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Monday, June 16, 2008
Is Gwinnett Village the new Buckhead?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I remember when I turned 21. I was at the start of my professional life and I went through my wild partying phase when nightclubs were like a second home, and some bartenders were like my best friends.
Naturally at that age, being the super independent rebellious soul I had always been since birth, I couldn’t wait to move out on my own. I was bound and determined that I wanted to look out the window every morning and the first thing I see is a skyscraper… and OK, fine.. I also wanted to live closer to the bars.
I moved into my first apartment in Buckhead and outside my 10th floor window was the rising skyline . Office towers, condominiums and apartments, shopping centers, and nightclubs were within walking distance or just a $5 cab ride away.
Buckhead and Midtown were immediate lures to college students, 20- something young professionals (like myself) and yuppie-wannabe’s, because of the location, affordable housing and yes.. the bars.
Comparatively speaking, Gwinnett Village may not have the big city lure, but it does seem to be a growing hotspot for other Buckhead-like features.
Even the type of housing available compares to Buckhead and becoming increasingly popular, only more affordable, in The Village. It is my belief that many (if not all) of the new housing development, including those that may occur at the OFS site and existing apartment complexes, will in some way shape or form be condominiums and/or townhomes.
The other piece of the equation that I have slowly seen to start to develop is the night scene. It would seem to me, that the Jimmy Carter corridor is a prime spot for the nightclub circuit. A large part of that is because of location and accessibility, along with the plethora of empty retail space dying to be filled.
No, the nightclubs that presently exist in The Village do not compare to those that once ruled Buckhead, but I believe that is about to change. The influx of nightclubs and bars in our community - has only begun.
Being party central for all of Metro Atlanta has its financial benefits, but as we saw what occurred in Buckhead, the end result also has its negative consequences - increased traffic, crime, and noise.
If condos and nightclubs continue to find a home here in The Village, there is no doubt in my mind we will be the center of the nightclub scene and a result the attention of many young professionals.
This will be the new identity for Southwest Gwinnett, Norcross and the Gwinnett Village, whether we like it or not.
How would you feel about The Village turning into the new Buckhead?
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