The majority of Loganville residents who responded to an online survey say they welcome changes to the city’s downtown area. But they’re also hesitant to embrace large-scale apartment complexes coming to the city split between Gwinnett and Walton counties.
The city’s Citizens Advisory Group distributed a survey to nearly 16,000 residents earlier this year, seeking feedback for the future of downtown Loganville. Less than 1,000 residents responded to the survey, just slightly more than the number of people who voted in 2019 local elections.
In 2019, Loganville unveiled a proposed $180 million project to redevelop its downtown area. The city ended up walking away from the developer’s plans, deciding it wasn’t the right choice for Loganville and going back to the drawing board, said Robbie Schwartz, public information officer.
According to the survey results released this month, 83% of respondents feel the current downtown is unattractive and want changes to come, while only 12% of respondents want downtown to remain the same.
Residents in and around Loganville have fought large-scale residential projects in the past. Survey results indicate that these sentiments remain strong, with 75% of respondents saying they’re against adding more apartment complexes and 50% saying they’d support condos with less than 300 units.
“We are being SURROUNDED by growth,” a survey comment read. “Rentals and apartments are going up everywhere, for MILES! We moved to Loganville for that small, hometown feel. Let all the other cities cater to the rentals, and let’s keep Loganville from being a transient town!”
Most respondents voiced their support for commercial development, with most favoring a private company fronting redevelopment costs rather than taxpayers. About 90% of respondents said they want a park and walkable downtown.
About 96% of respondents said traffic is a concern. Loganville is currently conducting a traffic study to pinpoint hotspots, which it hopes to wrap up in about a year, Schwartz said.
“Until you address the traffic problem anything else is just putting lipstick on a pig,” another survey comment read.
In regard to a new city hall building, feedback was mixed. More than half of respondents said they wouldn’t mind allocating tax dollars to revitalize city hall, while 60% said they’d support selling the city hall complex if it made Loganville a profit.
The city has posted the full survey results and the approximate 365 comments left by respondents on its website. Loganville’s Economic Development Committee will present the findings to Mayor Rey Martinez and the City Council in May. The council will then discuss next steps for incorporating the feedback into planning the future of downtown Loganville.
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