By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
JULY 30, 2021 | Gwinnett Forum is pleased with actions in one of our Gwinnett cities.
The Lawrenceville City Council has recently taken moves to upgrade properties within its borders by appropriating taxpayer funds to purchase properties on one of its gateways and to buy properties needing re-development for a less dense environment.
We commend the Lawrenceville Council on making this difficult decision to use tax monies to improve their city property appearances. Few cities in Gwinnett take such bold moves. It feels refreshing.
The City of Lawrenceville is under contract to purchase the Metro Extended Stay hotel located at 652 Buford Drive in Lawrenceville for an undetermined future economic development project. The city is paying $7.1 million for the project, which will be financed over a 20 year bond program.
The anticipated closing will occur in November 2021. The City of Lawrenceville will work with the Lawrenceville Response Center to ensure successful rehousing of all guests, and has appropriated $750,000 to help in finding new housing for its residents. The property is near the north entrance to the city, where the city previously purchased a former Waffle House property.
Earlier the Lawrenceville council voted to purchase the Villa Lodge property on U.S. Highway 29 near Central Gwinnett High, which had become an extended-stay motel. The city wants to see less property density in this area, and hopes to attract developers for this property. (Earlier the property, when opened, was one of the few motels in the city, known as Lawrenceville Inn.)
Mayor David Still says that such moves by the city is their way of cleaning up the gateways of the city, and seeking new companies to relocate to these areas. “We would like to see business tenants for these properties that will employ people with better jobs than just jobs paying minimum wages. We want businesses such as clean manufacturing, high tech firms, or medical offices or other such firms in these locations. We are in touch with developers through our Downtown Development Authority, who are talking with principals about these properties.”
GwinnettForum suggests that there are properties within the limits of other Gwinnett cities that could use this approach in improving their cities.
Changes are coming in voting in Lawrenceville. Its City Council has approved Sunday voting during October’s advance voting period. According to the law, Sunday voting is optional and decided city by city.
Advance voting will take place daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. beginning Tuesday, October 12, 2021, and ending Friday, October 29, 2021, at Lawrenceville City Hall.
Qualifying for offices opens Monday, August 16, 2021, at 8:30 am and closes on Wednesday, August 18, 2021, at 4:30 pm in the office of the City Clerk located at Lawrenceville City Hall. Individuals intending to qualify must be a resident of the City of Lawrenceville for one year prior to the date of the November 2, 2021, election, be a City of Lawrenceville registered voter, and shall remit the qualification fee of $306.00 for council members.
Lawrenceville will vote on two open seats this year. Two councilmen, Keith Roche and Robert Clark, have announced that they will not seek re-election.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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