Roswell will seek $4.5 million in state financing to extend pedestrian trails along Green Street toward Woodstock Park after the City Council voted 3-2 on Monday, Aug. 10, to move the $4.75 million Phase II project forward.
The vote authorized the city to apply for a $3 million low-interest loan and a $1.5 million grant from the Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank, administered by the State Road and Tollway Authority. The city has already set aside $800,000 for engineering and right-of-way work, according to council committee records.
Councilmembers Eren Brumley and Chris Zack cast the two dissenting votes. Councilmember Sarah Beeson recused herself, citing personal property adjacent to the project area. Councilmembers Allen Sells and Christine Hall voted in favor, and Councilmember Jennifer Phillippi was absent from the meeting. With the council split 2-2 among the four members who cast a vote, Mayor Mary Robichaux, who under the city's rules votes only to break ties, cast the deciding vote in favor, producing the final 3-2 outcome. No on-record explanation from Brumley or Zack for their opposition appeared in published reports; their comments may be available in the Aug. 10 meeting video.
Director of Transportation Andy Flagg presented the financing plan and encouraged the council to pursue the loan structure, Appen Media reported. The 10-year loan carries a 3.04% interest rate plus a 1% origination fee at closing. The application carries a $250 fee.
Councilmember Christine Hall, who voted in favor, framed the project as a continuation of the city's downtown pedestrian strategy. "The Green Street activation plan was all about being able to expand off the success of Canton Street," Hall said at the Aug. 10 meeting, as Appen Media reported.
What's in Phase II
Phase I, already under construction, runs from the intersection of Plum Tree and Green streets to Cherry Way and connects the city's new 394-space downtown parking deck to Canton Street. That deck, funded through Roswell's voter-approved $179.6 million bond program, opened May 4.
Phase II extends trail and pedestrian infrastructure further along Green Street from the parking deck toward Woodstock Park within the historic district. The broader Green Street Activation Plan, approved in March 2024, converted Green Street to one-way southbound traffic and added trail, lighting and landscaping improvements.
What's next
The grant application was due Aug. 21. Award announcements from the Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank are expected in December 2026. Phase II cannot move into design and construction until the loan and grant are finalized through the State Road and Tollway Authority.
