they are currently paying for new dues of $1,425.
But what about the non-Crooked Creek resident. Don’t they have rights to roads, too? After all, these are roads that county taxpayer money has supported for the past 10-12 years. Plus, the neighborhood is asking the City of Milton to make $600,000 in road improvements BEFORE they install the gates. Does that sound fair to someone who doesn’t live there and lives in a neighborhood that likely needs road resurfacing more badly than Crooked Creek?
I totally understand that residents of Crooked Creek want to limit the cut-through traffic. I’d want to if I lived there. But I also understand how hard it is to get from east to west in Milton. Most neighborhoods only have a single entrance and don’t offer any overflow options to crowed two-lane roads. Before we know it, though, residents of Landrum Road, Nix Road, Wood Road, Summit Road will all want to close their roads to non-resident traffic. Heck, Landrum Road residents have already tried it.
White Columns Adding Guarded Gate
White Columns is the second neighborhood on the list to add access control to its neighborhood. I say "access control" because I’m talking about the section of White Columns that is already gated. They are now adding a guard. Why you ask? Well, a lot of people, including many who lived in the non-gated portion of White Columns, knew the gate code and would use it to cut through the neighborhood to get from Freemanville Rd to Birmingham Highway.
The effect of cutting off the cut-thru will be to put more cross traffic on Nix Road, which is a dirt road in very mediocre condition, particularly when the new elementary school is complete in the Fall of 2009. I’m sure the people on Nix Road will have something to say about this.
There will be no code access from the Birmingham Hwy back entrance to White Columns; the only way to get in that gate will be with a clicker. Non-residents will have to get pass the guard on Freemanville Hwy. I guess I’ll have to get my wife to make some more of those killer coffee-laced brownies to use as my guard bribes. Hey, a realtor needs access.
The cost of the guard at White Columns? About $1,000 a year in increased HOA dues and something like a $900 one-time assessment.
Questions for You
Which brings me to my questions for you:
1) Would you pay more to live in a gated community? Would you pay more for a guarded community? Does it depend on which side of GA-400 you live?
2) Have the Crooked Creek residents figured out what they will do will people learn the gate code…and they will learn the gate code with some many residents in the neighborhood. Will a guard be the next step at Crooked Creek? Indeed, is a guard the only way to effectively keep out cut through traffic?
3) Has anyone thought about the impact on real estate sales? As a realtor, I love gated communities for selfish reasons: they limit public access. No longer will the general public be able to drive through Crooked Creek on a Sunday afternoon and window shop. That is not good for "for sale by owners." To get in you will have to make an appointment with a realtor. In White Columns, the gated section, I even heard that they were considering getting rid of for sale signs altogether. Who needs them if the general public won’t we riding through?
You need to get your facts straight. The plan for Crooked Creek has always included a guard at the front (Hiway 9) entrance and a card reader at the back. Guests would come to the front entrance to check in with the guard. Guests can be registered either online or calling the guard.
Your point about taxpayers paying for the roads in CC is somewhat valid. However, the county has done little to no road repairs in my 12 years in CC. All we are asking is the city (with money from the county that was never spent in CC) to live up to their committment. Then, we will own the roads. Basically the money is to recover past usage, not future. Then the residents will support the roads. Crooked Creek, nor any primarily residential street, should not be used just because getting from west to east Milton is challenging. It should be noted that not only is the traffic excessive but (in order to make it just as timely as going around CC) the average speed on Creek Club Dr. is probably 35-45 mph. Trust me, I live on that street.
The increase in homeowner’s dues is double, however, for quite some time ours have been less than comparable areas and this simply brings our in to line with similar, gated communities. Even if the gating only increases my home value by 2% it will be well worth the extra cost (e.g. if I sell in less that 10 years I will still reap more value than I pay).
Hey, Mike: Aren’t you glad that you can participate on this blog and correct me – or at least add more detail and flavor as a home owner in Crooked Creek. I am! That is my vision for this site: collective knowledge that is closer to the “truth” than one person’s characterization. sooooo, thanks for commenting and adding your perspective.
As far as the “plan” for CC including a guard, that was a dozen years ago. I don’t know if it holds any ground now.
