December 05, 2008
Gwinnett County's Charles Bannister, chairman of the Board of Commissioners, recognizes the current economic downturn, but he can point to more than 2,300 jobs being created and a half billion dollars in capital investments in the county since 2006. He recently answered these questions about growth and progress in Gwinnett County.
What is the status of growth in Gwinnett County?
The number of single-family building permits we've issued has dropped dramatically throughout 2008. That figure was down 60 percent in the first five months of the year and dropped further as the full impact of the national economic crisis hit in the fall. Our rate of foreclosures has hit record highs over the last two years.
Our population is still growing, although much more slowly than it has in the past. New employers are still moving in, although many jobs – including some in government – are being lost. The unemployment rate is rising across the state and nation, and our sales tax revenues began declining last year. However, we can point to several successes born of our economic development efforts. Since 2006, Gwinnett County has welcomed five new business creating 2,315 new jobs and $500 million in capital investments.
What successes can you point to in the last year?
We have completed many major projects thanks in large part to sales tax dollars. These include road improvements, parks and greenspace, libraries, and public safety facilities
Several road projects that have been completed this year were in partnership with the Georgia Department of Transportation: widening of State Route 20 and State Route 120, I-85/316 interchange, Pleasant Hill Road tunnel under Buford Highway. Gwinnett County DOT managed several other road improvements that opened this year, including Old Norcross Road and Webb Ginn House Road.
Work continues on the first entirely new road in decades – the Sugarloaf Parkway extension. It will run from State Route 20 south of Lawrenceville up to 316 near Dacula. The long-range plan is to loop it from there back around to Peachtree Industrial in the Sugar Hill area, roughly along the route of the now-defunct Northern Arc, providing a new major east-west thoroughfare in the top end of the county.
Gwinnett County has also installed real-time traffic management systems – basically video cameras and fiber-optic cables – to monitor traffic and adjust traffic signals based on actual conditions. A new Traffic Control Center is now up and running and we can monitor traffic flow on many major arteries throughout Gwinnett County.
We have also completed two new fire stations (Station 28 in Loganville and replacement Station 1 in Norcross) this year and several new park and recreation facilities (West Gwinnett Aquatic Center, Lucky Shoals Park Community Center and Gymnasium, Duncan Creek Park, and Peachtree Ridge Park). We broke ground on three new fire stations, a newE-911 center and police headquarters annex, and a new branch library in the Hamilton Mill area.
We are an award-winning government. To name just two examples, the US Environmental Protection Agency named the F. Wayne Hill Water Resources Center the first place winner of the EPA's 2008 Regional Clean Water Act Recognition Award and last month the National Recreation and Parks Association named Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation the 2008 National Gold Medal Award winner in the large population category.
What are Gwinnett's strong points?
Our quality of life is still a primary strength with a wide range of housing options, a well-educated workforce, and nationally-recognized parks, greenspace, and libraries. We have outstanding public safety strengths with well-trained police and fire units and solid courts and detention facilties. Our water and sewer systems are being upgraded to meet our needs for the next 50 years, and we are improving our transportation infrastructure as fast as we can. We also have a very stable, fiscally conservative government that has held Triple AAA bond ratings since 1997.
What factors contribute to growth in Gwinnett?
Businesses find Gwinnett attractive because of the stability and financial conservatism of local government, good housing options for their employees, and good schools for their children. We are a friendly community that respects and values our increasing diversity. We are located close to the major economic engine of Atlanta with its world-class airport and convention-hosting amenities such as upscale hotels and professional sports teams. Geographically, we are close to both mountains and ocean in addition to Lake Lanier, and with I-85 as our main thoroughfare, we offer good connections to the entire east coast.
What role is education playing in Gwinnett today?
As jobs become more technical, employers need to locate in areas where they can attract employees with the necessary skills and judgment to help the business succeed. Education is vital to preparing our young people for those jobs. Good schools are a major factor when businesses are considering relocating, not only in terms of finding qualified employees locally, but also to help attract employees and their families who may be relocating along with the business.
What do facilities such as Gwinnett Center and Arena and the upcoming Gwinnett Braves stadium bring to the county?
Gwinnett Center and the Arena have already proven themselves as economic magnets that draw people and investments to the county. They provide facilities for meetings and entertainment that are convenient for local residents and keep their dollars in the community. They also make us a destination for people throughout the Southeast who bring new dollars into our local economy. We're confident that our investment in the new Gwinnett Braves minor-league baseball stadium will have a similar economic impact on the local economy. In fact, it has already spurred several new projects in the nearby Mall of Georgia area.
Where is Gwinnett moving?
Gwinnett is becoming much more self-sufficient as the population grows and we develop our own facilities instead of simply being a collection of bedroom communities for Atlanta. We need to continue to attract more jobs close to home and to improve our transportation systems so people can move around without encountering gridlock.
How is it getting there?
We stepped up our economic developments starting in 2006 when the Board of Commissioners created an economic development ordinance and hired economic development staff. The Chamber of Commerce formed Partnership Gwinnett the following year. Together our efforts have already landed several major employers and are continuing to attract more. We are also continuing to strengthen our infrastructure of roads, traffic management, water, sewer, parks, and libraries.
What would you tell a business person or individual considering a move to Gwinnett?
We're eager to welcome new employers to our communities in Gwinnett and confident they will find attractive amenities here to help a business grow and prosper. We offer new residents an outstanding quality of life and a stable, fiscally conservative local government with excellent credit ratings and low debt levels.
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