PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
Permits/Inspections. One (1) new single family detached home was permitted in the Northmark subdivision during the month of August. A remodel permit was issued for River Mill Bakery in the E Center on West Broad Street in the space previously occupied by Southern Grace. SCOOPS Ice Cream, also located in the E Center, has received Fire Marshal approval, and has also received a Certificate of Occupancy (CO) from the city. The final item is health department approval before opening its doors. They are stocking and doing staff training right now.
Annexation AX-21-003 was received for 6.2 acres on Level Creek Road and has been accepted for processing. The applicant is proposing an RS-100 zoning with five (5) new lots. It will be on the Planning Commission agenda soon. Special Use Permit SUP-21-002 was received during the month of August for a microblading facility located at 1400 Buford Highway. There has been a noted uptick in residential solar power permits over the past several months (12 so far this year).
PARKS AND RECREATION
Parks. Weekly maintenance occurred throughout all park facilities. At Gary Pirkle Park, All-In Futbol Club (AIFC) began academy and elite training and tournaments while the recreation league will begin later this month. GA Force Football hosted and won their first game of the season on the new football field. There will be two volunteer work parties held at the Community Garden this month.
Downtown and City Hall. Weekly cleaning and maintenance were performed throughout the downtown area and on the grounds of City Hall. The water features were cleaned, and The Bowl was checked and prepped for upcoming events and concerts.
E Center. Gym memberships have reached 14,340. Thorough cleaning practices continue throughout the facility. Private rentals continue to increase with a mix of meetings and events.
Golf. August was another successful month at the course. Several irrigation repairs were completed, and the landscaping was freshened around the main entrance and clubhouse. The 2-Player Blind Draw Tournament was held at the end of August. The Club Championship Tournament is scheduled for the 18th and 19th of this month. For more information, on becoming a SHGA member or course information, contact one of the staff members at the Golf Course by calling 770-271-0519.
COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Events. The free concert for Sugar Rush was recently announced. David Nail will be headliner with opener Karissa Ella. Tickets are available in the center section (chairs provided), but the wings and lawn will be free and will be first-come, first-served. The Bowl will open at 6:00 PM that evening for guests to put their chairs or blankets down as the vendor and activities from the day of the event will run 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM.
Upcoming Events:
9/14: $2 Tuesday movie in The Eagle – Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
9/15: Free Sugar Hill Live on the Promenade
9/24: Free Splash Night on the Plaza
9/29: Free Sugar Hill Live on the Promenade
10/1: Roots & Boots (Opener – Parmalee) Concert in The Bowl
10/3: Catapult – Family Entertainment in The Eagle Theatre
10/12: $2 Tuesday movie in The Eagle – Midsommer
Development. Formerly Broadstone at Sugar Hill, The Local is now 100% leased. Cadence currently has all available units pre-leased; and will not have any additional units available for lease until January of 2022 due to construction. They are very pleased with how quickly the space has leased and are excited for the new buildings to be completed. They have moved from the Suite Spot where they had a temporary leasing office, to their office building located on Hillcrest Drive. The Holbrook has a leasing office open on West Broad Street right across the street from their construction site and has begun pre-leasing.
PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES
Gas Department. We are just over the 55% mark with installation of AMR upgrades with staff devoted to responding to another series of construction-related demands. Our utility locating staff completed services on 506 sites and worked with our construction contractors on various sites around the city to protect our underground utilities. Staff has been working through regulatory compliance tasks, new service installations, and 116 other service requests to round out the workload last month.
Street & Stormwater Department. Yard debris operations delivered 3 loads of mulch and had 125 truckloads of bagged clippings collected. This resulted in fifteen (15) loads of debris to the disposal site. Open-top dumpster rentals for the month topped out at five (5), down from the month prior. The stormwater department responded to four (4) requests for rock to assist with private landowner stormwater stabilization.
CONSTRUCTION UPDATES
Sugar Hill (Main) Greenway Trail. TriScapes Construction (TSI) is substantially complete with the trail segment from downtown through EE Robinson Park (North). Handrails and minor drainage work are being completed in these areas to close them out. This nearly 2 miles of trail is a key segment that will connect the downtown with two key parks on Peachtree Industrial with more to come. Next on the work program is completing the bridges and boardwalk in the natural areas between PIB and Whitehead across the former GDOT right-of-way. The section from Level creek to PIB has been largely cleared and is being graded. The links from PIB to Level Creek Road to Whitehead are key to the trail’s loop concept as a transportation alternative as well as encouraging exercise and recreation. Later this week we will be opening proposals for trail signage and accessories. It is anticipated that the resultant contract will provide wayfaring, lighting, seating, picnic tables and trash receptacles consistent with the unique nature of our greenway.
This first phase of the greenway trail includes 4 and a half miles of trail construction, beginning at the intersection of Level Creek Road and Church Street and extending both along roadways and through natural areas to Whitehead Road, temporarily ending at a trailhead parking lot at the Atlanta Bethany United Methodist Church located at 144 Whitehead Road near the new bridge. It will also help open-up access to the city’s newest park, Goldmine Park, which also serves to highlight a historic element in Sugar Hill’s past and its connection to gold mining.
Roadway Resurfacing & Repairs 2020/2021. Construction is at the 80-percent point with all but the Frontier Forest subdivision roads complete. Work on the following highlighted roads/areas below has been completed. The Gwinnett County Water Department is still finishing up work in the Frontier Forest neighborhood and will be releasing the six streets on our list for resurfacing later in September.
[columns] [column size=”1/3″]Princeton Oaks DriveMegan Court
Hunters Oak Trail
Bankside Court
Amberside Court
Amberside Lane
Riverside Walk Drive
River Ridge Lane
Appling Road[/column] [column size=”1/3″]Frontier Drive
Forest Green Way
White Oak Drive
Frontier Way
Frontier Trail
Davis Street
Mountain Ridge Way
Spring Willow Drive
Grand Loop Road[/column] [column size=”1/3″]Eagles Rest Trail
Summer Breeze Lane
Long Needle Court
Laurel Green Drive
Sagamore Cove
Canyon Drive
Deer Crossing Drive
Golf Driveway
GPP Parking Lot
[/column] [/columns]
Gold Mine Park. The notice to proceed has been issued and work began in August. TriScapes was selected as the city’s contractor for this new project. The proposed park, which includes 50 parking spaces, a restroom building and mine entrance overlook, serves as a trailhead on the city’s greenway and offers a chance for guests to learn more about the city’s gold mining history. Clearing is complete and drainage and detention work has begun.
22 Acre Park on Highway 20. This project is finishing up scoping and design of pond, parking, and pavilion improvements.
Whitehead & Sycamore Sidewalk Improvements. The design phase is wrapping up on this SPLOST-funded project to upgrade older sections of sidewalks, design future LCI-level improvements, and fill-in a short gap near EM Croy on Sycamore Road.
Bowl Pond Flood Control Project. Proposals for completion of flood control improvements associated with The Bowl amenity pond have been reviewed and a recommendation is on the agenda for tonight.
E Center Event & Conference Room. Proposals for construction of improvements associated about 2,000 square feet of event and conference room space have been reviewed. A recommendation is on the agenda for this evening.
Highway 20 East Greenway. Gwinnett County has recently approved the Intergovernmental Agreement with the city for this important part of the city’s greenway system and will be taking the lead on coordination with Georgia Department of Transportation on its implementation.
City Hall Maintenance. Several maintenance projects will be the focus of closing out 2021 with attention on the parking deck coating and resurfacing as well as some interior systems as the building approaches its tenth anniversary. A recommendation is on the agenda for tonight.
