NEWS BRIEFS: New parking deck opens in downtown Sugar Hill

New parking deck. Photo provided.

Sugar Hill residents and visitors will have more places to park now with the opening of the new parking deck in Downtown Sugar Hill. The deck is jointly owned by Sugar Hill’s Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and Solis Sugar Hill, an apartment facility.  Of the 650 parking spaces, 250 are owned by the DDA and 300 spaces are for Solis Sugar Hill. The remaining 100 parking spaces are for joint use by the public and Solis Sugar Hill. 

Mayor Pro Tem Marc Cohen says: “The deck is five-stories and consists of nearly 200,000 square feet, the largest area for public parking currently downtown. We will continue to add parking capacity downtown with the new Bowl Plaza called ‘The Landing,’ located at the end of the pond.” Altogether, the city will have available about 600 places to park.”

The parking deck is beside Sugar Hill’s Downtown campus with a direct view of The Bowl, the city’s award-winning outdoor amphitheater. This deck will provide more parking for The Bowl concert series as well as downtown events and activities. The new deck has two separate entrances. Public parking is accessible from Temple Drive, closest to The Bowl, while Solis residents parking is accessible from Hillcrest Drive. The parking deck is surrounded by 294 luxury apartment units and 11,200 square feet of commercial space owned by the DDA.

Downtown parking remains free with the Sugar Hill Marshal’s Office monitoring parking restrictions along West Broad Street. Signs showing areas subject to four-hour parking limits and overnight parking signs are located at most downtown parking areas.

NOTABLE

Gateway85 CID votes to lower millage rates

Gateway85 Community Improvement District’s (CID)board of directors has voted to lower the 2023 millage rate from five-mills to four-mills. This came at the recommendation of Executive Director Emory Morsberger. This is a historic decrease for the CID, which is a self-taxing district that uses commercial property taxes to accelerate infrastructure improvements and promote economic development, since its formation in 2006.

Because of the efforts of Gateway85 CID in promoting prosperity and commerce in the area, local property values have increased to allow sustained value from a lower tax rate. In 2021, the CID’s property values equaled $1.7 billion.

Morsberger says: “I see it as an incredible indication that the CID’s efforts to improve our district and increase property values have been successful. The board felt, and I agreed, that we could maintain Gateway85 CID’s investment in projects, studies and more while achieving the same level of success for the CID’s programs and initiatives.” 

Through partnerships with government and municipal organizations, Gateway85 CID has executed $110 million in improvements since 2006. Gateway85 CID’s office is located at 6305 Crescent Drive, Norcross, Ga. 30071.

City of Lawrenceville has management reorganization

The city of Lawrenceville has announced a reorganization aimed at improving operational efficiency, fostering stronger community relationships, and promoting strategic visioning. The reorganization involves the expansion of the Executive Management Team, the creation of new positions, and the appointment of key individuals in leadership roles.

Three new positions have been added to the Executive Management Team, led by City Manager Chuck Warbington, to address the city’s growing needs. 

• Barry Mock, formerly assistant city manager and public works director, will assume the newly created assistant city manager, in a community development role. 
• Jim Wright, the city engineer, has been appointed the public works director, while the city actively seeks a new city engineer. 
• Michael Fischer joins the team as the assistant city manager, operations, having served in leadership for the City of Roswell. 
• John Mullin, Chief of Police, will now join the Executive Management Team.  

All will work alongside Melissa Hardegree, the chief communications officer, and Keith Lee, the chief financial officer.

Auto Mopar CAP at Gwinnett Tech is accredited

Program Director Andy Lindman instructs students. Photo provided.

Gwinnett Technical College’s Automotive Service Technology Mopar CAP program has been accredited by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). The accreditation assures students receive a quality education in automotive technology, which is current with emerging technologies and requirements in the automotive industry. 

Gwinnett Tech is one of 11 public colleges in Georgia to hold this level of certification. 

 To achieve this recognition, the school’s automotive training program underwent rigorous evaluation by the ASE Education Foundation. Nationally accepted standards of excellence in instruction, facilities, and equipment were used.

Dr. Jennifer Roberts, dean of Public and Professional Services, adds: “During the past few months, we have worked closely with the ASE Education Foundation to make certain that our program would meet strict industry standards, and now we are delighted to join the ranks of the ASE accredited training programs.”