3 visions for what could replace Gwinnett’s Olympics-era eyesore

The Stone Mountain Tennis Center — Gwinnett County's eyesore of an arena, a leftover from Atlanta's 1996 Olympics— is being demolished.

It will ultimately be replaced by something grand, county officials say. But what, exactly?

Below, three folks with direct connection to the project or experience in the development field share their thoughts on what could — or should — be built on the site.

• Gwinnett Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash has repeatedly said the county is open to all proposals, but that she wants whatever's built to serve as a "southern gateway" to Gwinnett. She recently told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution she could see some kind of "robust mixed-use" development being built on the site.

• Chris Poholek, a partner at Atlanta-area developer Childress Klein, which owns a SpaceMax storage facility next door to the tennis center, called the site a "very unique opportunity." He said it would make sense to include "build-to-suit" office space, perhaps with some kind of connectivity to nearby Stone Mountain Park.
• Jim Brooks, the executive director of the Evermore Community Improvement District, which includes most of the U.S. 78 corridor and the tennis center property, has a very specific vision.  "I would like to see Class A office space there, transit-oriented development there, a parking deck there with housing that surrounds the perimeter of the property," he said.