Month: December 2020

It’s becoming clearer who might receive the first coronavirus vaccines in Georgia, but county health departments are sti…

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday authorized negotiations with Fuqua Acquisitions II, LLC to develop a signature project on the site of the former Olympic Tennis Center in the County’s southern corridor off U.S. 78 along the border with DeKalb County.
After serving as the site of tennis competition in the 1996 Olympics, the center fell into disuse. Gwinnett County, seeing an opportunity to revitalize an area at one of the major gateways into Gwinnett, acquired the 26-acre site in 2016. To acquire the property, the County did a land swap with the tennis venue’s owners, Stone Mountain Memorial Association Board of Directors, exchanging a 35-acre tract bordering the existing golf course at Stone Mountain Park for the venue. The County demolished the tennis structures in 2018 in anticipation of redeveloping the property.
Fuqua Acquisitions envisions building multi-family units, a large grocery store, some outparcel structures and some Main Street-style stores, and shops. County officials hope the project will be completed by the end of 2022. Details of the project will be firmed up during negotiations. Fuqua has developed such notable projects as Peachtree Corners Town Center and the retail portion of The Battery at Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves, and is currently developing The Exchange @ Gwinnett near the Mall of Georgia.
This is the first project in which the County acquired property to sell to a developer with attached conditions to stimulate growth in an area. The County first sent out Requests for Information to several firms to gauge the level of interest in the project. Of the six who responded, the County narrowed the list of firms and issued a Request for Proposals to three, but ultimately only two followed up with a more-specific proposal.
Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash said that the project is part of an ongoing plan to cement Gwinnett’s reputation as an economic powerhouse in Georgia.
“This project will make a statement that Gwinnett is a strong supporter of economic development and a dynamic place to do business,” Nash said. “By controlling what goes on the property, the County can ensure the project meets the high standards expected by our residents and the business community and that it adds services needed by the community.”
Nash said she hoped the Olympic Tennis project would provide needed services to workers at the nearby Amazon project, which started independently, and that the two would serve as a catalyst to redevelop the area. Amazon recently completed construction for a 700,000-square-foot warehouse facility approximately a half-mile away that employs about 1,000 people.
The Olympic tennis site falls within the Evermore Community Improvement District. Evermore CID Executive Director Jim Brooks said the location near Stone Mountain Park and access to major roads will make it an attractive location for future tenants.
“The proposed use of the 1996 Olympic Tennis Center will be a tremendous addition to the growing interest in developing the CID,” Brooks said. “This development, along with the Amazon Fulfillment Center, will create the catalyst for upscale development within the district and spur future interest.”

The Gwinnett Voter Registrations and Elections Office is providing opportunities to cast your ballot before the January 5 General and Special Election Runoff.
This runoff election will give registered voters the opportunity to decide on Georgia’s United States Senators as well as the Public Service Commissioner.
Eligible voters may vote Advance in Person every day, including weekends, from December 14 to December 31 at the Voter Registrations and Elections Beauty P. Baldwin Building located at 455 Grayson Highway, Suite 200 in Lawrenceville from 8:00am to 5:00pm.
Advance voting will also be available December 14 to 31 at eight additional sites from 7:00am to 7:00pm daily, including weekends. The locations are:

Bogan Park Community Recreation Center, 2723 North Bogan Road, Buford
Dacula Park Activity Building, 2735 Old Auburn Road, Dacula 
George Pierce Park Community Recreation Center, 55 Buford Highway, Suwanee
Gwinnett County Fairgrounds, 2405 Sugarloaf Parkway, Lawrenceville
Lenora Park Gym, 4515 Lenora Church Road, Snellville
Lucky Shoals Park Community Recreation Center, 4651 Britt Road, Norcross
Mountain Park Activity Building, 1063 Rockbridge Road Stone Mountain
Shorty Howell Park Recreation Center, 2750 Pleasant Hill Road Duluth

All nine Advance Voting locations will be closed December 24 and 25.
Voters may request an Absentee/Advance by Mail Ballot for the January 5 General and Special Election Runoff now through Thursday, December 31, but it’s best to apply as soon as possible. A completed application must first be received before an Absentee/Advance by Mail Ballot is issued. Voters may apply for a mail-in ballot online at BallotRequest.SOS.GA.gov, use the forms at GwinnettElections.com, email Absentee@GwinnettCounty.com, or call 678.226.7210. Mail-in bal­lots must be delivered by hand, by mail to the Voter Registration and Elections Office, or they can be dropped into one of the se­cure ballot drop boxes located across the county, including at all Gwinnett County Public Library branches.
To track the status of your absentee ballot from the time it’s mailed to the time it’s accepted, visit Georgia.BallotTrax.net/Voter.
If you wish to vote in person on Election Day, January 5, you must vote at your assigned polling place. The Voter Registrations and Elections Office is NOT a polling location on Election Day.
Please call the Voter Registrations and Elections Office at 678.226.7210 if you have any questions.
To check the status of your voter registration, see a sample ballot, or find your Election Day polling place, visit the Secretary of State’s My Voter Page at mvp.sos.ga.gov. For more information or to stay up-to-date with elections in Gwinnett, follow @GwinnettGov on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or visit GwinnettElections.com.