Roswell leaders tasked with deciding on whether to close street to cars say they should disband

A group of leaders in Roswell, brought together to study the impacts of closing Canton Street to vehicle traffic during a set of holidays, recommended its own disbandment to the city council.

The group was given 45 days to make recommendations on how to proceed. Instead, they recommended canceling the task force until planning could be done, less than a month later.

According to a press statement provided on behalf of the seven-member task force, the various business owners, residents, and law enforcement officer felt they could not perform their duty without a study from an urban planner.

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City officials did not indicate to Channel 2 Action News whether or not the recommendation would be approved.

In the Tuesday announcement that the task force had recommended its own cancellation, a representative for the seven members said in a statement that “the task force simply didn’t have enough information about traffic and economic impact to make an informed recommendation to the Mayor and City Council.”

The task force could reconvene in a few months, according to their spokesman, though he said it was dependent on the city getting information about the economics, traffic, and public safety impacts of closing the street.

When asked about the vote to disband by the task force’s members, a city spokeswoman said the disbandment hadn’t happened yet. Instead she said the decision of whether or not to take the recommendation had not yet been made.

According to the city, the task force made the recommendation, but “before the City moves forward the task force would like an economic impact analysis done. The Chair said the task force would be willing to reconvene if asked or required by Mayor and Council.”

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All of this was part of a city review about whether or not the busy street in Roswell would close over part of the summer. It’s been the subject of intense discussion for more months.

Mayor Kurt Wilson said the closure of Canton Street to vehicles, but still open to pedestrians, during the summer would be a trial run for future planning.

Had the plan moved forward, Roswell city officials would have closed Canton Street to all vehicles from Elizabeth Way to Webb Street between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day.

Residents and business owners were divided on the topic, but concerns over the decision and lack of citizen input led to the creation of the task force in mid-July.

The idea received strong pushback from local businesses, though not unanimously.

To get a better read of the public, the Roswell City Council and mayor opened up public discussion. The main criticism at those meetings was the lack of transparency.

Wilson repeatedly has cited safety concerns in the bustling area, and a way to boost business for the shops there, as reasons to close the street to vehicles.

An extra piece of the plan involved building a new parking deck, but it did not influence resident pushback.

The full discussion between task force members and council during the latest work session can be viewed online.

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