Mixed-use development continues to be a hot prospect in the downtown area of Sugar Hill, a small Gwinnett city of 25,000 residents seeing a wave of new growth.

City Council granted rezoning requests during a Monday meeting for two mixed-use developments, one at the corner of Nelson Brogdon Boulevard and Stanley Street and the other between Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and Hillcrest Drive. The projects will add nearly 600 apartments and townhomes to the city over the next few years.

Atlanta-based Novare Group plans to develop 269 apartments, 20 rentable townhomes, a 6,250-square-foot one-story office building and four commercial buildings totaling 31,000 square feet on about 30 acres at Nelson Brogdon Boulevard, which officials added into the city’s central business district.

The 30-acre development at Nelson Brogdon Boulevard and Stanley Street will include nearly 300 apartments and townhouses and new retail and office space. (Courtesy City of Sugar Hill)

Credit: City of Sugar Hill

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Credit: City of Sugar Hill

The housing units will be an average size of about 900 square feet, ranging from studios to three-bedrooms, said Shane Lanham, an attorney representing the developer. He said he expects renters will pay anywhere from $1,295-$2,175 per month.

Residents in the gated community will be able to make use of a clubroom, game room, fitness center, pool and dog parks.

Prestwick Development, also based in Atlanta, plans on placing 154 apartments, 146 townhouses and 2,000 square feet of commercial space on about 17 acres at Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. The name could change, but “Sugar Bowl” is a working title.

Renters will pay anywhere from $799-$2,199 per month, according to the rezoning application. Apartments, including studios, one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms, will be 450 to 1,100 square feet; the three- and four-bedroom townhouses will be between 2,400-3,840 square feet.

The development will include a lawn court, dedicated pads for food trucks, pool, clubhouse, dog park and playgrounds. Both projects will link to the Sugar Hill Greenway, an 11.5-mile loop around the city currently under development.

City Council also approved two rezoning requests for mixed-use at its September meeting, which will will add an additional 150 townhouses near downtown. No one spoke in opposition to the developments Monday night, but residents have questioned the need for multifamily housing in the past.

About 89% of Sugar Hill’s current housing stock consists of single-family detached homes. The downtown area, built from the ground up about a decade ago, is driving the demand for alternative types of housing, said City Manager Paul Radford.

“This campus here is the appeal,” said Radford, referring to the downtown area.