The Snellville City Council voted Dec. 11 to approve the Greenway Master Plan. The plan includes four projects city staff deems as essential to lay the foundation for a strong, comprehensive network of trails and greenways within city limits.
“The goal of the greenway plan for Snellville is to increase walkability and connectivity in the city,” said City Planner Austin Shelton. “In some ways the greenway plan is complimentary to the Towne Center. The goal is to create a vibrant, walkable and human-scaled downtown for the city, and the idea behind the greenway plan is to give Snellville residents more options to walk and bike, without having to first drive to a park across town.”
The proposed projects include a .7-mile trail running parallel to Wisteria Drive that will “border” the Towne Center, a 2.2-mile greenway to connect Oak Road Park to T.W. Briscoe Park and the Towne Center, a 4.5 mile greenway to follow North Road and Old Snellville Highway that will allow cyclists and pedestrians to travel on quieter roads away from the heavy traffic on Highway 124 between Snellville and Lawrenceville, and an almost 5-mile greenways along Main Street West/U.S. 78 to give Snellville and South Gwinnett a connection to the existing trail network around Stone Mountain.
Next steps include planning, identify funding sources, and land acquisition. The city will begin working to draft legislation that gives both property owners and the city options when it comes to negotiating the location and construction of the trails.
“The county’s goal is to have all of their projects completed or at least funded by 2040, but Snellville is committed to beginning work as soon as possible,” Shelton said.
About the Author
