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Stone Mountain Highway
(Hwy 78) Revitalization Plan
prepared for:
Gwinnett Revitalization Task Force
prepared by:
Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh & Associates,
Robert Charles Lesser & Co., Glatting Jackson,
USInfrastructure and HOK Planning Group.
August 17, 2004
Prepared by Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh,
Robert Charles Lesser, Glatting Jackson, USInfrastructure, and HOK
Stone Mountain Highway
(Hwy 78) Revitalization Plan
Stone Mountain Highway (Hwy 78) Revitalization Plan
August 17, 2004
Prepared by Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh,
Robert Charles Lesser, Glatting Jackson, USInfrastructure, and HOK
Table of Contents
I. Introduction I-1
I.A Project Pupose I-1
I.B Study Area I-2
I.C Methodology I-2
I.D Project Team I-3
II. Inventory & Analysis II-1
II.A Land Use and Community Structure II-1
II.B Market & Economic Analysis II-5
II.C Transportation and Connectivity II-35
II.D Water and Sewer Infrastructure II-41
II.E Parks & Open Space II-46
II.F Analysis Summary (SWOT) II-48
III. Public Process III-1
III.A Process Description III-1
III.B Interviews III-2
III.C The Pilot Team Workshop III-2
IV. Recommendations IV-1
IV.A Vision IV-1
IV.B Objectives IV-5
IV.C Recommendations IV-7
V. Five - Year Action Plan V-1
V.A Action Items V-1
V.B Sewer Infrastructure Cost Estimates V-6
V.C Stone Mountain Trail V-7
VI. Endnotes VI-1
VII. Appendix VII-1
Stone Mountain Highway (Hwy 78) Revitalization Plan
August 17, 2004
Listing of Figures & Tables
Figure I.1: Stone Mountain Highway Location Map I-1
Figure I.2: Study Area Boundary I-2
Figure II.1: Existing Land Use Map II-1
Figure II.2: Land Use Plan and Zoning Comparison II-2
Figure II.3: Future Land Use Plan II-3
Figure II.4: Current Zoning II-3
Figure II.5: Retail Space Per Capita Comparison II-6
Figure II.6: Tax Digest Implications of Pruned Retail II-8
Figure II.7: Density Calculator: Commercial to Residential Land II-10
Figure II.8: Corridor Pruning/Redevelopment Program II-11
Figure II.9: Yellow River Development Program II-12
Figure II.10: Stone Mountain Festival Development/Redevelopment Program II-12
Figure II.11: Illustration of Greenfield and Revitalization Planning Efforts II-14
Figure II.12: Conventional Development and Progressive Development Value Lifecycles II-15
Figure II.13: Urban Land Institute -12 Step Retail Recovery II-15
Figure II.14: Map of Study Area and Demographics II-19
Figure II.15: Household Percentage Chart II-20
Figure II.16: Study Area Age Percentage I-20
Figure II.17: Household Income Distribution 2002 II-21
Figure II.18: Growth of African-American Households In Gwinnett County 1999-2002 II-22
Figure II.19: Growth of Hispanic Households In Gwinnett County 1999-2002 II-22
Figure II.20: Household Owner/Renter Ratio II-26
Figure II.21: Annual Demand for Small-Lot and Attached For-Sale Product II-27
Figure II.22: Annual Demand for Rental Apartment Product, Stone Mountain Highway II-28
Figure II.23: Five-Year Residential Demand Summary II-29
Figure II.24: Twenty-Year Residential Demand Summary II-29
Figure II.25: Five to Twenty-Five Year Office Demand Summary II-31
Figure II.26: Twenty-Five Year Population and Employment Projections I-32
Figure II.27: Map of Network II-35
FIgure II.28: Year 2000 Daily Traffic Volumes II-36
Figure II.29: Historical Traffic Counts II-37
Figure II.30: Existing Water Network II-42
Figure II.31: Commercial Properties with Septic Systems II-42
Figure II.32: Drainage Area Capacity II-43
Figure II.33: Existing Sewer Network & Drainage Areas II-44
Figure II.34: Existing Parks, Natural Features and Water Bodies I-46
Figure III.1: Workshop Drawings of Suggested Connections at Park Place Node III-3
Figure IV.1: Revitalization District Summary Chart IV-3
