If developers and county officials were hoping to get a consensus opinion from the Mountain Park community on the proposed redevelopment of the former Olympic Tennis Center property, what they found instead Thursday night is no consensus.
During a community meeting, some residents were delighted with the proposed development, because it would be anchored in a Costco-type business (even if the lead developer declines to confirm that it will be Costco).
Others found the concept lackluster and wanted to know why a better proposal was not put together for what county officials had long described as a “gateway” project due to its location on the Gwinnett-DeKalb county line. on US Highway 78.
County staff, however, support him.
“We’re excited,” said Gwinnett County Economic Development Director Roman Dakare. “Obviously we like this project, we support it. From a Gwinnett County perspective, our stakeholders are our community. We work on their behalf and if we select something, it’s only because we think it fits the community.”
The proposed development, which is expected to cost around $125 million, will go before the Gwinnett County Planning Commission on May 2. It is expected to include a Costco, 255 apartments, some green space and three restaurants with drive-through lanes. Renderings show that one of the restaurants would be a Whataburger.
If the Planning Commission holds a public hearing and makes a recommendation at that time, the case will be referred to the Gwinnett County Board of County Commissioners at the end of May for another public hearing and a final decision.
If approved, Gwinnett County would sell the land to its development partner, Fuqua Development. Jeff Fuqua, the owner of the business, said he expects construction to begin in the first quarter of 2024 with businesses opening about a year later.
“Retail is open in about a year and multifamily in about 18 months,” Fuqua said.
Commissioner Ben Ku, whose district includes the tennis center site, said he would have preferred a transit-oriented development for the property and stressed that he has not made a decision on the proposal.
But he added that despite what he would like, the current proposal is what the developers came up with.
“I had a very ambitious vision for the site, but at some point you have to get it to reality,” Ku said. “In conversations with developers, staff, different organizations, I haven’t seen anyone come out and say, ‘Yeah, I want to build this.’
“This is the development where someone said, ‘Yeah, I’m going to build this, and this is how I’m going to build it, and I’ve got everyone lined up.'”
Although Fuqua wouldn’t confirm that Costco would be involved, a consultant, Tyrone Rachal, did let it slip that the retail warehouse would be part of the development.
“We went to Jeff, and I was like, ‘Jeff, you have to tell me how Costco treats their workers from a pay and benefits perspective,'” Rachal told community meeting attendees. “I think you’d be surprised.”
Kimberly Branch, whose property straddles the county line near the site, said it would welcome Costco and the additional restaurant options. She argued that the area doesn’t even have many fast food options, saying the area needs a better grocery option.
“It’s been so long since we’ve had some economic development, and I personally think a retailer like Costco, they’re huge,” he said. “They have a reputation for really supporting the communities they’re in. They’re known for their footprint in suburban middle-class and upper-middle-class communities.
“With them in our community, I think it will attract a lot of other retailers and really help us build our community.”
Gary Skinner, who has lived in the area for 30 years, shared Branch’s feelings on the proposal.
“I can’t believe people aren’t excited about this,” he told other attendees in the audience. “What’s wrong with you guys? This is a great development. I mean Costco is great, and we don’t want a Costco? It doesn’t make sense.”
The development would be at the intersection of West Park Place Boulevard and US Highway 78. On the north side of that intersection, there is a Walmart Supercenter, which includes a grocery store, as well as a Wendy’s, an American Deli, a Marco’s pizza, a Mexican restaurant, a restaurant and another pizza business.
In all, there are at least 15 restaurants, including several fast food options, located within a mile of the tennis center property.
The next closest grocery stores to the tennis center property, after Walmart, are a Kroger which is 1.7 miles away on Rockbridge Road. There are four other grocery stores located between 2.8 and 3.7 miles from the tennis center property.
However, some residents said they didn’t like the proposal and felt the area deserved better than a Costco.
One man stood up and asked why the Mountain Park area couldn’t have the same type of developments that you would see in places like Peachtree Corners, Norcross, Suwanee, or Duluth.
“I don’t see how it compares,” the man, who did not give his name, told developers and county officials. “We continue to have the short end of the stick. This is an opportunity to change that. The economy here will support high-end development.”
Wendy Lynch echoed those sentiments later in the meeting.
“I think we are missing a golden opportunity here,” he said. “Many of you may not know this, but that site was chosen (for the Olympics) because of the TV angle, to see Stone Mountain Park and how beautiful it was. I don’t want a Costco across from Stone Mountain.”
Members of the Mountain Park Community Association have their own ideas for developing the site. His concept includes office and residential over retail, as well as city green areas with an outdoor amphitheater, with a view of Stone Mountain behind, as well as parking pads.
“We came up with this idea, an alternative idea, something that gives a sense of place, something that says, ‘Hey, you’ve made it to Mountain Park,'” said Vipul Patel, a member of the association. “I’m a Costco fan, but put it somewhere else. We need something that’s really going to revitalize the area.”
But, the Ku association proposal is not a safe bet to work for the site.
“These are concepts,” he said. “There’s no guarantee that if we deny this, maybe something like this will get built, but it could sit vacant for 10 years. That’s a gamble at the time. This (Fuqua proposal) we know what’s being proposed, so we that’s the tradeoff. Is it worth going back to the drawing board?
Fuqua said that, in addition to the tenants his firm signed up, he reached out to “every type of restaurant, every type of retail,” except clothing retail, because the developer said “this is not an area for commercial fashion retailer”, on the site. .
“They weren’t interested,” he said.
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