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Prepared By: Giselle Warren Christine Plummer Twinkle Patel Lydia Weathers Flynn Broady Date: April 28, 2014 SIX-FLAGS OPPORTUNITY ZONE PROJECT PART

Six Flags Drive. Kennesaw State University 4.28.2014

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Page 1: Six Flags Drive. Kennesaw State University 4.28.2014

Prepared By:Giselle Warren

Christine Plummer

Twinkle Patel

Lydia Weathers

Flynn Broady

Date:

April 28, 2014

SIX-FLAGS OPPORTUNITY ZONE PROJECT

PART ONE

Page 2: Six Flags Drive. Kennesaw State University 4.28.2014

Introduction

The Six-Flags Drive area has been designated as a Food Desert by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). A Food Desert is any area that is devoid of fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthful whole foods, which is largely due to a lack of grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and healthy food providers. Six-Flags Drive is located approximately 11 miles west of Atlanta and has a population of over 4500 residents, 77.7% Black/African American, 7.2% Caucasian, and 12.6% Latino. The area is categorized as low income with median income of just over $39,000 which is considerably lower than that of Cobb County (Six-Flags Drive Corridor Study-2005). Housing options in the area are predominantly apartments, many of which have very low occupancy rates and are a haven for crime.  The area also has several empty store fronts which is an indication that a robust business environment is lacking.

Cobb & Douglas County Public Health partnered with a student team from Kennesaw State University’s Master of Public Administration Program to devise a way to provide fresh fruits and vegetables for residents in the area, which would be safe and affordable. We met with Mrs. Esther Ashford, Cobb Coalition Coordinator to discuss the approach to take in doing this project and were advised to find an existing location which sells fruits and vegetables and assist them with signage and possibly expanding the variety of items sold. The team visited the Six-Flags Drive area on two occasions to get a first-hand look at the conditions on the ground and identify potential locations. The location Chosen was “Carniceria y Taqueria Don Magana” which is located at 366 Six-Flags Drive.

Information Directly ObservedSix Flags Drive (South Cobb) has been identified as a food desert, which lacks access to fresh fruits and vegetables.  According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a food desert means an area that lacks access to food (which includes the distance from food stores and access to transportation).  After the initial meeting with Mr. Esther Ashford, Public Health Educator of Cobb and Douglas Public Health, to discuss identifying an area that can serve as a central location to distribute fresh fruits and vegetable for the local residents, she recommended that the group visit the actual site for direct observation.

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Page 3: Six Flags Drive. Kennesaw State University 4.28.2014

Upon arriving to Six Flags Drive, the Cobb Community Transit (CCT) bus stop was directly located in front of the strip malls.  According to www.cobbcct.org, CCT is the second largest transit system in Georgia behind Marta.  CCT buses make approximately four million trips per year with 73 buses and 21 para-transit vehicles. Although this transportation system is a great addition to the location, there are many concerns regarding the route schedules.  The CCT bus arrived twice in a two hour span and may not arrive in a timely manner during weekends or inclement weather.  However, this is the only transportation that is available to take residents of Six Flags Drive to the nearest stores or supermarket that sell fresh fruits and vegetables and without it, residents without vehicles would not have any access to fresh produce.  After some research, www.cobbcounty.org mentions that community residents, property owners, businesses, and institutions with a vested interested in the revitalization of Six Flags Drive have worked with the Cobb County Department of Transportation to develop a comprehensive vision for the area.  This is their opportunity to voice any concerns (see appendices).A local food mart indicates that it once sold frozen food, bread, milk, beer, and tobacco.  They also had accepted EBT food stamps.  However, it is no longer in operation, never sold any fresh produce, and is sitting vacant/abandoned, which can cause an increase in crime.  On either side of the road, there are two strip malls before the apartment communities.  This would be the area where residents can walk to get their groceries.  Only one grocery store, Supermercado Carniceria y Taqueria, sells fresh produce catered towards Latino foods.  There is another vacant lot that can be used as a place for a market which sells fresh produce.  Inside Supermercado Carniceria y Taqueria, they have fresh produce towards the back of the store, mostly hidden from view.  Pineapples, ginger, mangos, grapes, cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, oranges, lemons, limes, tomatoes, peppers, onions, apples, potatoes, and bananas are some of the fresh produce the store carries.  EBT is also accepted here.   After a close observation, it appears that a lot of the produce has been rotting.  This indicates that not many local residents purchase produce from this location.  Another market in the same strip mall sold an abundant amount of canned foods and alcohol.  Many of the shelves were empty, which can be used to fill with fresh produce.In the strip mall across the street, there is a store called Express Tropical Market, which states that they sell “Foods, Fashion, Music, and Movies.”  On the window, it

