The site of the 1996 Olympic tennis center in Gwinnett County will soon be home to a big box retailer.
The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners this week unanimously approved a mixed-use development at the site. In addition to the retailer, the development will feature four restaurants and 250 apartments — some of which will be affordable housing.
The proposal is a far cry from the more upscale “southern gateway” to Gwinnett that developer Jeff Fuqua proposed three years ago. But Fuqua, who developed the Peachtree Corners Town Center, said many retailers were not interested in the site on U.S. 78 just east of Stone Mountain.
Members of the nearby Mountain Park community also voiced strong support for a Costco in meetings and emails to commissioners.
“I have struggled with this decision and have gone back and forth and argued both sides extensively,” said District 2 Commissioner Ben Ku, who represents the area. “This isn’t the end of the road. This is the beginning of what I hope will be a much deserved massive transformation of the 78 corridor.”
Gwinnett acquired most of the 31-acre site, which included the tennis facility, in a 2016 land swap with DeKalb County and the Stone Mountain Memorial Association. The tennis center was torn down the following year.
The site is next to the Netherworld Haunted House and across from a Walmart, Wendy’s and Dollar Tree. The property includes the parking lot of a former Super Target that couldn’t stay afloat at that location. An Amazon facility opened nearby three years ago, employing thousands of workers.
Fuqua said he doesn’t know why businesses in the area haven’t done well. Neighbors expressed similar frustrations, noting the median household income of Mountain Park is slightly higher than that of Peachtree Corners.
Fuqua’s plan has changed since it surfaced in the spring as part of a rezoning application. At the request of Ku and community members, the plan approved Tuesday contains a sit-down restaurant in addition to three others that are allowed drive-through lanes. One-fifth of the apartments will be reserved for households making 80% of the area median income. The approved plan also requires more tree plantings and common areas with green space, playgrounds or similar amenities.
Fuqua declined to confirm which businesses the development would include. In renderings, the big box retailer appears to be a Costco and one of the restaurants seems to be a Whataburger.
The land is located in the Park Place Tax Allocation District, where property taxes are earmarked for improvements to the area. Developing the site will contribute more revenue to further revitalize south Gwinnett, said Roman Dakare, the county’s economic development director.
The plan will trigger a Development of Regional Impact review by the state, a process that requires a traffic study, Dakare said.
After the board’s vote of approval, one man in the audience yelled: “Thank you.”
Kate Pittman, founder of the Mountain Park Community Association, was less grateful. She alone spoke against the rezoning, saying a Costco could go somewhere else in the area while the county-owned parcel could become homes or recreational space with a view of Stone Mountain’s fireworks.
“There’s no other property like this in Gwinnett County — in the world, really,” she said. “I’m not trying to stop Costco. I just think this piece of property could be so much more.”
