In an effort to preserve more than 200 acres of riverfront property as greenspace, Peachtree Corners has agreed to add money to a Gwinnett County offer to buy the land.
Negotiations between Gwinnett County and the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church, which owns the property on the Chattahoochee River, began several years ago. Though neither county representatives nor Peachtree Corners Mayor Mike Mason would say how much either party had offered, others have said the county’s offer was short of what developers had pledged. The additional money from Peachtree Corners could sweeten the pot, though it was unclear Monday if the city could legally give the money to Gwinnett to make the purchase.
Officials want to turn the land, which has a conference center, into a park. But developers are also interested in the property. Church leaders voted Saturday to sell the property, known as Simpsonwood, but wouldn’t say if they’ve chosen a buyer.
The land was given to the church by Norcross teacher Ludie Simpson in 1973 with the understanding that it would not be “chopped into smaller parcels or exploited or despoiled.” But upkeep on the property is costing the Methodist Church as much as $750,000 a year.
The conference received permission from a Gwinnett County judge earlier this year to sell Simpsonwood. Residents have appealed that decision to the state Supreme Court, which last week referred it back to the Court of Appeals. Whether the legal case affects the conference’s ability to sell remains unclear.
Mason said residents are optimistic that the area will remain green space.
“The good news is that, by agreeing to negotiate with the public entity, it means they’re not negotiating with the developer, which we take as a good thing,” Mason said.
Mason said the Peachtree Corners attorney will do “everything he can” to make the city’s monetary offer work, and that he is prepared to give the money directly to the church if need be. For now, the city is following Gwinnett’s lead in negotiations. The county has a policy not to comment on potential land acquisitions.
Lynette Howard, the Gwinnett County commissioner who represents Simpsonwood, said that the Methodist conference has “agreed that they want it to stay green space.” Sybil Davidson, a spokeswoman for the conference, would not confirm that Monday.
Any decision to sell, she said, is bittersweet.
“We have worked hard to be good stewards of this property and to care about it, and that certainly hasn’t changed now,” Davidson said.
Lila Hunter, a lay representative at Mt. Carmel United Methodist Church who attended the Saturday meeting, said she would like to see the property preserved.
“I am not alone in that,” she said. “I care deeply about the property.”
Hunter said the decision to sell the property was emotional and exhausting, but that voters were given a lot of information to consider in a four-hour meeting. Matt Houser, a Peachtree Corners resident who went to Athens to encourage members to vote for preservation, said keeping the land as a park would be important for the area’s quality of life going forward. Houser lives a mile from Simpsonwood and hikes the trails on a weekly basis.
In addition to voting to sell, conference members also agreed to preserve the chapel and stone chimney that are on the property. Davidson said a plan will be created to preserve artifacts like the stained glass windows on the site, as well.
Scott Hilton, president of the United Peachtree Corners Civic Association, said he hopes a final conclusion is reached soon.
“We’re pleased with the outcome of the meeting,” he said. “The fact that they didn’t go automatically with the private offer Saturday means the public offer is still in the mix.”
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