gateway85.com

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR UPDATE

We are six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, and while life has changed drastically for many, Gateway85 CID is going strong. There are several items that I want to bring to your attention that will have an impact on the area. Hopefully, you saw the big announcement regarding project Rowen. I believe this development will have a far reaching and positive impact felt throughout the County, including here in Gateway85 CID. In addition, the Gwinnett Transit Education Forum is up and running and providing facts on this year’s transit referendum. You can learn more by visiting www.gwinnetttransitedu.com, and I encourage you to sign up for the newsletter. 

As a reminder, the General Election is less than six weeks away, and Gateway85 CID signed onto Georgia Support The Vote, an initiative born out of the Rotary Club of Atlanta, and supported by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, to ensure fair and safe elections. Please visit gasupportthevote.org to learn key voter deadlines and get access to a toolkit of information that you can use to remind employees, suppliers and customers of key voting deadlines, provide links to polling locations and much more.

Key Voter Deadlines

• General Election and Special Election, Runoffs for Local and State Offices, Voter Registration Deadline: October 5, 2020
• General Election and Special Election: November 3, 2020
• General Election Runoffs for Federal Offices, Voter Registration Deadline: December 7, 2020
• General Election Runoff for Federal Offices: January 5, 2021

Don’t Stop at The Top! 

When Gwinnett citizens send in their absentee ballots or head to the polls on November 3, Gateway85 wants to remind everyone there are two important items on Gwinnett County’s General Election ballot, including the E-SPLOST and Transit referendums. Both of these referendums will be at the bottom of the ballot, and we encourage you to get the facts about each referendum by visiting www.gwinnettkids2020.com and gwinnetttransitedu.com or the County’s official transit information at gwinnett-transit.com. Please remember, “Don’t Stop at The Top” of the ballot and make it through to the end for your final selections. 

You’ll see below all the incredible updates we have going on, and please feel free to reach out to me anytime to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you,

Emory Morsberger

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Georgia Furniture Mart

Did you know that Mike Hall started in the furniture business selling waterbeds in the 70s? Well, he did! For more than 40 years he has learned the ins and outs of furniture trends and has had some failures and many more successes. We are thrilled to have the primary retail location of Georgia Furniture Mart, formerly Underpriced Furniture, at 6694 Dawson Boulevard in the heart of the Gateway85 CID. The store is open and practicing social distancing requirements Monday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Sunday, 12 – 6 p.m. 

With COVID-19 and many people still working from home, Georgia Furniture Mart has seen a surge in sales over the past six months, and Mike was ready having recently opened a brand new distribution facility on Sarr Parkway off of Mountain Industrial Boulevard in the fall of 2019. According to Mike, Georgia Furniture Mart is delivering 600 to 700 pieces of furniture daily and receiving 800 pieces a day from manufacturers. Mike is a proud member of two CIDs, Gateway85 and Tucker Summit, and appreciates the support provided to help improve the value of his properties and grow the business.  We encourage you to visit the website or store!

PROJECT UPDATES

Freight Logistics Study Interactive Map

Gateway85 recently completed its freight logistics study, which identified more than 200 different projects, including intersection improvements, pedestrian upgrades, roadway operational projects and more. The study found that the CID’s primary freight investment needs are aimed at reducing number and severity of crashes, repairing the transportation network, increasing road capacity and network redundancy, and improving intersection and roadway operations. Other needs include truck parking and land use within the CID.

Additionally, an interactive project map was created to provide basic information for the recommended projects. The map also allows CID members to leave comments for consideration. View the interactive map here.

Sidewalks

Gateway85 is focused on improving mobility and access through the installation and completion of another 3 miles of sidewalks in the district – bringing our total to 16 miles of sidewalks! Currently, we are underway with Phase I of sidewalk installations along Dawson Boulevard, which includes the section from McDonough Drive to Graves Road. Another sidewalk planned along Live Oak Parkway is in the engineering stage.  This sidewalk will complete the loop from Jimmy Carter Boulevard at Oakbrook Pkwy around Live Oak Pkwy.

Lighting District

Phase II of the Lighting District continues with installation of 26 pedestrian lights and five streetlights from Live Oak Parkway to Rockbridge Road. The installations are part of Gateway85’s Pedestrian Lighting District along the Jimmy Carter Boulevard corridor designed to make the area more user friendly, welcoming and safe.

GWINNETT NEEDS YOUR INPUT

There are two initiatives that would like your feedback!

First, the Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority (ATL) is seeking public input on the 2020 ATL Regional Transit Plan (ARTP) through Monday, October 19, 2020. Updated annually, the ARTP serves as the foundation for transit planning in the Atlanta region for the next 20 years, ensuring transit projects work together to create a seamless network and customer experience regardless of transit operator. This year the ARTP includes 245 proposed projects that either expand, maintain, or create new transit service opportunities across the 13-county ATL region. Projects included in the ARTP are anticipated to:

• Increase transit trips in metro Atlanta overall by 39%, and to regional employment centers by 31%
• Increase the proportion of low-income households within ½ mile of a high capacity transit station to 33%
• Save over 99,000 gallons of gasoline annually used by Metro Atlanta residents
• Result in a return of investment of over $140 billion, equaling a $5 return on every dollar spent on transit, if fully funded.  

Ways to Participate
This year, to prioritize the health and safety of residents, the ATL’s series of public outreach efforts called District Downloads offers several new ways to learn and comment on the 2020 ARTP. Participants can: 

• Request information by phone by dialing 404.893.2100
• Text “ATLTransit” to 474747 
• Visit the 3D virtual open house
• Attend a virtual live meeting for their District
• Connect on social media using #ATLTransitPlan and #PublicComment

Second, Partnership Gwinnett is conducting a five-year economic growth strategy that will lay out a road map for economic development within the county. Input from residents and business owners in Gwinnett County is a critical part of the planning process. Partnership Gwinnett and EY will take community input through a digital survey – available until September 28. Please use this link to take the survey here.

GWINNETT COUNTY COMMISSION CHAIR FORUM

On September 8, the Gwinnett Chamber held a forum moderated by Chamber president Nick Masino and featuring candidates running for several Commission seats, including Commission Chair candidates Nicole Love Hendrickson (D) and David Post (R); District 1 candidates, Kirkland Carden (D) and Laurie McClain (R); and District 3 candidates, Ben Archer (R) and Jasper Watkins (D).

From County growth to transit to recovering from COVID-19, the candidates covered a variety of issues. Click here to watch the event.

FOUR PILLAR TRIBUTE

Gateway85 CID invites you to join the Council for Quality Growth in celebrating 2020 Four Pillar Honoree, Doug Hertz, on Thursday, October 1 via live stream. To stream the event, please visit FourPillarTribute.com. The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. No login or registration is required.

CONNECT WITH US

For more project updates and news surrounding Gateway85 CID, follow or like us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram or visit gateway85.com. If you have news to share, please contact Victoria Smith at victoria@gateway85.com or 770-449-6524.

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