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says that they sell African, Mexican, and Caribbean products.  Upon entering the store, an unpleasant odor overtook the area.  Towards the back, there were a few produce in unorganized boxes, which had potatoes, bananas, corn, onions, tomatoes, garlic and ginger.  None of which were in good condition.  This location would not be a great option to bring in fresh produce as it does not look like the owner takes pride in up keeping the place.Driving farther up past the apartment complexes, there is a Dollar General.  This would be a longer distance for the residents to walk to if they do not have vehicles, and there is no fresh produce sold there.  The canned foods are sold at a higher price than one would find in a supermarket.   Upon entering or exiting the exit, there is a Quick Trip gas station, which sells minimum amount of fresh produce.

Outside Research           According to United States Census Bureau website at www.census.gov, information cannot be narrowed down to a specific road, in this case, Six Flags Drive; therefore, researching information on population and demographics had its limitations. The home value is around $67,000.  Majority age range is 30 years old and the gender of area is pretty even with 51% female and 49% male.

           In order to get more specific information for Six Flags Drive alone, the next option is to personally call the apartment complexes in the area to gather information on the demographics from the property/community manager since most residents rent and is not home owners in the area.  A list of ten apartment complexes was gathered that are located on Six Flags Drive.  

West Chase Apartments Ridgeview Apartments Lake Crossing Apartments Hunter’s Grove Apartments Parkview Apartments Magnolia Crossing Apartments Kingsley Village Whisperwood Apartments Concepts 21 Signature Management Corporation

These are the properties that would be beneficial in receiving demographic information.  The offices are closed on Sundays and the managers are not present on property on Saturdays.  When calling for information on the weekend, the leasing consultants were not able to disclose the information and advised to reach out to the managers Monday through Friday.  Unfortunately, communities are not able to disclose demographic information due to Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968.  The U.S.

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Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has had the lead role in administering the Fair Housing Act.

Impromptu Interviews

We found it insightful to put a face with the community we would be serving.  There were some reservations keeping strangers from speaking with us because we did appear to be out of place, or looking for something in particular, but we found creative ways to break the ice. Most interviews conducted began with “Where do you get your groceries, your fruits and veggies?” Once this question was asked, people were more likely to respond to our request with ease. We learned the primary issue in the area is the lack of quality food products for those who do not have transportation. We spoke with a 22-year-old mother who was waiting at the bus stop for the next bus to arrive. She shared her insight on the area..

“The bus is always late, especially on the weekends. We have to sit here and wait though since Marta doesn’t come out here. I usually get my food near my job out in Marietta, because I don’t like the stuff sold out here. It can get a little dangerous at night or when it gets dark, so I try not to get out too late because of that.”

She had a child with her who was in her stroller. Her friend, single 19-year-old also shared her insight on the area.

“I used to walk to the store across the street when my mom needed something from the store. It is abandoned nowadays because of the crime rate. Now they just sell drugs and stuff out of the building. I sometimes go to the Family Dollar, but stuff costs so much more there, we usually go without or wait until we can get to the grocery store up the road. We don’t shop at the El Mercado unless we really need to.”

We noticed an underlying theme that consumers did not trust the area so they preferred to shop outside of the Six Flags Drive area.

During our final direct observation group meeting at the selected store, we learned a lot about the market and what it has to offer. We engaged with some of the customers during this time as well. We met a 24-year-old, black, single mother who shared her insight…

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“I like the store because I can stop here and get something for dinner tonight. Since I don’t have a car it is really convenient to walk here and grab something quick. They also have fresh produce and meat—which I love. I can get all the items I need for a good spaghetti meal and be all set. I wish there was more of a broad selection for the food sold here. More greens and other veggies I like to prepare. Other than that, I like it. The store does need a little improvement in the presentation of the fruits and veggies, but they’re usually stocked up well.”

The market also has meat that is freshly packaged daily. We did encounter some resistance from one of the bystanders at the store. She asked us what we were doing there, once we told her she gave a look of “Not for me.” She mentioned the crime was so bad that she didn’t prefer to shop there. We were unable to gather additional information from this particular bystander.