As far as trying to recoup what is due the neighborhood from neglected maintenance by Fulton County, I say: “Get in line.” There are neighborhoods older than CC that have been ignored longer. Every neighborhood has a claim to this money that CC is requesting and I’m not sure you can say any was every specifically earmarked for CC. Where did the $600k number come from?
Bottom line is that maintenance of all the neighborhood streets is going to be a giant pill to swallow. There hasn’t been a neighborhood resurfaced in Milton that I’m aware of. The City of Milton has $1.5M budgeted for pavement milling and resurfacing. I don’t know how much roadway you can do for that amount and whether there is a focus on main roadways or neighborhoods.
Regarding using Creek Club Dr as a cut-thru, believe me, if I lived on the street I wouldn’t like it either. Bottom line again, though, is that it is a public street and people should be able to use it (and they should abide by the speed limit.) The structural problem we face is that most of our neighborhoods are single entrance so you cannot cut through. I grew up in the West where our cities were laid out on grids and you had alternative routes; in Alpharetta and Milton you’re pretty much stuck on the main roadways and congested intersections.
The plan in Crabapple was to alleviate some of this by adding connecting roads, which now exist in Crabapple Crossroads and Crabapple Station. I just wonder how long until residents in those neighborhoods want to shut off cut through traffic for the same reason you do.
Finally, on the dues in CC, I’m not making any judgment on the amount. I think it is great that you have been able to keep dues down for so long. I will say, that with many neighborhoods now reaching the 12-14 year old mark, that improvements do need to be made. Unfortunately, getting a capital assessment passed in a neighborhood is sometimes challenging, but you are absolutely right: your home value is going to be increased by quality amenities, perhaps not by having a gate/guard, but certainly in my opinion by having quality amenities. And the HOA should promote that as a service to the homesowners to support home values.
I’ve rambled on, but you brought up some good points I wanted to touch on. Thanks again for reading and commenting on my blog. I appreciate the insight from an actual resident in Crooked Creek. I hope that you will continue to read and comment again in the future.
k.
Creek Club Dr. was a through street and has been since residents purchased their homes in Crooked Creek since the day the subdivision opened. What makes Creek Club Dr. any different than any other public through street who has seen increased traffic flow? Freemanville Rd, Birmingham Rd., Cogburn to name just a few in Milton?? Should we gate them all? At least Crooked Creek has sidewalks to walk on! The current Fulton County policy (adopted June 2007) says that for a street to be “abandoned” by the city, 100 percent of the people affected by the closing of the road would have to approve…of course Crooked Creek’s HOA wants that number changed to 75%! I want to change rules, laws & guidelines on things I don’t like too! If we gate this road where do fellow Miltonians expect the traffic to go? Our other through streets are already busting at the seams during prime traffic hours. Also, I thought Milton was trying to preserve a rural feeling in our community not one of “elitist fashion”. I can’t help but feel that part of the reason Crooked Creek is fighting so hard for this has less to do with safety (they could put speed bumps in to slow people down) and more to do with pomp and circumstance! After all, it sure would help their resale values to boast “Private Gated Community”
Tracy, I tend to agree with your arguments in terms of the precedent that Crooked Creek would set if gated. Wood, Landrum or Nix Roads would be good examples: these roads are routinely used to “cut thru” from Birmingham Highway to Freemanville Road. I’m sure the residents of these roads don’t like it. I’m sure there are “safety issues”; there are safety issues on every road around here.
The residents of Wood Road installed huge concrete speed bumps – at their own expense – a couple of years ago to discourage cut thru traffic. If they had gated it, then traffic would have been forced onto the major arteries; but a traffic system is based on a collection of major and minor arteries, and the weakness of our current system is minor arteries. Crooked Creek gating itself would be just one less artery to absorb the traffic flow.
As for the real reasons for wanting to gate the community, you can read between the lines and interpret depending on your degree of cynicism. The thing that bothers me, though, is when representatives of the neighborhood are quoted in the local newspaper as saying, “If there is an accident (death), then it is on all our heads.” That is a bit of hyperbole. Saying that opposing the gating of Crooked Creek makes you somehow responsible if there is an accident is like saying that if you opposed experimental drug tests on animals that you are responsible for a person’s death. I don’t buy that. There are legitimate reasons to not support things (that could lead to someone’s death) that don’t make you necessarily evil.