Smyrna eyes downtown expansion with a church purchase

The city of Smyrna is seizing a rare opportunity to expand its downtown borders as part of its larger efforts to rebrand its central business district.

Why it matters: Smyrna, like many suburban Atlanta communities, is looking at ways to revitalize its city center as the region grows .

Driving the news: Smyrna city council members recently created an advisory committee to manage the public engagement process for the " Downtown the Downtown " project.

• The city is in the process of closing on the property at the corner of King and Church streets, where Smyrna First Baptist Church is currently located. That purchase will add another nine acres to downtown.

What they're saying: City Council member Travis Lindley, who chairs the committee, told Axios that Smyrna is now in the process of soliciting proposals from firms to redesign the downtown master plan.

• The revamp will include ideas for what could be built on the church property.
• "I think there's a lot of excitement with the promise that we're able to basically double the size of our downtown with the nine acres, and lots of intrigue about how that will work," he said.

Reality check: This won't happen overnight, as Smyrna First Baptist Church has not begun constructing its new facility, to be located on Atlanta Road.

• "So we're [in] no rush," said Andrea Worthy, Smyrna's economic development director. "We're going to be able to do this the right way."

Flashback: In 2021, Council members voted to approve a $5.7 million project to remove the fountain and roundabout in the Village Green area of downtown and replace it with green space, according to the AJC .

• The city had plans to build a three-story parking deck as part of its downtown reboot, but removed that idea from consideration, the Cobb Courier reported in February.

What's next: Worthy told Axios that once a firm is hired, it will work with the advisory committee to get feedback from residents and stakeholders about what should go on those nine acres.

• That process could take nine months to a year, she said.

The bottom line: Lindley told Axios that the project is a "huge opportunity" because cities rarely have the opportunity to expand their downtown.

• "This has the potential to be a game-changer for Smyrna, once again, as we lead into the next 50 to 100 years."