Gwinnett County is one step closer to owning the Norcross-area property once pitched as the possible site of a sprawling movie production campus.
Gwinnett’s county commissioners voted Tuesday to authorize up to $36.5 million in bonds for the purchase of 100-plus acres at the OFS Brightwave Solutions site, just off I-85 near Jimmy Carter Boulevard. County officials plan to market to property to developers in hopes of spurring new growth in the area, which they believe is one of Gwinnett’s most important corridors.
The property also could be the future home of Gwinnett's first-ever MARTA rail station, should voters approve a referendum scheduled for March. The county's transit development plan has identified the I-85 and Jimmy Carter Boulevard area as the ideal spot for a future "multimodal hub."
Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash said she envisions both transit and “an urban-style mixed-use development” on the site.
“We are very excited to be at this point,” she said.
OFS, a fiber optic manufacturer, plans to remain on part of the site but has been marketing the rest of the property for several years. Failed proposals for the property have ranged from a casino to a campus that would've included everything from sound stages and a hotel to a film school.
Gwinnett and OFS ratified a purchase-sale agreement in May, and the county is expected to finish its due diligence and finalize the sale in December.
The next official step was taken Tuesday.
The Urban Redevelopment Agency, comprised of all five members of the county’s Board of Commissioners, held a special called meeting to vote on issuing the bonds necessary for the purchase. Then, in their role as commissioners, members voted to finalize the authorization.
Both votes passed 4-1. Commissioner John Heard was the lone “no” vote each time.
“I felt that government has its place, and being in the development process is not one [role] we should take,” he said afterward.
Gwinnett’s purchase would include OFS’ Building 50 — a 422,000 square foot facility that, despite the failure of the much larger movie campus previously proposed by a private developer, is still being used for film production. Officials have said that the revenues collected from the continuance of such projects should cover the county’s annual debt service of roughly $2.5 million.
Still, the potential OFS purchase is one of a handful of speculative development moves Gwinnett County has made in recent months and years.
The county acquired the old Stone Mountain Tennis Center in a land swap before razing it. The plan is to present a blank slate to potential developers in hopes they can revitalize what officials have called Gwinnett's "southern gateway."
Gwinnett is also involved in a major undertaking at the Infinite Energy Center campus, where it has partnered with North American Properties in hopes of creating a development akin to Alpharetta's successful Avalon project.
The county broke ground last week on a $60 million "water innovation center" campus, which it hopes will help spur economic development by luring companies from the water-related industry.
About the Author
