Correction: Two Roswell Ledger articles published this week described the committee as advancing the state transportation bid. The official minutes show the opposite. We regret the error.
A $4.5 million bid for state transportation money to build a pedestrian link between Roswell's new parking deck and Canton Street died Tuesday, July 28, when no councilmember seconded the resolution at the Committees of Council meeting.
The resolution would have authorized the city to apply for a $3 million loan and a $1.5 million grant from the Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank, a state program administered by the State Road and Tollway Authority. Transportation Director Andy Phlegar presented the item, and city staff had recommended approval.
No one moved to second it.
The official minutes record the outcome in one line: "FAILED DUE TO LACK OF A SECOND."
The failure puts a question mark over the Green Street Mobility project, which would convert Green Street to a one-way southbound road with a brick-paved multi-use trail and turn Plum Tree Street into a pedestrian path connecting directly to Canton Street. The city has already spent $800,000 on engineering and right-of-way work for the project.
Roswell's City Council approved the broader Green Street Activation Plan in March 2024 alongside the bond-funded parking deck. That 395-space deck opened in May 2026 at Green Street and Alpharetta Street, about a block east of Canton Street. Parking has been free during Green Street construction, according to WSB-TV.
"We understand how important convenient parking is for our downtown businesses, employees, and visitors," Mayor Mary Robichaux said in April, when the city announced free parking would continue while Green Street work was underway.
Five councilmembers were present Tuesday: Sarah Beeson, Christine Hall, Chris Zack, Jennifer Phillippi, and Eren Brumley. Mayor Robichaux and Councilmember Allen Sells were not listed in the roll call. The 34-minute meeting, called to order at 5:06 p.m. by City Administrator Randy Knighton, advanced all 10 other agenda items unanimously.
The minutes do not record which councilmember, if any, introduced the motion before it failed. No councilmember has publicly commented on why the item received no second. The GTIB application deadline is Friday, August 21, and the resolution is not currently on the agenda for the full Mayor and Council meeting on Monday, August 10.
The 10 approved contracts head to the Mayor and Council for final vote on Monday, August 10 at 7 p.m. Residents can attend or watch the meeting through the city's online portal.