Figure IV.2: Corridor Pruning and Redevelopment Program IV-8
Figure IV.3: Proposed Gwinnett Revitalization District Boundary IV-11 *
Figure IV.4: Location of Proposed Nodes & Proposed Character Areas IV-11 *
Figure IV.5 Proposed 2020 Future Land Use Plan IV-13 *
Figure IV.6 Redevelopment at Park Place Town Center, Stone Mountain Festival Site IV-16
Figure IV.7 Yellow River Program Summary IV-17
Figure IV.8 Park Place Node Plan IV-21 *
Figure IV.9 Proposed Yellow RIver Village Node IV-23 *
Figure IV.10 Proposed Yellow River Village Frontage Road Looking East IV-23 *
Listing of Figures & Tables
Figure IV.11: The Proposed Yellow River Village Perspective IV-25 *
Figure IV.12: Proposed Yellow River Village Section IV-25 *
Figure IV.13: Proposed Yellow River Node Aerial Perspective IV-27 *
Figure IV.14: High Point Village Node Plan IV-29 *
Figure IV.15: Proposed Parks, Open Space and Trail Map IV-33
Figure IV.16: The Evolution of the Commercial Strip IV-38
Figure IV.17: Proposed Concept Connectivity Map IV-39
Figure IV.18: Proposed Highway Sections IV-40-41
Figure IV.19: Proposed Water and Sewer Improvements IV-44
Figure V.1: Proposed Five Year Action Plan Map V-3
Figure V.2: Action Item Projects V-5
*Color illustrations followed by a left hand blank page.
Appendix B Color Illustrations
B1 Figure I.2: Study Area Boundary *
B2 Figure II.1: Existing Land Use Map *
B3 Figure II.3: Current Zoning *
Figure II.4: Future Land Use* Plan
B4 Figure II.18: Growth of African-American Households 1999-2002 *
Figure II.19: Growth of Hispanic Households 1999-2002 *
B5 Figure II.34: Existing Parks, Natural Features and Water Bodies *
Prepared by Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh,
Robert Charles Lesser, Glatting Jackson, USInfrastructure, and HOK
Introduction
I. Introduction
I.A Project Purpose
The Gwinnett Revitalization Task Force, an award winning effort to prevent urban blight
and better manage Gwinnett’s redevelopment, is currently in its second phase. The
I.
Task Force was initiated in 2001 by the Board of Commissioners to study the causes
of commercial and residential decline, and at the end of that year, suggested further
study and plans for three pilot areas. They found that disinvestments and decline in
older areas of the County threaten its position of leadership in business, education and
quality of life. The Task Force viewed the problems currently evidenced in Gwinnett
County as only the “tip of the iceberg,” making the County’s intervention critical.
A major recommendation of the Task Force was to study three specific “pilot areas”
and develop recommendations for redevelopment that would serve as transferable
strategies for other areas of the county experiencing economic and suburban decline.
This report focuses on a commercial corridor extending along the Stone Mountain
Highway (U.S. Highway 78) from the Dekalb County line to the Snellville city limits.
We must do things differently, unless we want things to remain the same. In the
Stone Mountain Highway corridor, doing things differently means creating a new
environment that will attract new investment. Many of the recommendations found in
this report involve changes to current County policy that support that new environment.
None of the recommendations of this study are intended for the county as a whole, and
should be limited to a designated revitalization district. All recommendations are based
on a broad planning approach, and many individual policy decisions by the Board of
Commissioners will be required as implementation strategies are developed to set
recommendations in motion.
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Figure I.1: Stone Mountain Highway Location Map. The Study Area shares a boundary with Dekalb County
Gwinnett County line and runs northeasterly to the Snellville city limits.
