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
- Preliminary Code Review.
Gateway85 is a special benefit district supported by commercial area property owners. The organization provides vision and leadership that has become a catalyst of change for southern Gwinnett County. The OFS site is at the center of the Gateway85 district 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 Gateway85 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. Download OFS Booklet PDF
