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DEL.ICIO.USWhat’s the allure of the road to Loganville?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Susan Gast / AJC
Students attend soccer practice rat Creekside Sports Center, a new indoor soccer complex off U.S. 78 near Loganville.
If the economy is slow, word hasn’t reached U.S. 78 east of Snellville.
A brand new 43,000-square-foot soccer/athletic center, which opened in November, was filled Tuesday night with Adidas-clad kids (and moms) practicing and trying out the artificial turf. A bowling alley has emerged next door. A new Lowe’s home improvement store and a Best Buy are on the way in Loganville. An office supply store may come, too. Office condos are selling in a development called Judah’s Crossing. An International House of Pancakes has opened. A new Kroger complex is in the works. There’s talk of a Cracker Barrel and a Target.
I mentioned this surge of development last week, along with the lament by Snellville’s mayor that it is outside, rather than within, Snellville. There is disagreement about why this is so, so I talked to a few business people to ask them about location, location, location.
The reasons are as varied as the businesses and the individuals behind them. But there are major themes: east of Snellville is where the people are moving, that’s where the land is, that’s where the new market is.
Creekside Sports Center, just off U.S. 78 on Krisam Creek Drive, is the dream of David and Debbie Bird of Loganville, who started the Bluesprings Youth Soccer Association in Loganville 12 years ago, said Steve Keiss, facility manager and part owner. They began work on the idea for an indoor soccer complex six years ago.
David Bird, a former resident of Snellville and graduate of South Gwinnett High School, has lived near Loganville since 1981. He got a chance to buy 38 acres (and later, 10 more) along U.S. 78 near Loganville to put the dream into motion.
Much of the acreage is being used for the soccer complex and for green space, but some is being developed into separate commercial interests, and some has been sold to other developers, Bird said.
Bird liked the location because it is not far from the outdoor site used by the youth association, it has good visibility, is along a major thoroughfare and is where families have moved and are continuing to move.
That movement really gained speed 20 years ago, said Mike Cook, a Loganville Realtor who has handled the sites for the new Lowe’s and Best Buy and was involved in the IHOP and a Walgreen’s development.
“People began leaving Gwinnett and DeKalb and moving to Walton to get away from the hustle and bustle. … Now, commercial is needed.”
The retail surge in the Loganville area began more than seven years ago when Home Depot and Wal-Mart expressed interested in moving in, Cook said. Plans were delayed, however, by the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the economic hesitancy that followed. But soon Home Depot arrived, followed by Wal-Mart. Then came Ruby Tuesday, Chili’s and others, he said.
Most of the businesses coming to the Loganville area reflect a natural progression of growth. The big companies — such as Lowe’s — evaluate the community to make sure the need can support the business before they commit, he said.
But there are some businesses who move from elsewhere. Some, from Snellville.
Pet Superstore is one. Its main reason? Traffic.
“The road is horrible there,” said owner Mary Ellen Wertanen about the store’s former location in a Snellville shopping center near Haverty’s. “To turn left, you had to take your life into your own hands.”
She constantly heard the frustration of customers talking about the traffic near the U.S. 78-Ga. 124 intersection. Parking also was tough at her old location, she said. And the building was aging.
So, on Dec. 31, Wertanen moved Pet Superstore into a free-standing building almost 4 miles east on U.S. 78. She had wanted to stay within 3 miles of her original store, which opened in 1991 and has built up a good client base. But the properties she looked at in Snellville were too expensive, she said.
Also, she found out that about 75 percent of her customers were coming from the Loganville area.
“That accounts for a lot,” Wertanen said.
Wertanen has witnessed the movement of businesses away from U.S. 78 in Snellville and thinks it began when Target vacated its original location at McGee Road and U.S. 78 to move to Ga. 124. Stores in that shopping center were hurt.
Then came Wal-Mart’s move from its Snellville Oaks site to Ga. 124, leaving that shopping center without its anchor.
More recently, the Pike’s nursery closing left its mark, too, she said.
She’s not sure when it will end.
These are just three perspectives — three views expressed by those on the road to Loganville. No doubt there are more.
But there is also agreement: The development toward, in and beyond Loganville is far from slowing.
“I don’t think we’ve seen anything yet,” Keiss said.
Permalink | Comments (16) | Post your comment | Categories: Susan Gast
Comments
By Darla Dixon
January 10, 2008 8:57 AM | Link to this
Another aspect that businesses consider when they add a location is that they like to build their own buildings to suit their needs. They don’t want to take the time to remodel old buildings.
By Katie
January 10, 2008 12:03 PM | Link to this
It’s great the this area is growing in commercial areas, but ask yourself, do you REALLY want to live in Loganville and Monroe? I don’t mind shopping in Loganville but I have no desire to move there.
By Brian
January 10, 2008 12:37 PM | Link to this
Snellville land is expensive because there is not much of it left but deal with the planning department of Snellville over the last four years. Their requirements are burdensome. Much harder then the county or any city in Gwinnett. I do not mean by making the building look nice and appealing but behind the scenes ridicules demands. After you are done in Snellville with a project you never want to come back and build again. You could never find the planning director Roth, (I have now heard she has changed jobs twice in 6 months since she has left Snellville Duluth and now Suwannee) and for years you could not find any decision makers there on Monday or Friday the place was a Ghost town. Call the Mayor or most of the council members about problems or look for a straight answer for a rezoning and you get either an unreturned phone calls or call city hall or they will tell you it looks like a great project and then in the council meeting – well you need to go and see how blind sided you get. That is why the builder has moved up the road to outside of Snellville.
The word is out in the development community. Do not go to Snellville!
By Not Jerry
January 10, 2008 12:50 PM | Link to this
I’m sure that Jerry will find a way to blame this on not being able to buy liquor in Snellville on Sundays.