Stone Mountain Highway (Hwy 78) Revitalization Plan I-1
August 17, 2004
I.B Study Area
Figure I.2: Study Area Boundary. This pilot study area covers 3,800 acres and 5.7 linear miles of Highway 78. The boundary lies approximately 1/2 mile from the highway. The red
Stone Mountain Highway, or US Highway
78 and State Highway 10, from the DeKalb
County line through the center of Snellville
to the Walton County line in Loganville, has
undergone tremendous change over the past
thirty years. Today more than 50,000 vehicles
travel this stretch of road each day. The traffic
issues coupled with safety concerns have
contributed to the decline of some businesses
along the highway. Despite declining quality of
life on the highway, the single-family residential
neighborhoods flanking it are mostly stable
dashed line indicates the extents of the Gwinnett Revitalization District (GRD) defined in Chapter IV. (Also See Appendix B-1.) and a few proposed developments are positive
indicators.
In 1989 the Georgia Department of Transportation
“temporarily” installed a reversible lane system
in the section of 78 between Stone Mountain
and Highway 124. Many residents avoid the
confusing overhead directional arrows and the
so-called “Suicide Lanes” on Highway 78. Eleven
years later in 2000, the Georgia DOT announced
that a median would be installed on Highway 78,
delighting many residents and businesses, but
causing concern for many others.
With that news the businesses and property
owners along the highway, much to their
credit, have formed a stabilizing Community
Improvement District (CID) that has taken
on a myriad of positive initiatives. With their
leadership and energy, the CID has formulated
a vision for the corridor that helps give shape to
their future. This redevelopment plan builds on
that vision and explores new approaches that
will reverse the decline of the area.
I.C Methodology
The methodology utilized is a time-tested
stakeholder process involving interviews,
workshop/charrette sessions and best-
development practices, coupled with the
expertise of a variety of professional disciplines
to create a visionary, yet implementable, master
plan.
I-2 Prepared by Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh,
Robert Charles Lesser, Glatting Jackson, USInfrastructure, and HOK
Introduction
The Stone Mountain Highway Project Team was designed to have a diverse range
of professionals, from urban planning to transportation design, marketing and real
estate, research to sewer and water systems. This arrangement allowed the team to
address revitalization in a holistic fashion and on a number of levels: zoning, financial
incentives, infrastructure and design.
The stakeholder process entailed group interviews with area decision makers,
I.
including homeowners, Gwinnett County, Georgia DOT, business owners, developers,
property managers, school representatives and church leaders. The process allowed
the team to understand, in-depth, the issues facing the pilot area and to seek input
on what would help the revitalization process. The workshop was a more focused
session, with a subset of the stakeholders (Focus Team) coming together to define the
Corridor’s Vision, plan the future, test scenarios and see various ideas for the Stone
Mountain Corridor.
From there the Project Team took the ideas generated from the workshops, tested
and refined them based on numerous measures, including available ROW, national
best-development practices, existing zoning, price of redevelopment parcels, current
age or condition of land improvements, availability of water and sewer, pending
redevelopments, and transportation network and conditions, among others. This
exercise yielded a set of preliminary recommendations.
I.D Project Team
The Stone Mountain Highway Project Team consists of 5 firms. The lead firm is Tunnell-
Spangler-Walsh & Associates, in conjunction with Robert Charles Lesser, Glatting
Jackson, USInfrastructure, as well as HOK as overall Revitalization Study coordination.
Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh & Associates is an Atlanta-based planning and design practice
focused on the principles of smart growth and new urbanism. TSW brings specific
redevelopment and community design experience to the team.
Robert Charles Lesser & Co., LLC is the leading independent knowledge and solutions
firm serving the real estate industry. RCL brings significant regional real estate
experience as well as revitalization strategies.
Glatting Jackson is a regional practice of planners, designers and engineers focused on
community development. Glatting has extensive corridor redevelopment experience and
a national reputation as leaders in transportation planning.
USInfrastructure is a national GIS, environmental and engineering firm with extensive
experience in Gwinnett County.
Stone Mountain Highway (Hwy 78) Revitalization Plan I-3
August 17, 2004
I-4 Prepared by Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh,
Robert Charles Lesser, Glatting Jackson, USInfrastructure, and HOK
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