Freight Cluster Plan Update:
Gateway85 CID to Invest $500,000 on Infrastructure Update
The CID’s board of directors recently adopted its Freight Cluster Plan and has committed to immediately invest a half million dollars to execute key project recommendations designed to improve the district’s infrastructure and mobility in the area.
The CID, in partnership with Kimley-Horn, is prioritizing projects from the list designed to improve safety, infrastructure maintenance and capacity building. The following short-term projects will receive funding for immediate execution, including:
Extending turn lanes throughout the district to allow for today’s larger and longer trucks to better navigate traffic and avoid curb destruction
Adjusting traffic signal timing to better mitigate traffic congestion
Partnering with Gwinnett County on resurfacing efforts for railroad crossings and roadways within the district
Installing improved wayfinding signage and added pedestrian crossings to ensure efficient and safe traffic flow
For more information about the project, read more in the AJC. To view the Freight Cluster Plan’s executive summary, visit the CID’s website.
Gwinnett Development Projects That Could Transform the County
Eight Gwinnett County development projects are moving forward with government assistance or full-scale involvement, spending more than $160 million to buy land, build or develop the projects.
Gateway85 CID executive director Emory Morsberger says Gwinnett County leaders have the advantage of thinking long-term when it comes to large-scale development projects and expects leaders to plan for transit to be expanded in Gwinnett and to prioritize density.
Read more about the new Gwinnett County developments in the AJC here.
Gwinnett County’s Emergency Vehicle Pre-emptive Traffic Signal Project
Gwinnett County has been working on deploying new technology that will allow emergency vehicles to safely travel through intersections with pre-emptive traffic signal changes. The Pre-emptive Traffic Signal Project aims to equip emergency vehicles with technology that will signal traffic lights as they approach an intersection, changing or keeping the light green to manage traffic flow and allowing safe passage.
The proposal for the first of two phases encompasses installing the technology in Gwinnett’s emergency response vehicles and in about 50% of Gwinnett’s traffic signals (385 of the 743) throughout 2021. Phase 1 includes 43 traffic signals in the Gateway85 district with the addition of more than 30 signals in future stages.
Get to Know Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson
The CID wrapped up its conversation with Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson with a focus on the business owners of Gateway85 CID and Gwinnett County. In this video, she shares her vision for promoting local businesses and provides resources for owners.
Watch the third video of the series here.
How Community Improvement Districts are Building the Future
A recent report released by Georgia Tech and Lexicon Strategies found that Community Improvement Districts, like Gateway85, have a significant economic impact on metro Atlanta. The 34 legal CIDs operating around Atlanta had a total assessed value of $16 billion in 2019, roughly equating to $41 billion in fair market value. Georgia CIDs levied an estimated $875 million in total tax assessments between 1988 and 2019 that went to improve infrastructure, transportation, security and beautification.
The study showed that CIDs help propel cities into the future through innovation and by having clear goals regarding infrastructure improvements. In fact, nearly 75% of a CID’s annual budget is typically allotted to capital projects, programs, services and planning to improve infrastructure.
“CIDs are a powerful tool used by commercial property owners as a means to protect and grow real estate investments. CIDs allow the private sector to improve the public realm and public infrastructure through efforts typically under the purview of governmental entities,” the study stated.
Continue reading here.
Historic Day for Transit Funding in Georgia
The Georgia Legislature today took the historic step of establishing a mechanism to annually fund capital transit projects that support economic development priorities throughout the state. The Georgia Senate unanimously passed HB 511, which establishes nine Trust Funds to ensure that fees collected for a stated purpose are spent on that purpose. This includes the Georgia Transit Trust Fund, which will hold the $.50/ride fees on for-hire-ground-transportation established by HB 105 last year for the Governor and Legislature to appropriate to capital transit projects.
To learn more, check out this article.
State of Gwinnett County 2021 Recap
Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson of the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners delivered the annual State of the County address on Wednesday, March 3, at 12Stone Church’s Lawrenceville Campus. The hybrid event was attended by more than 540 masked in-person attendees and more than 300 watching virtually. Hendrickson used her address to incite Gwinnett’s residents to “lift up and rally behind the Gwinnett Standard.” She recalled the existing problems in Gwinnett and the resulting systemic issues and weighed in on the benchmark for excellence as a driving force to create a new path forward.
Watch the full keynote address here.
Pond & Company Continues its Award-Winning Work
Congratulations to Pond & Company that has been racking up awards in recent months! The Peachtree Corners company recently took the top spot on the Atlanta Business Chronicle's "Top 25 Engineering Firms" list.
Pond was also named the Georgia Society of Professional Engineers’ (GSPE) 2021 Employer of the Year for the fourth time in five years.
What started as a home-based business in 1965, Pond has become a thriving 550-person firm with more than 22 offices around the world. Cultivating an environment where engineers can build rewarding careers has been an important part of Pond’s philosophy. The company is also working with the CID on its Incredible Corridor Study project.
Visit Pond & Company’s website to learn more about this trailblazing company.
Connect With Us
For 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 Maggie McDaniel at mmcdaniel@c21pr.com or 404-814-1330.