Transit and housing were major themes in Gwinnett County Commission Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson’s fourth annual state-of-the-county address Thursday at 12Stone Church in Lawrenceville.
Hendrickson promoted the county’s achievements including expanded transit options and job creation, while spinning forward the county’s goals of even more transit and affordable housing.
“We know previous efforts to pass transit expansion failed. But we live in Gwinnett, so of course we’re not just going to give up,” Hendrickson said.
In 2020, Gwinnett voters rejected a $12.1 billion transit expansion proposal.
The county is now pushing for transit expansion again, which would reconfigure bus routes, and add a bus rapid transit line from Lawrenceville through the Gas South District in Duluth to Norcross. There will also be two routes to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The proposal also includes a microtransit system that covers 100% of the county.
If passed by the commission, a transit referendum would be placed on ballots in November.
Microtransit currently operates in Lawrenceville and Snellville, but the county is looking to add other routes in Norcross and Suwanee next.
“The expansion of local routes has allowed us to make Ride Gwinnett accessible to more than 50% of our residents and serve every corner of our county,” Hendrickson said.
Housing affordability has been a major problem in Gwinnett, but Hendrickson said the county has plans to add more housing and more housing options.
The lack of affordable housing is causing a problem in the county job market, she said, and hindering employers ability to attract and keep employees.
“For many job seekers their interest in a company often rests solely on their ability to afford to live in the community where they work,” Hendrickson said.
Through the Affordable Housing Development Fund, the county is investing $18 million of federal funding to support 12 projects, creating more than 750 units of affordable housing.
Credit: Gwinnett County Government
Credit: Gwinnett County Government
As a part of a separate project, Gwinnett County awarded the Gwinnett Housing Corporation a $500,000 grant to acquire land to build a tiny home community in partnership with the MicroLife Institute. The funding was awarded in February through the HOME Investment Partnerships Program.
The two are addressing the need for “missing middle” housing, the kind falling between single-family homes and mid-rise apartments, which includes townhomes, duplexes, triplexes and cottages.
The tiny home project will include cottage-style homes up to 750 square feet. The homes will be priced to families earning up to 80% of the area median income.
“That’s about $65,000 for a family of two,” Hendrickson said in her speech.
Hendrickson finished her speech talking about her goal to build up the youth.
“Every day, I think about the county we are building for my son, for your children, and for the next generation,” Hendrickson said. “I made a promise to every resident of our county. Under my leadership, we would be a Gwinnett for all.
”We are a community where opportunity thrives.”
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