The Mall at Stonecrest is a major shopping, dining and entertainment hub for the local community. It provides hundreds of jobs and attracted new residents to the area. Before the mall was built, residents had limited options for these activities and the nearest mall was over 20 miles away. The mall has about 1,000-1,500 trees on the property and parking lots cover 60-70% of the area. Stormwater from the mall drains into a nearby creek. Most respondents felt positively about the mall, though some cited increased crime and traffic as problems.

1. Analysis of By Aaron Brown Trent Thomas

2. Functions of The Mall at Stonecrest Stonecrest is an entertainment, dining, and shopping hub of the community. It provides hundreds of jobs and has attracted hundreds of new residents to the community. Before the mall was there, residents had very limited choices for entertainment, dining & shopping. The closest mall was over 20 miles away.

3. Estimate of Total Area of Impervious Surfaces: 50% - 60% of the mall area is made up of impervious surfaces. (Water can not seep into the ground.)

4. There are about 1000 to 1500 trees around the mall property mainly around the outside of the big retail stores, lining the roads in and around the mall & in the parking lots. The average height of the trees is about 25 ft

5. The majority of the trees are planted in beds. A few trees are planted in concert boxes. Located in the parking lots. Some areas are covered with pine straw.

6. Parking lot percentage of parked cars? 60 – 70%

7. Where does all the water that falls onto the shopping center drain into? Water from the mall goes into the creek that runs through the mall property and flows into Rockdale county. It connects with several other creeks an strems and flows into the South River.

8. Is the area aesthetically pleasing to you? Why or why not? The area is aesthetically pleasing. The color of the buildings are earth tones and constructed with some stone and natural looking materials. The mall is clean inside and out.

9. We surveyed 50 people at The Mall at Stonecrest to find out their feelings about the mall and it’s effect on the community. We also tried to determine it’s overall impact on the environment.

10. Overall, our respondents seemed to feel very positive about the mall.

11. Major problems cited by the respondents about having the mall in their community. The #1 problem cited by our respondents was the number of young people hanging out at the mall and crime. The mall now has a curfew of 4pm on the weekends for people under the under age of 18. They now must be accompanied by an adult.

12. What environmental problems do you notice that are associated with the mall. The biggest environmental problem we can see with the mall is future traffic problems. Thousands of cars, trucks, and buses travel the streets around the mall on a daily basis. Today, even on the weekends, traffic is really not bad but there is a lot of room for expansion at the mall on acres of undeveloped lots. As the mall continues to grow, traffic will become a major concern.

13. What functions does this mall play in this community? Entertainment Jobs Dining Shopping Before the mall, residents had limited choices on those topics and the closest shopping mall was 20 minutes away.

14. How can the negative environmental problems associated with malls be minimized. Preservation of wooded areas and the wildlife it supports. People in the area really enjoy the natural setting and the walking/bike paths and trails that surround the mall.

15. Are several small shopping centers better than one large one? Why or why not? We feel that 1 large mall is better than several small shopping centers for several reasons: 1.) Less impact on environment More natural space can be left intact. 2.) Less traffic People don’t have to travel from one shopping center to the next 3.) More shopping choices With large malls we get a better mix of dining, entertainment and shopping. 4.) Aesthetically pleasing The look of the mall is more uniform and the property generally is cleaner than smaller shopping centers.

16. If you were designing a mall, what important factors would you incorporate that weren’t included in this mall? Outside 2 major access points: Borders entrance and AMC Theatre/Food Court. These parking lots should have been made larger. Parking in these areas is challenging on the weekends. Inside More escalators Currently, there is only 2 escalators, one at each end of the mall.

17. Were the roads leading to the mall there before the construction of the mall? Were there additional roads to accommodate the additional traffic? Were existing roads widened? Roads leading to the mall were there at least 20 years before the mall was constructed. There had been plans to build a mall at this location in the early 70’s. The land had been cleared and roads constructed.

19. Is there evidence that the mall was constructed where a farm, residential area, or open field used to be? Although the mall was constructed on an open field, there is no physical evidence. However the property around the mall is mostly wooded with relatively new homes and apartments mixed in. Only a hand full of homes in the area look like they were there before the mall was built.

20. Is there evidence that large trees were removed for the shopping center? If so, how could they have been incorporated into the design of the mall, rather than being removed? There is no evidence that large trees were removed from this location for the construction of the mall.

21. 10.) What type of wildlife is present at the mall? The only wildlife present at the mall is birds. The area is too wide open with young plants and scrubs to support other wildlife.

22. The Mall at Stonecrest The Mall at Stonecrest is a property of Forest City Enterprises. Forest City Enterprises is one of the largest publicly traded NYSE-listed national real estate investment companies in the United States, with assets of more than $10.9 billion. Forest City is principally engaged in the ownership, development, management and acquisition of commercial and residential real estate and land throughout the United States.