PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
Five single-family home permits were issued in the month of March with an average of 3,152 square feet. Commercial remodeling permits were issued for the Sweet City Smiles tenant buildout in the E Center and expansion of the existing Nifty Nails on Cumming Highway into the adjoining suite. A development permit was issued for the new Northmark subdivision located between North Price Road, Woodward Mill Road and Buford Highway. Pulte Homes will develop the site and plans to build 85 townhomes and 57 single-family detached homes. A CO was issued for the Anca Nicola dental office in the Publix Shopping Center.
Residential Permit Issuance by Date
Residential CO Issuance by Date
In the month of March, 256 building inspections were accomplished; a decrease from the 364 performed the previous March. There has been a decrease in overall building inspections, with about 350 fewer inspections being performed year-to-date. However, work is progressing more efficiently as there has also been a decrease in the overall number of re-inspections for work that needed correction.
A total of 168 zoning and property maintenance code inspections were carried out this March. Both code enforcement officers received continuing education at the annual Georgia Association of Code Enforcement conference this month which has reduced the number of inspections for the month compared with last year (343).
PARKS AND RECREATION
Parks. Weekly maintenance occurred throughout the park. Staff trimmed trees around the light poles and cameras and repaired irrigation leaks and deer fencing in the community garden. Repairs were also made to several of the lights around the field. The board met with all gardeners to discuss 2019 goals and objectives. The 2019 garden plots are now available and can be purchased at the new E Center reception desk.
Downtown and City Hall. Regular maintenance was performed throughout the downtown area to include City Hall and the Community Plaza. Maintenance and cleaning were completed on the Splash Pad in preparation of its opening in late April. The amenity pond was cleared and cleaned of aquatic vegetation.
The Bowl. Maintenance and cleaning were completed throughout The Bowl in preparation of the first concert in May.
E Center. Current memberships at the gym have reached over 4,338 as the space continues to gain popularity. i-9 basketball completed their winter season this past month at the gym. Several private events occurred in the banquet rooms at the center while the meeting rooms continue to remain in high demand. Final repairs continue to be addressed throughout the center.
Golf. This past month brought more golfers as warmer weather moved in. Final documentation was prepared for the purchase of the new golf cart fleet. Slow-release fertilizer and weed control were applied throughout the course which will help feed the course throughout the year. Fresh mulch and top-dressing sand were added throughout the course. Sugar Hill Golf Association held their second tournament of the season on Saturday, March 16th. The next tournament is planned for Saturday, April 20th.
EVENTS
The Eagle Theatre. The 90’s-themed March movie series had an attendance of 394 people for the month. The Players Guild put on their show Goodbye Charlie throughout the month, bringing 600 people to The Eagle.
The Eagle hosted a special Spring Break series of movies. A different movie was shown each day to include Moana, Avatar, Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse, Hotel Transylvania: Summer Vacation and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. The special movie series brought over 1,177
people to the theatre. Over half of these people bought their tickets at the door, and a significant majority were first-time visitors. The remaining April movies will go along with the Earth Day theme including Big Miracle (4/16), The Lorax (4/23) and Earth (4/30). There will be no movies on 4/9. Visitors can purchase tickets at the door or online at
www.eagleatsugarhill.com.
The Bowl. The first concert of 2019 will be Trace Adkins and Clint Black with special guest John Berry on May 4th. Joan Jett and The Blackhearts will perform on June 1st. Both concerts are sold out. The latest concert announcement in the series is Blood, Sweat, and Tears performing on August 3rd. There are still some remaining seats for this show. Visit https://thebowlatsugarhill.com/ to purchase tickets.
The remaining concerts will be announced over the coming weeks rounding out what we think will be the best concert line-up yet for The Bowl.
A 2019 calendar of events will be publicized soon to include many free community events such as Splash Nights, Sugar Rush and the Holiday Celebration as well as ticketed events in The Bowl and The Eagle. The City of Sugar Hill’s Wellness Committee will host a free health fair on April 25thfrom 2:00-5:00 PM in the E Center. The fair will bring together local health service providers to share information, answer questions and provide free health screenings.
The Sugar Hill Arts Commission will host an evening of refreshments, art and conversation at the reception for FreeDumb Club on Thursday, April 11thfrom 6:00-8:00 PM in the Art Gallery at City Hall. Massey is a contemporary artist living in Greenville, South Carolina whose work focuses on rapidly advancing technology and its impact on our social and cultural relationships.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT/COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
E Center. Sugar Hill will celebrate community and the E Center throughout the month of April with several events highlighting downtown Sugar Hill and the E Center. Everyone is welcome to share your photos in downtown throughout the month with the hashtag #celebratemysweetcity #inmysweetcity and #celebratecommunity. Join the Sugar Hill Business Alliance for their April After Hours event at Central City Tavern in the E Center on April 11th.
