By Vipul Patel, Lilburn
PARK PLACE near Mountain Park | Here are my ideas concerning the redevelopment of the Stone Mountain Tennis Center site.
Patel
At the Park Place Boulevard exit, I own and manage three hotels: Country Inn and Suites, Holiday Inn Express and Days Inn. I not only work there but I live in Lilburn, less than two miles from the development. I work, live, shop, play and pray in this area.
This neighborhood has been home to me since 1989. Furthermore, I own the land across the street from the tennis center site and plan to build a 99-room Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott. It will be a 68,000-square-foot, five-story building with a rooftop bar, rooftop patio and upper floor meeting space.
This area needs high-end mixed-use development like the Avalon or Atlantic Station. There are other examples of great developments at Snellville, Peachtree Corners, Decatur, and Sugar Hill.
Gwinnett County touts this development to be “Southern Gateway to Gwinnett” in media communication. This is the home of the Evermore Community Improvement District. Gwinnett County has spent thousands of dollars on consultants, studies etc. to determine the best use of this land.
We need to rejuvenate Park Place Boulevard area with a diverse business community. Such a development will draw international people doing business in the area. We need restaurants, retail, medical, recreational, housing and offices. This site should include landscaping with a water fountain feature where children can play, walk trails, have a brewery, food hall, small park for children and a dog park.
These kinds of businesses will lure more developers to our area. This will be a magnet for the area. Then, this area will be like the Avalon or Peachtree Corners. Often, my neighbors complain to me there is nowhere to eat (besides fast-food), shops or any recreational activities. They must go to Tucker or other places. Let’s keep our tax dollars in Gwinnett. This land is so valuable and visible. Make great use of the land. Let’s utilize this land to its fullest potential.
Lastly, there have been no public discussions nor meetings regarding this vital site. Why? All major developments of this size have involved community input. There was public input for Gwinnett Mall, The Exchange @Gwinnett, and Gas South District, etc. Furthermore, decisions are being made on behalf of our community and we are the ones using it.
We need to build a great vibrant Southern entrance to Gwinnett to help speed our community growth for the next generation.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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