Charlotte Nash grew up walking the red dirt roads of a rural Gwinnett County. That idyllic childhood brings back fond memories, and she has often looked for ways to retain Gwinnett’s beautiful, rolling farmland and forests even as she ensures its leadership role in one of America’s fastest growing metropolitan areas.
Now entering her final months as chairman of the Gwinnett County Commission after eight years in the post, Nash has devoted her entire career to serving the people of the county she loves. Though nostalgic for natural aspects of the county’s past, she’s always looked forward, not backward. She -- and many other county leaders over the past half century -- have kept their focus on preparing a better future.
Visionary leadership has propelled Gwinnett forward. With sound investments in roads, water infrastructure and a world-class school system, Gwinnett’s elected officials smartly guided it from a rural outpost to one of the fastest-growing -- and best governed -- counties in the country. That planning seems common sense and inevitable today, but for elected officials, it’s often politically perilous to direct money of current taxpayers to projects that will largely benefit future residents.
The current crop of county leaders, led by Chairman Nash, are keeping alive this proud tradition by approving $72 million in loans for a 2,000-acre development along Ga. 316 called Rowen. Rowen promises “a visionary knowledge community” that will have a transformative impact on Gwinnett literally for generations. As Nash said, “This is for my grandchildren’s grandchildren.”
As the director of three Community Improvement Districts, I’ve long worked on economic development in Gwinnett and neighboring counties. I’ve never seen an opportunity of this magnitude for Gwinnett. This property is not in any of the CIDs that I represent, but Rowen’s positive impact will reverberate through the entire region, bringing new development and revitalization to residential and commercial districts. It’s projected to create 18,500 jobs by 2035 and up to 100,000 decades from now when complete.
This combination of public spaces, research facilities, offices and homes will attract the skills and talent of young workers coming from the 50-plus research and educational institutions within an hour of the property, including Georgia Tech, the University of Georgia, Emory University, Georgia State University, Georgia Gwinnett College, Gwinnett Technical College and the University of North Georgia. It’ll also serve as a magnet for the best and brightest from around the nation.
Its focus on areas where Georgia already has a foundation of expertise – including agriculture, the environment and health sciences – dovetails nicely with its emphasis on preservation of natural habitat and environmental stewardship. In other words, it’s a perfect location for entire families to live, work and play.
Deals like this take years to put together, and the confidentiality required for public-private partnerships often bothers those who would prefer the public get a say before such a momentous decision. Having been in real estate for more than 25 years, I can assure that would simply drive up land prices immensely and cost taxpayers even more. Private investors, leery of controversy, would shy away and take their dollars with them. What would eventually come in its place would pale in comparison to what could have been.
The County Commission’s decision is now out in the open for all to evaluate and there will be plenty of time to engage as planning begins in earnest in the years ahead. They have done what we elected them to do: Serve the best interest of their districts and the county as a whole in our representative democracy.
The commission has lived up to the legacy set by its forebears by not letting the noise of today distract from the preparation for tomorrow.
Through projects like Rowen, the red dirt roads of Nash’s childhood can help pave the way beyond 2020. Gwinnett has benefitted from wise leaders choosing what to build along them, informed by the county’s history and anticipating the county’s future needs.
Emory Morsberger is the executive director of the Gateway85, Tucker Summit and Metro South Community Improvement Districts.
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