RIDGEWAY TRACE P.D. NEWS

UPDATE

RIDGEWAY TRACE P.D. NEWS
The final plan for the Ridgeway Trace Shopping Center will go before the Land Use Control Board on Thursday, June 12th. Weingarten Realty representatives Chuck Gurney and Harvey Brooks, along with Buck Wellford, met with SIPNA representatives Harvey Taylor, Bert Merrill, Pat Merrill, and Dwight Albright on June 5th and made an excellent presentation on the Ridgeway Trace Project. This upscale shopping center is planned for the area bounded by Poplar Avenue on the north, the Crescent Center on the east, the railroad R.O.W. (along Park Avenue)on the south, and the I-240 exit ramp on the west. There will be two access points on Poplar, one on Ridgeway through the Crescent Center property, but NONE on Park Avenue. All buildings will be oriented toward Poplar Avenue. There will be extensive interior landscaping and an ornamental iron fence and landscaping along much of the perimeter. Current anchor stores are Target, Sports Authority, and Best Buy.

SIPNA expressed concern about a maximum letter height of 3 feet for signs on the backs of the buildings and the lack of trees planned for the section of the southern property line where there are no trees in the railroad R.O.W. and a rear view of the project is clearly visible from a major entryway to our neighborhood and the homes on the south side of Park Avenue at Chatham Village.

The developers said they would try to balance the desires of their tenants with the concerns of the citizens, but some major tenants would not come if they couldn't have large rear (and side) wall signs visible on a major road such as Park Avenue. As to the lack of trees, the developers said that the proposed holly planting would eventually reach a height of about 12-18 feet and, along with the 6 foot high ornamental iron fence, provide an attractive and effective screen between the backs of the buildings and the section of Park Avenue where there are no trees in the railroad right of way. (The railroad R.O.W across from St. Francis Hospital is wooded.) In an effort to work with the neighborhood, the developers said that they would try to add a few other trees in order to soften the back view of the buildings from Park Avenue. Since they have extra parking spaces, we hope they will be able to add several trees.

We appreciate the thorough presentation by the Weingarten Realty representatives and the positive attitude expressed for helping protect the character of our neighborhood.
If you have questions, Pat Merrill, SIPNA Land Use Chairman, has a copy of the site plan and some elevations.