Alpharetta mayor delivers State of the City Address

By SHELBY ISRAEL shelby@appenmedia.com

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Alpharetta Mayor Jim Gilvin reflected on the city’s past, present and future in his 2023 State of the City Address Feb. 14.

In his fifth address since becoming mayor, Gilvin told a crowd of close to 140 assembled at the Atlanta Marriott Alpharetta that the past decade has made Alpharetta whole, with amenities, entertainment and business destinations for residents and visitors to enjoy.

Even so, the mayor said, work must continue to reinvigorate the once prosperous North Point area, which has declined since the advent of major commercial, entertainment and residential centers like City Center and Avalon.

“We’ve watched Alpharetta evolve,” Gilvin said. “But even though we’ve seen it, sometimes we forget about it. We take it for granted, what we have in this community, and so today, I want us all to sit and think how blessed we are and appreciate what we have because it wasn’t always this way.”

Gilvin said before the developments downtown, there were few restaurants and little to do. Residents of the city would often leave town to find entertainment.

Through understanding and cooperation in the community and the city government, as well as development in the private sector, Gilvin said Alpharetta became the city that it is today.

Gilvin said the city’s foundations began with its schools, its safety and its appeal to technology companies, but it wasn’t until 2012 that the constituency really wanted more out of the community.

“But we were missing a lot of things that we really wanted in our city,” Gilvin said. “One of them was just a place to go out and gather, to have events, to have fun, to come together as a community. We really didn’t have those types of spaces, and so we started looking at how we could do that.”

Gilvin reflected on city developments around this time that fostered community involvement, including the new City Hall, the Alpharetta Library, the downtown parking decks, the Town Green and Brooke Street Park.

The city has spent more than $100 million from taxpayers to fund downtown, road projects and parks, Gilvin said.

The mayor also discussed upcoming projects, including the 25-acre master development The Gathering on Haynes Bridge Road. and Continuum, a 51acre mixed-use project on Windward Parkway.

He emphasized the city remains committed to North Point redevelopment, and while the district has suffered two failed developments recently, the area still has major potential. Earlier this month, the City Council approved a $200,000 grant application for improvements in the area. Late last year, the council approved plans for the North Point Streetscape Project, which will redesign the roadway from six to four lanes, promoting pedestrian-friendly amenities and ties to the Big Creek Greenway.

Now in its 12th year, the State of the City Address is sponsored by the Alpharetta Business Association. In addition to the crowd of business and civic leaders, the morning event drew members of the Alpharetta City Council, Roswell Mayor Kurt Wilson, Johns Creek Mayor John Bradberry and Milton Mayor Peyton Jamison.

Gilvin said he is convinced and enthusiastic that Alpharetta’s best days are ahead, and he looks forward to the next 10 years in the city.

“There are so many great things going on in this community, and we continue to look for more,” Gilvin said.