Save Historic Norcross

Do you want your voice to count? Tell the mayor and city council you support balanced development

Key Dates

NOTE - Any called meeting can occur upon 24 hours notice. Agenda is posted on the lobby bulletin board, but not always on City web site

Council meeting agendas can change, so the Public needs to monitor all meetings despite the upcoming holidays and Spring break vacations. The Planning and Zoning Board of Appeals denied a variance request (5-0) by the owner of 35 Williams Street property on February 28, 2008. The owner has the option to appeal the decision to Superior Court within 30 days.

Actions for You

Attend April 7 Council Meeting
Demolition Hearing
35 Williams Street
Send Us Your Opinion on Demolitions Now

Maintain 75' Stream Buffers!

See Presentation on Church Purchase

Other Resources for Historic Preservation

Demolitions of Two Historic Houses on Cemetery and College Streets

More Historic House Demolitions Planned in National Registry District

A popular local developer, Mr. Robert Forro, plans to request a demolition application in April 2007 to destroy these two historic 1890s era houses:

	The Westbrook/ Naylor Home at 139 N. Cemetery Street, c. 1895. Victorian lovingly restored by former owners and presented on the Tour of Homes in 1981.
	The Adams Home at 75 College Street/corner of Cemetery St. c. 1890. Craftsman restored by Adams family descendants and presented on The Tour of Homes in 1983.

Both historic homes are part of the Norcross historic district listed in 1980 in The Secretary of Interior's National Register of Historic Places. The homes have been well maintained by the previous owners. The developer, Mr. Forro, obtained the rezoning to this property in February 2005. The new development will be high-density mixed- use condominiums, meaning a mix of offices, commercial businesses on street level with residential town homes above. The plans call for condominium buildings with four stories in height.

Mr. Forro will need to submit his development plans to the Norcross Architectural Review Board. Until the plans are revealed, we are uncertain how these proposed plans will coordinate with the new redevelopment plan for the Lillian Webb Baseball Field and with the plans of the Georgia Department of Transportation to widen Cemetery Street.

What can be done?

At the time of this printing, it is not know whether the two historic houses will be saved via relocation by the City Council so their value will not be lost to the entire historic district. We have at least three suitable alternatives:

Explore ideas to relocate and adaptively rehab for new use, possibly as restaurant, tavern or boutique off historic Skin Alley or as a Nature Center at the Barton Street Park entrance?
Explore ideas with Steven Fuller Associates, the architectural design firm the DDA has employed to redesign the historic ball field, to incorporate these houses into the park redesign. The Fuller Group details the need for period buildings, why not reuse a real historic house than build a new emulation.
The Victorian Westbrook/Naylor house might be moved to the south end of the ball field as a restaurant or Welcome Center.

It makes sense to take the time to plan and preserve the core of our city's charm, its historic buildings and streetscapes; our history is the fuel for economic revitalization.

Please contact all Council members and the Mayor with your concerns or send an email from this website. City Hall telephone is number is 770-448-2122.