Community Connections. Over 90 people purchased tickets for Sugar Hill Night at the Gwinnett Stripers held on the 5thof April. Staff continues to build community relationships through opportunities including presentations to realty groups and the North Gwinnett Kiwanis Club as well as the Center for Design and Technology at Lanier High School.
Suite Spot. Tours and interest in the space continue to increase with several new members signing-up last month. The Suite Spot is undergoing a management change this month as the contract with the Sugar Hill Business Alliance expires and city staff takes on member support for the business incubator.
Marketing. Joe Meyers joined the staff this month as Marketing and Communications Coordinator. He brings a range of experience to this role managing communications for the state-wide chapter of the South Carolina AARP while earning his Master of Mass Communications degree at the University of South Carolina. The team began planning for comprehensive marketing strategies including opportunities to capture photos, videos and other media representing the downtown experience with a focus on illustrating the unique elements of the E Center, The Bowl, the Community Plaza, and the Veterans Memorial.
PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES
Gas Department. The Gas Department staff completed utility-locate services on 577 sites for the month and worked with our construction contractors in various sites around the city to protect our underground utilities. We have installed over 2,800 new transmitters for the automated meter reading system, adding 34 to our routes during the month. The staff has been working through regulatory compliance tasks, new service installations, and 87 other service requests to round out the workload last month.
Street and Stormwater Department. Street Department staff completed demolition of the JW Trucks building at 5000 Nelson Brogdon Boulevard and has been assisting with cleanup of the old Atlas property, making way for future downtown redevelopment and investment. Mowing operations are in high gear now along the road right-of-ways in Sugar Hill. Our stormwater staff cleared a significant regulatory hurdle when the Georgia Environmental Protection Department staff conducted a stormwater program audit last month, receiving high marks during the visit. Stormwater and development inspections, yard debris collection, storm debris removal, leaf clearing, storm drain clearing, regular equipment maintenance, and repair continues to keep the department staff busy.
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE
E Center. Central City Tavern, Indio Brewing, and Perazim are in a full-court press on their buildout programs trying to finish in time for our grand opening celebration activities in April. Sweet City Smiles is also progressing through their buildout program as well, while a little further behind. The new Central City Tavern features a mural, painted by local artist and Historic Preservation Commission member, Chris Walker. New South Construction is now making their way through warranty items with only a couple of punch list items remaining. Finishes and signage are continuing to be the focus of staff’s attention as we adjust to how the public interacts with the project.
Sidewalks Projects – Whitehead and Suwanee Dam Roads. This SPLOST-funded sidewalk project is well underway on Suwanee Dam as the contractor has completed the 30% of the overall project. Work on the west side of Suwanee Dam Road is nearing the south end of this portion of the project limits. The contractor expects, in the next three weeks, to fill in a number of segments on Suwanee Dam Road that they had to set aside due to conflicts. The project work is jointly-funded with the county and will link key destinations in and around the city.
LMIG Annual Resurfacing Program. The project to complete road repairs and repaving through this grant and SPLOST-funded program kicked off in March with crack-sealing work and minor repairs and has a contract completion date of June 30. The balance of the project will await materials, equipment and favorable weather to align in order to start, expected this month. The project includes repairs and resurfacing to nearly 6 miles of city streets. The roads included in this contract are:
Brogdon Park Court, Wetherby View, Spring Hill Drive,
Brogdon Place Cove, Railroad Avenue, Old Suwanee Road,
Brogdon Exchange, Hillcrest Drive, Pine Acre Drive,
Creek Park, Hidden Meadow Way, Sadie Court,
Cook Drive, Simmons Mine Circle, Tallant Drive,
Mendi Court, Richland Creek Court, Edinborough Place
Sugar Hill Greenway. Right-of-way and easement acquisition are still in progress, but we are nearing completion on a handful of properties, paving the way to get the project out for bid. Permit status is still pending with GDOT, but we expect to have the project advertised for construction as soon as we can get the permit released from GDOT and from Georgia EPD.
Veterans Memorial Relocation. The construction contract is being drafted, and the project award is under consideration currently. The project is expected to get underway in early 2019, and plans for Memorial Day activities are being adjusted.
Oaks at Lanier Storm Water System Modifications. The project to construct stormwater improvements in the Oaks at Lanier neighborhood is substantially complete.
Stormwater Pipe Repairs. Repairs to pipe culverts under Secret Cove Drive, Arbor View Lane, and Deep Creek Drive have been completed. The last segment of pipe under Eagle Close Lane in the Links neighborhood is on the schedule for April with a minor redesign required setting back the installation a few weeks. Several of the segments used the cured-in-place liner solution which allowed the roads to be repaired without impacting traffic or access to these neighborhoods.
2019 Bowl Improvements. The latest round of improvements to the Bowl is in the design phase. The scope includes customer-focused improvements, such as lighting, sound, and visual enhancements centered on concessions space, seating, and finishes. The work will be completed during this concert season with the more significant improvements coming at the end of this season and into early 2020 as a separate phase of construction.
