By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | At least two times a year, we make a circular tour of Gwinnett County, to keep up with the continued change in the landscape. Every time we travel this route, we find new activity.
Brack
This week we found some overnight activity: a Tuesday night storm inflicted tree damage all around the county, as we encountered Georgia Power and Jackson EMC (and surely Walton EMC) crews around Gwinnett repairing damage from the storm. The damage was scattered, but seen through much of Gwinnett.
In recent months, perhaps the most spectacular change in any one downtown is going on in Duluth, right in its center. A giant apartment complex at Buford Highway and 120 (District at Duluth) is of five stories, plus parking deck that high, which dominates the intersection. Some residents should be moving in by October. Then across the railroad, in the old Parsons store area, there are 7,000 square feet of restaurant/commercial space. All this is in a walking environment that will extend south to the City Hall. Additionally, the city has also authorized another residential area near the downtown. Altogether, these two residential areas will have a total of 504 housing units and have a massive impact on the downtown area.
Perhaps the other part of Gwinnett which has seen the most recent growth is in the Loganville area, which is in part of Gwinnett. Virtually every big box store has a location in Loganville. And the land between the Loganville and Snellville city limits on U.S. 78, much of it vacant now, will soon be wall-to-wall retail activity, much like the area now between Snellville and Lawrenceville on Georgia Highway 124. That corridor is something like its own linear mall.
These water towers, removed several years ago, illustrated the county’s continued vibrancy.
There is major development soon to take place along Georgia Highway 20 between Grayson and Loganville. A major mixed-use development will dominate that corridor, while closer to Loganville, you can still pick strawberries right off the highway. What a contrast that will be!
Though not underway yet, the City of Lawrenceville has targeted the land on South Clayton Street between its city hall and Lawrenceville Lawn off Luckie Street for park expansion and development.
Just announced this week will be a major new development near the Mall of Georgia. Led by its lead investor, the Atlanta Falcons Julio Jones, Woodward Crossing will be a 16 acre development of shops, office space, apartments, condos and a 21 story hotel—to be the tallest in Gwinnett. The county commission approved the plans last week. That will make a major impact on that part of northern Gwinnett, and provide a new focus for the area. This will be built in phases, and is anticipated to begin in the second quarter of 2017. The first phase will include 23,000 square feet of retail and 336 apartments. It is to be located at Mall of Georgia Boulevard and Woodward Crossing.
Let me add that except for the Mall of Georgia activity, you can now see activity on most of these projects. And there are many other new projects taking place in Gwinnett off the main circular road, so to speak.
On track and promising more details in a few weeks will be the major re-formatting of the area around the Infinite Energy Center. It will significantly change this area, both for Gwinnettians, and for visitors attending major gatherings and exhibits. There will be a new convention hotel, and massive retail shops, all in a walkable area. Already two new hotels are open in this area.
It’s ever changing Gwinnett, always vibrant and alive with new projects.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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