The Gateway85 Gwinnett Community Improvement District is a public-private partnership funded by area property owners to promote business development and property redevelopment throughout the district. Gateway85 Gwinnett staff does this by working with local and county partners to ensure that zoning and development regulations are in place to encourage sustainable redevelopment and drive investment in our district.
We have an array of incentives we can provide for businesses looking to launch or grow in Gateway85 Gwinnett:
- Opportunity Zone
- Approved Tax Allocation Districts (TADs)
- A collection of Less Developed Census Tracts
Available Incentives
Opportunity Zones:
There are two approved “Opportunity Zones” within the Gateway85 Gwinnett boundaries. Opportunity Zones are areas designated by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs where companies who add net new jobs to the State can qualify for a $3,500 tax credit (per job added; two job minimum, but no maximum). For more information on Opportunity Zones please click here.
Download the Gwinnett County Opportunity Zone Map here.
Tax Allocation Districts:
There are two approved Tax Allocation Districts (TADs) within Gateway85 Gwinnett (one centered around the Jimmy Carter Boulevard & I-85 interchange and the other at the Indian Trail Road & I-85 interchange). TADs are a redevelopment incentive aimed at encouraging quality development in an underutilized or distressed area. For more information please click here.
Download the Indian Trail Tax Allocation District Map here.
Download the Jimmy Carter Blvd Tax Allocation District Map here.
I-85 at Jimmy Carter Blvd. Catalyst Site Redevelopment
In March of 2011 Gateway85 and Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ) worked with OFS to review redevelopment scenarios for the one hundred seventy-five acre OFS fiber optics manufacturing facility located at 6305 Crescent Drive in Norcross, Georgia. A two-day intensive work session was held in Atlanta and input was gathered from OFS and Gateway85 about development goals and constraints for the site. Macauley+Schmit LLC provided input on the local market conditions and advised on development strategy and use mix. The deliverable results of the study include:
- An initial character sketch master plan of the selected redevelopment scenario;
- a perspective rendering of the development;
- preliminary area calculations; and
- a Preliminary Code Review.
Gateway85 is a special benefit district supported by commercial area property owners. The CID provides vision and leadership that has become a catalyst of change for southern Gwinnett County. The OFS site is at the center of the Village CID and represents one of its largest redevelopment opportunities. The site is within both a Tax Allocation District and an Opportunity Zone, making it eligible for a range of public redevelopment incentives.
The OFS site is strategically located to play a significant role in helping Gwinnett County grapple with the results of decades of explosive growth. Gwinnett currently has the highest average commute time in the region (30.8 minutes each way) and the 18th highest in the nation. A dense employment center on this site would bolster the local economy and bring a greater variety jobs closer to Gwinnett’s neighborhoods. A proposed light rail system would stop at the OFS site near Jimmy Carter Boulevard. It will provide park-and-ride opportunities for nearby residents and TOD-supported residential and office development on site with a quick connection to downtown Atlanta. In combination with the light rail, Class A office space would support higher end job growth. A light rail station on this site would help manage the increased traffic in the I-85 corridor.
The OFS site represents a significant opportunity to create a center for the Jimmy Carter Boulevard area and CID as a whole: a sustainable, pedestrian and transit-oriented, regional center. This center would be a major stride forward in managing growth: past, present, and well into the future.
Gateway85 Redevelopment Plan
Gateway85 organized a Steering Committee of residents, business owners, planning officials and developers to create a redevelopment plan for the two gateway corridors in the CID, Buford Highway and Jimmy Carter Boulevard. The redevelopment plan was adopted by our board on October 11th 2007 and included our consensus principles for redevelopment:
- Encourage Quality Redevelopment
- Reduce Crime
- “Incentivize” Redevelopment
- Allow Higher Density at Key Intersections
- Improve Connectivity
- Provide Variety in Transportation Options
- Preserve Healthy Neighborhoods
- Create an Open Space Network
We are currently working on ordinance language to incentivize investment and redevelopment in the area expected to be adopted by the City of Norcross and Gwinnett County in 2008. We will also be marketing the plan and these gateway corridors to regional, state and national investors.
Keep up to date on all the news and changes in Gateway85 Gwinnett!
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