WOODSTOCK, Ga. — One of metro Atlanta’s fastest-growing cities is showing no signs of slowing down.
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At the annual State of the City address, Woodstock Mayor Michael Caldwell outlined a wave of major development and infrastructure projects aimed at keeping pace with the city’s rapid growth.
Woodstock is now the 20th-largest city in Georgia.
“The state of our city is stronger, safer and better off than it was four years ago,” Caldwell told a packed room of more than 300 business leaders, elected officials and community members gathered at City Church.
Among the biggest announcements is a $65 million private investment that will create a new gateway into downtown Woodstock and expand the city’s business district through a project called Woodstock Mill.
Construction is already underway near the roundabout on Towne Lake Parkway, which links Interstate 575 to Main Street and downtown.
“It’s going to have restaurants and retail and a Publix grocery anchor, but it won’t be a traditional strip mall,” Caldwell said. “It will be hidden behind, so you get a nice urban feel in a suburban area.”
Just one exit north, the city is partnering with the Georgia Department of Transportation to move forward with a long-awaited diverging diamond interchange at Ridgewalk Parkway, a project aimed at easing one of the metro area’s worst traffic bottlenecks during rush hour.
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Downtown visitors will also benefit from a newly completed free parking deck, along with plans for a landmark hotel and conference center. The development will include commercial office and retail space, which city leaders say will form the core of a brand-new downtown hub.
“Then there’s a commercial office and retail building on the front side of the parking deck as well that really makes up the core, brand-new development in downtown,” Caldwell said.
Public safety was another major focus of the mayor’s address. Caldwell announced pay raises for police officers and said the police department is now fully staffed for the first time in a decade. The city is also building two new fire stations and expanding the fire department by a dozen firefighters to staff them.
City leaders say the investments are designed to ensure Woodstock’s growth remains balanced — improving traffic flow, boosting economic development and maintaining public safety as more families and businesses move into the area.
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