Planning and Development:
Development Studies. Studies are underway which will be used to help us articulate a vision for the future of use and development of land along the Buford Highway and Highway 20 corridors. A public work shop was hosted by the city on March 29th to gain insight from the community on issues affecting the development potential of the Highway 20 corridor. More information on the market analysis and workshop results will be posted to the city’s website under the planning department page.
Permits/Inspections. Staff continues to see robust market conditions for residential development as housing starts in the first quarter of 2017 are keeping pace with the 2016 numbers. The consistent growth has resulted in a 25% increase in building code inspections this month (354) as compared to March 2016 (282).
Number of Residential Permits Issued Year to Date
Site construction for the new 6,000 square foot RaceTrac store with 18 fueling stations at Peachtree Industrial and Highway 20 was initiated this month. Commercial remodels were also completed for Reveille Café and Kumon Sugar Hill.
Number of Square Feet Permitted Commercial and Commercial Additions Year to Date
Parks and Recreation:
City Hall/Downtown/Town Green: The landscaping around City Hall was trimmed and fresh mulch was added to the beds. Lawn care maintenance to include applications for the spring season has been completed. Trimming and clean-up was also performed at the Buice School, the Suite Spot, the Town Green and the Community Center.
Parks. On the 15th of March, the city conducted a design charrette associated with a 22-acre parcel between the Arbor Clos neighborhood and Sugar Ridge Drive. The well-attended event resulted in a number of great ideas and valuable input toward the development of a conceptual plan with widespread support. The future park will be designed with passive uses in mind and include several options to leisurely enjoy the outdoor park along Highway 20 while keeping the neighboring properties appropriately buffered from the public uses.
The city is also working on a concept plan for a new 10 acre trailhead park on Level Creek Road associated with the greenway project. This will be the focus of a site visit for the friends of the greenway group on April 11th at 5:00 PM.
Golf Course. The course continued a positive trend over the past month despite some cold and wet weather. The addition of Georgia Lottery sales – Keno – in the bar and grill was approved. Contracts and payments were delivered with set-up and training scheduled to occur this month. The next SHGA tournament is scheduled for Saturday, the 22nd of April. Golfers interested in memberships may contact golf course staff at 770-271-0519.
Marketing, Events and Economic Development:
2017 Concert Series. The final concert in the Quantum National Bank concert lineup has been announced. Atlanta Rhythm Section will take the stage on November 11th. The lineup also includes Collective Soul on May 26th, Boz Scaggs on June 10th, KC and the Sunshine Band on July 15th, Josh Turner on August 12th and Ben Folds on September 2nd. Tickets are on sale now at www.thebowlatsugarhill.com. Residents can continue to use the code “SweetLife” to receive a discount on tickets.
Events. Sugar Hill Maker Fest will be held on the plaza on the 22nd of April. The Georgia Natives Music Festival will be held on April 29th and will feature local bands The Joe & Joe Show, The Preakness, Camera Box, Macy Todd and The Well Reds. Sparks in the Park will be held on July 3rd at E.E. Robinson Park North. This event is one of the city’s largest attracting over 10,000 people to the largest fireworks display in Gwinnett County. Thursdays @ The Hill will be moved to the community plaza on the third Thursday of each month. The event, which will begin in May and continue through September, will feature live music and food trucks offering a wide variety of delicious treats. Latin Night will begin in June and continue through September. The event will also be held on the plaza and will occur on the last Friday of each month.
Marketing. Improvements have been made to The Bowl website to include better mobile response. The enhanced website will be released soon and the new Bowl logo will be revealed. The city will be featured in the Gwinnett Cities Guide, which is an economic development publication of the Chamber of Commerce. The Sweet Life Newsletter will now be published monthly. The newsletter will feature the concert series on the front page of the April edition. The new Suite Spot logo and promotional video were recently released along with the launch of The Suite Spot Facebook page. The dedicated work spaces and offices are fully leased and the business incubator has co-work membership opportunities. For more information on how to obtain a co-work membership, email Scott Andrews at sandrews@cityofsugarhill.com.
Public Works and Utilities:
Street/Stormwater. The month of March kept our staff busy as the milder weather allowed for yard work to get a jump on spring and storms blew down some trees and limbs across the city. No major incidents were reported and our staff has been able to stay ahead of yard debris, tree cutting and mowing demands. Department staff is gearing up for mowing the Highway 20 right-of-way in the newly opened segment from Peachtree Industrial Boulevard west, coordinating with both CW Matthews and the state regarding finish work around the shoulders, medians, and mowable slopes. The stormwater staff continues to wrap up their annual operations for the reporting period, which ends at the end of April.
Gas. The Gas Department has been working with a number of developers getting relocation underway or planned for the projects that redevelop properties in the downtown. The Department is also gearing up for the metering changes proposed for this year and has been meeting with our supplier on installation of the new system. Staff completed 43 work orders, 28 new service installations and 639 locates for the month.
Construction Update:
EpiCenter. Construction of the 150,000 square foot mixed-use project is well into vertical construction now with the theater steel frame taking shape. The elevated floor slabs have been poured and the slab on grade at the gymnasium has also been poured along with the columns for the east side of the project. Coordination with the neighboring property owner to the northeast is going well with scheduling of the sewer tie-in, load-in ramp construction, and business relocation on track. Staff continues to work on interior design decisions, exterior finishes, and lease up work as we get ready to push for the early 2018 opening.
2017 Road Resurfacing Program. The contract has been completed and notice to proceed issued for the 2017 road resurfacing and repair program. There are nearly three and one-half miles of roadway that will be repaired and nearly two and one-half that will be resurfaced during this year’s program. More information about the roads and types of repairs proposed is on the city’s website under City Projects. The contractor has already begun preparing half of the streets for repairs with the majority of the asphalt repair and paving work to begin next week.
Sugar Hill Greenway Project, Phase I. The first phase of this project connecting the city’s downtown with the two parks on Level Creek and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard is still in the survey and design process. The nearly five-mile route is programmed for construction to begin later this year and is attracting interest and support from the friends of the greenway group. A site walk is planned for tomorrow to preview one of the segments on Level Creek Road for this first phase.
