The future of Gwinnett may be tall buildings and hip hotspots.
Gwinnett County Chairman Charlotte Nash laid out her vision for a new Gwinnett in her State of the County speech Thursday. That Gwinnett has skyscrapers, alternate transportation options and an “urban hip” feel beside the county’s existing farms.
It’s a far cry from the suburban explosion Gwinnett led in the 1970s and ’80s.
Nash’s vision features a county where diversity is a tourism magnet, allowing visitors to experience a cosmopolitan area “without a long flight or a passport.”
The new Gwinnett has a new downtown at a revitalized Gwinnett Place mall. It has a booming entertainment district near the Gwinnett Center, where Nash spoke before several hundred people Thursday. And it has thriving gateways at locations along many county borders that say, “You just entered Gwinnett, and we are glad you’re here,” Nash said.
“It’s obvious that we have tremendous opportunities for further economic development,” Nash said. “It’s not enough to see the vision and describe the future. We have to create it. I’m ready to start building it right now.”
She implored her fellow commissioners and other attendees to stand with her if they were on board with her vision.
“Now, let’s act like Gwinnettians and let’s go create the future together,” she told the standing crowd.
Aside from broad visions for improvement, Nash did not offer specific plans or ideas for what should be done to achieve her vision. County commissioners for the past several months have been discussing priorities for redevelopment. Presentations from the Gwinnett County Convention and Visitors Bureau and others have emphasized the importance of public transportation and the need for improved nightlife in the county. But so far, no ideas have come before the commission for a vote.
In addition to her plans for Gwinnett’s future, Nash lauded the county for its existing wins — from the school system, which has won two national Broad prizes, to the fast-growing Georgia Gwinnett College, to the county’s nationally recognized parks and water system.
She applauded Norcross-based RockTenn’s planned merger with MeadWestvaco, the growing film industry in the county and the announcement, this week, that Comcast would expand its regional headquarters into a new building in Peachtree Corners.
When local businesses expand, she said, “it typically means that Gwinnett is going to do well, too.”
But Nash did not mention NCR’s January announcement that it was moving its headquarters outside the county.
“Tomorrow’s economy is growing in Gwinnett today,” Nash said. “We may not win every time, but you can bet we will be in the game.”
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