Questions and comments about revamping LaFayette Road were voiced by residents and business owners during a REFRESH Fort Oglethorpe meeting last Thursday.
Some who own businesses along the road that runs between Battlefield Parkway and the Chickamauga Battlefield Park’s entrance wondered aloud if they could survive the traffic detours and disruption the project would create.
Others asked if walk-in traffic would suffer should the road narrow from its current status of a five-lane highway to that of a tree-shaded three-lane street.
While agreeing that the area has been in decline since the U.S. Highway 27 Bypass opened and that something needs to be done to attract and keep customers, there was no consensus about what that something should be.
Concerns were raised about costs to private businesses if a major change in the public space (road and right of way) is undertaken. Could the project backfire and drive customers away instead of attracting them? Would property owners have to spend money to redo their building’s exteriors, and, if so, how are they expected to pay for changes?