Winds of Change
Many who have weathered the economic storm of the past few years are ready for brighter
days. Well, I’m here to tell you that those days are coming. Over the past year we’ve
seen indicators that this area has turned a corner and is on the path of ascension. We’ve
seen positive signs from the development community that they are anxious to get back to
building and that there is renewed interest in investing in this community in particular.
We’ve seen small-scale adaptive reuse and redevelopment projects – like the old Bojangles’ on Indian Trail, which has been redeveloped and converted into a two-story dental facility, and the old “Dragon Club” on Jimmy Carter, which has been demolished and will soon be a medical facility. We’ve also seen larger redevelopment projects reviving areas that had seen decline (the new Walmart, which took the place of the former Kmart in Green’s Corner, will be opening this summer) and developers are lining up with proposals for the 160+ acre OFS site, which the CID has always seen as a catalyst for community-wide transformation.
The CID has also made significant progress on our large-scale infrastructure projects. The Diverging Diamond project at Jimmy Carter Boulevard and I-85 is officially underway and should be completed by early 2014. When finished, the new bridge will not only relieve congestion, but serve as a local landmark that we hope will instill pride in local residents and businesses.
Put that all together and it signals a bright future for the Gwinnett Village community. And the CID isn’t content; we’ll be working to ensure that this area continues on this positive path.