Gwinnett County is offering $14 million to turn a hotly contested piece of land on the Chattahoochee River into a passive park.
Late Tuesday, Gwinnett commissioners voted 3-1 to send a contract to purchase the land, known as Simpsonwood, to the Trustees of the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church. The church has been trying to sell the land, which was given by Norcross teacher Ludie Simpson in 1973 with the understanding that it would not be “chopped into smaller parcels or exploited or despoiled.”
County Commissioner Lynette Howard said she feels confident the offer for the full 226 acres will be accepted. No one from the church was at the meeting where the offer was made.
Church officials had been talking to developers about buying the land, as well as the county. Last month, Peachtree Corners Mayor Mike Mason said he would offer additional money to raise the price of the county’s offer in order to ensure Simpsonwood remained parkland. It was not clear Tuesday if the city still planned to add money to the county’s offer.
Residents have filed lawsuits to keep the church from selling the land, and Howard said the legal issues were only recently resolved.
Simpsonwood, she said, is a “perfect fit” for an area that is lacking in parks.
“It’s a great price,” Howard said. “It’s preserving what Ludie Simpson intended for the property.”
That intent, though, led Commissioner John Heard to oppose the purchase. Heard said he disagreed with the fact that the property was for sale at all, considering Simpson’s conditions.
“I think it’s appropriate that it be preserved, but I don’t think it’s the county’s responsibility to preserve it,” he said.
Conference members agreed last month that they wanted to sell the property, after years of suits and negotiations. The church, which said it has lost $750,000 a year to keep up a conference center on the property, also voted to preserve the chapel and the stone chimney on the land.
Local residents have been outspoken about their desire to keep Simpsonwood from being developed. Last month, Lila Hunter, a lay representative at Mt. Carmel United Methodist Church, said she would like to see the property preserved.
“I am not alone in that,” she said. “I care deeply about the property.”
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