“We shape our buildings…thereafter, they shape us”. It may seem odd to open this post with a quote from Winston Churchill but it has a lot to do with what local developer J.T. Adams is trying to achieve with his proposed plans for a City of Milton Town Center and gives us some insight into his philosophy of how communities should be designed.

Another way to look at it would from the perspective of James Kunstler. An outspoken critic of suburban sprawl, his view that “…public spaces should be inspired centers of civic life and the physical manifestation of the common good. Instead, he argues, what we have in America is a nation of places not worth caring about”. Public spaces should have an active and permeable outer edge where people go in-and-out. In-and-out of shops, stores, restaurants. These are places where people want to be, where they are drawn to.

A little over 3 years ago the City of Milton was born and much has happened with the local real estate market and development over that time. There are more than a few subdivision graveyards out there and while no one is benefiting from the downturn, the development and density in the area would be drastically different had this downturn not happened.

So, the question is, how do we plan to move forward while keeping the City’s Vision Statement in mind, “..embracing our small town life while preserving and enhancing our rural character”. What J.T. Adams proposes, right in the heart of Crabapple, is to remove high density residential and put in its place a city center that would be part of a walkable community surrounded by dozens of unique shops, restaurants and well positioned parks with monuments, mature landscaping and water features. There is an opportunity to create something that would not only embody what I feel the City of Milton should be but to rival the small city centers around us, like Alpharetta and Roswell.

In this setting will exist the new Milton City Hall, a 250-seat performing arts center, a new public library, small outdoor ampitheater and a bed-and-breakfast / events center. All this rather than dozens of high-density townhomes and over-supplied residential properties.

While this plan hasn’t been formally presented to the city, it has been presented at some Town Hall Meetings. We have an opportunity to get involved, provide feedback and be a part of what the City of Milton could become. Please share what you think the City Of Milton should look like.