By B. Barnacle
January 10, 2008 2:45 PM | Link to this
I lived in Snellville from 1975 to 1980 after I returned from the military. My parents owned a house in one of the older Snellville neighborhoods and I had planed to move there after my parents passed and I retired.
That’s not going to happen now. Snellville has changed too much and all for the worse.
Scenic Highway is absolutely not Scenic any more, and the traffic and congestion and RUDENESS is as bad or worse as any of the places I have been in this country or places in this world.
Snellville, you blew it. You had a chance to be a town with a heart and a quality of life that would attract residents, young and old, but you went after the almighty dollar and, in effect, developed yourself out of existence.
I will sell off the old home place with its memories, both good and bad. I can live pretty much anywhere I want now and Snellville has lost my heart.
By Andrew
January 11, 2008 4:19 AM | Link to this
Ahh, the rape of rampant development in all its splendor!
By Bubba
January 11, 2008 8:27 AM | Link to this
You mix greed with good ol’ boy politics, you get Snellville. Typical Georgia town. A few “plantation” owners telling the poor little people, “don’t you fret your little head. We’ll take care of it.” The “cotton” gets picked, the “plantation” owners feed their large bellies, and the little people get nothing, ‘cause that’s what they’re used to.
Maybe Loganville will get it. I doubt it.
By Steve
January 11, 2008 8:40 AM | Link to this
The same reasons stated above are exactly why the development standards are so strict now. For years developers were allowed to “build how they pleased” and there was no real quality control on development. Now Snellville has raised the bar on developers, making them build quality developments, I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. It is a lot more difficult to correct an existing problem than it is to do it right the first time. The main reason people don’t want to develop in Snellville is because the land is so expensive, and there is a reason for that, it has turned into the commercial center of South Gwinnett. There are over 70,000 cars a day that travel on Highway 124 and there all not stopping in Snellville, there’s a lot of drive through traffic going North and South. As long as people keep spending, developers will keep building.
By Steve
January 11, 2008 8:41 AM | Link to this
The same reasons stated above are exactly why the development standards are so strict now. For years developers were allowed to “build how they pleased” and there was no real quality control on development. Now Snellville has raised the bar on developers, making them build quality developments, I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. It is a lot more difficult to correct an existing problem than it is to do it right the first time. The main reason people don’t want to develop in Snellville is because the land is so expensive, and there is a reason for that, it has turned into the commercial center of South Gwinnett. There are over 70,000 cars a day that travel on Highway 124 and there all not stopping in Snellville, there’s a lot of drive through traffic going North and South. As long as people keep spending, developers will keep building.
By Please...
January 11, 2008 11:19 AM | Link to this
Snellville is doing just fine - look at all the major retailers that are packed onto 124. Belk, Kohls, Target, Old Navy, Linens N Things, Bed Bath Beyond, Steinmart, the list could go on and on. More retail going up at Tree Lane and the hotspot Avenue Webb Gin (even though it’s not Snellville proper). Quite funny that there is all this doom & gloom about Snellville. The income demographic within a 5 mile radius of The Avenues says alot and tells a totally different story.
Loganville/78 is the new sprawl that simply targets those that live within that particular area.
Nothing at all to get excited about.
By doggirl90
January 13, 2008 6:52 AM | Link to this
Loganville will go the way of Snellville in the future. Uncontrolled growth and horrible traffic are not why people moved away from Dekalb and Gwinnett TO Loganville. Loganville also had the chance to be a great town, but they blew it when they allowed developers to build what they wanted, how they wanted, where they wanted.
By David Brown
January 13, 2008 4:03 PM | Link to this
Unless you were born in Loganville, but moved there from somewhere else, YOU are part of the growth that you’re now complaining about. Do we expect, that once we moved into an area, there should then be a wall constructed around that town to keep anyone else from moving in? It seems to me that when you stop growing, you eventually die.
By Baunch Alae
January 15, 2008 6:01 PM | Link to this
My family moved from Stone Mountain (Gwinnett side) to Loganville about 10 years ago to get away from the madness that was becoming HWY 78 and HWY 124. The only thing that happened was everyone else seemed to move out there at the same time. I’ve been saying for years that Loganville will be the next Snellville, and we are well on our way. Gwinnett and Snell-Lawrenceville have become way to packed in with its outrageous growth, but the people have to go somewhere.
I remember when HWY 124 was a two-lane “scenic” highway and remember stopping at the old mans house to buy fresh tomatoes and veggies with my folks… now that spot is part of the Home Depot/Circuit City block.
Yes, this is the price we pay for progress.
Bring us your sick, your tired, your… hell bring anyone with a dollar in their hand.
By PPH
January 16, 2008 8:51 AM | Link to this
As a resident of Loganville I can honestly say that with all of the empty shopping centers we already have, we certainly do not need more development going on. I have lived in Gwinnett County for 30 years and what was once a nice. quiet, “country” place to live is slowly turning into Norcross and I hate every second of it. We are trying to sell our house so we can get OUT!!! South Gwinnett High School is NOTHING like it used to be and the area is going to pot!!!! If you are reading this and thinking of moving to Gwinnett…………….DON’T!! Save yourself the hassle and move farther out. Hopefully it will take these greedy developers a while to screw up Gwinnett even more before they move on down the road.
By David Brown
January 16, 2008 11:33 AM | Link to this
PPH, so that I don’t misconstrue what you’re saying, how is South Gwinnett High School nothing like it used to be? Is the fact that the school is nothing like it used to be a bad thing?
By enique1103
January 21, 2008 9:00 PM | Link to this
Nothing. Walton will be the next Gwinnett and Dekalb. It seems like all the businesses that were in Stone Mtn. moved to Snellville, and the growth will move east until Athens eventually becomes part of the metro area.