Direct Feedback from Store Owner

During our final direct observation group meeting on April 5th, 2014 we were able to speak with the owner of the targeted location, David, who shared his experience thus far in the community. One of his primary concerns with implementing new ways to attract customers is the reputation of criminal activity in the area. We mentioned including proper signage in the store or outside of the store but he made note of all the legal stipulations that comes with that. He restocks produce every 2-3 days and most of it sells pretty well. We asked whether he would include other items to be sold but he told us he buys and sells based on the season. David does not use the internet to market his store, but is open to using new tools such as social media and creative branding techniques.

David was open to whatever ideas we may have to offer, as long as it is helping his business and customers. He has never been approached to do something like this for his store, so most of all he was gracious for our concerns. The store has a lot of growth potential and sells many of the fruits and vegetables we are hoping to provide for residents. David was eager to hear about our new ideas and ensured us of full cooperation during our implementation phase.

Signage Issues

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Upon speaking with the owner of the “Carniceria y Taqueria” grocery store he expressed concern about the ability to let the community know that he would be able to carry additional varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables.  This concern originated from the procedures necessary to place advertising signs within Cobb County.  Cobb County requires all signage with a few exceptions to have the owner or person emplacing the signage to obtain a permit before any sign can be placed.

The relevant County Code is Chapter 134 Zoning, Article VI Signs, Section 134-312. The board of county commissioners made the following findings as referenced in Section 134-312(a):

(1)   The regulations set out in this article are necessary to the fundamental goal of protecting the health, safety and welfare of residents, visitors and businesses in the county.

(2)   A sign by its very nature is designed to draw an individual’s attention to that sign.  This characteristic makes signs a valuable medium of communication; however, this same characteristic can distract motorists and pedestrians, thus creating traffic hazards.

(3)   The clutter created by an excess in number, size and height of signs creates a distraction to travelers and negatively impacts the general appearance of an area. Signs may lessen the aesthetic qualities of an area and intrude upon residential character of an area.

(4)   Signs must be regulated to ensure that they are structurally safe and sound. Electrical hazards must be eliminated.

Under paragraph (c) of the same section the code details which signs require a permit unless exempted by section 134-372 and or section 134-316.

Under paragraph (g) the code expresses that zoning district regulations also weigh in on the type of sign that can be erected.

Under paragraph (i) the code tells us that unless placed by a government entity, all signs must be located on private property, and cannot encroach on any public right of way.

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Permits for signs are available thru the county’s code enforcement division and a copy of the application is available on the code enforcement website.

One of the exceptions found in the code under section 134-372(13) allows for temporary window displays of merchandise sold on premises.

Use of store parking lot

Cobb has specific rules as to parking in a general commercial zone.  Such parking can only be in the amount of two hours and for a vehicle i.e. commercial truck parking is limited to one hour without a permit. The parking lot adjacent to the grocery store is adequate for parking and the event the demand on the grocery store for fresh produce exceeds the indoor capacity, it would require according to section 134-228(12) i.2. The location of outdoor displays must be shown on a site/construction plan approved by the zoning division manager or his/her designee.

Opportunities in using this Location

“Carniceria y Taqueria Don Magana” is a small “mom & pop” store that is centrally located along Six-Flags Drive, it is in close proximity to many of the apartments and is located in a strip mall that houses a restaurant and other shops. The store carries a significant amount of fruits and vegetables and so the team did not have to invest time and energy in securing the items as the store already has a line of supply. Also carried in the store is a range of meats, dry groceries and snacks which allows residents to buy all their goods in one area as opposed to travelling to several shops.

The strengths using the “Carniceria y Taqueria” grocery store include easy access for persons without car, walkable, EBT accepted and it is the only store in area that provides a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables

The threats of using the “Carniceria y Taqueria” grocery store include high crime, ethnic and language barriers because the store caters more to the latino community, negative reputation in neighborhood, rotting produce can deter people from purchasing produce, cost of maintaining produce, and the store is small and mildly cluttered.

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Conclusion

This experience was very rewarding for the team and we are grateful to Mrs. Ashford for giving us the opportunity to work on such an important and far reaching project. Our visits to the site exposed us to the everyday lives of persons who live in a “food Desert” and gave us a better understanding of what it takes to provide the residents with access to fresh fruits and vegetables. We hope that the proposal that we have made will assist Cobb County in fulfilling the needs of residents in the Six-Flags Drive area and look forward to possibly collaborating again in the future.

Appendix A

Photos of the Site

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Additional Pictures available upon request

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