By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
AUG. 9, 2024 | People living in our representative democracy like to think that they have some control of what is going on around them, even though this control may be minor.
They exercise this limited control in at least two ways: by voting for people to represent them in the various halls of government, and by talking to these elected officials about issues of their interest.
Good public servants must listen to many of these proposals, and usually do what they can to keep those voting for them happy. Those public officials who give short shrift to their constituents don’t stay around much, since they are voted out of office.
In Gwinnett County, we have two examples of people wanting more control of their affairs, of taking action, and now having more government closer to home. We speak of the creation of two new cities in Gwinnett, the 2012 year incorporation of Peachtree Corners, and the recent vote giving approval to the City of Mulberry. (Granted, the incorporation of this city is now being contested in the courts, awaiting a judge’s ruling.)
Interestingly, both of these new Gwinnett cities are much bigger than the other 15 county cities, each having a population area of over 40,000 residents.
In both cases, those determined to have a new city said that one of the key reasons they wanted the city designation was to have more control over their affairs. Both of these cities have zoning as one of the functions of the city.
In effect, this means that no longer does the county control what businesses are going in the neighborhood of the new cities, but boards within the city will determine what will happen around them.
Now take a look at the new businesses now underway in Peachtree Corners, from a list that the city recently sent out.
Seven of the 26 new businesses approved are used car dealers. Note the location of the used car dealers, in particular. Four of the seven are on one street, and two more are located on another, both streets off Holcomb Bridge Road.
Makes me wonder: does Peachtree Corners need seven more used car dealers? Does the city feel it is required to approve every proposal to come before it? Do people want more used car dealers? Will the zoning board, if not the Council, deny some applications?
Look at other cities, and at the county. If there is one business that seems to overwhelm all of them, it is the number of used car dealers we have in Gwinnett. Drive down Buford Highway in Norcross, or Duluth. Check out U.S. Highway 78 from Snellville to Stone Mountain. And look at Georgia Highway 20 in Buford. Many of the new car dealerships are grouped together. You might call that a form of zoning.
We know that automobiles are important to us all, and to our economy. We particularly are concerned about the used car lots, which are often not as modern as the new car dealers. Do we really need all of them?
The various city zoning boards, as well as the Gwinnett County Planning and Zoning, have been formed to protect the people from unwise zoning. All too often the boards seem reluctant to deny proposals before them.
By rejecting some of these questionable proposals, we’ll have a better county and better cities. We don’t need every business being proposed, especially used car dealers.
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