The Super Target on Venture Drive near Gwinnett Place Mall unceremoniously closed its doors forever one recent weekend. Now, residents of some of the most densely populated areas of Gwinnett County will be further away from a Target store than just about anybody north of I-20 in metro Atlanta.
In 2001, Target closed its location on Pleasant Hill Road to open the Super Target on Venture Drive, leaving behind empty real estate that took years to fill. Now, it’s doing the same thing with an even larger space.
This is an area that has recently lost retailers like J.C. Penney Home Store, Barnes and Noble, and Belk. That can be attributed to poor economic conditions overall, but what does it say about an area when Target no longer believes it can support one of its stores? The influx of international businesses including several restaurants and Mega Mart were heralded as saviors for Gwinnett Place, but they have accomplished precious little to help it thrive.
And what of the mall? Gwinnett Place Mall was recently acquired by Moonbeam Capital Investments, which has promised to revitalize it with a mixed-use project. This begs the question: What does it mean by the term, mixed-use?
When most people think of mixed-use, they think of experiences like Town Brookhaven or Avalon, which combine high-end restaurants and residences with retail. However, mixed-use can also mean including governmental offices, medical facilities and trade schools. Metro Atlanta has a mall that exemplifies this definition of mixed-use: Greenbriar Mall. Is Greenbriar Mall the model that we would like to see Gwinnett Place follow?
This is a call to action for residents and lawmakers. Like it or not, the Gwinnett Place district is the commercial hub of Gwinnett. What happens there affects the entire region. The absolute last thing it needs is more businesses that will allow the area to slide further. We don’t want more retailers that will convert Waffle House signs into “We Buy Gold!” signs, locate out-of-place grocery stores in shopping malls, or start “Who knows what it is?” businesses with blacked-out windows. Sure, they fill space, but what do they do to improve the area?
Gwinnett is at a major crossroads where it will either compete effectively with smart areas like Alpharetta and Brookhaven, or slide into obsolescence. The choice is ours. What will we do? And if we turn Gwinnett Place into the thriving commercial district that we know it can be, will we allow Target to return? Gwinnett has a lot of work to do, but it’s work well worth doing.
