suwanee: how we got here and where we are going

SUWANEE: HOW WE GOT HERE AND
WHERE WE ARE GOING
Creating Quality of Life Through Urban Design and Creative Placemaking
Marty Allen – City Manager
Denise Brinson – Assistant City Mgr., Economic Dev.
Alyssa Durden – Planning Division Director
CITY OF SUWANEE – 770-945-8996
From this…
…to THIS.
….and THIS.
So….what went into making
Suwanee Town Center?
BUILT TOWN CENTER
Developed Open Space Master Plan
Developed 2000
Comprehensive
Sold Open Space Bonds
CREATED
URA
on the Open Market
Plan
Master Planned
DESIGN CHARETTE
Shadowbrook
SOLD TOWN
Public Hearings for
Urban Redevelopment
Plan
DESIGNED TOWN CENTER
Public Meetings for
Old Town Master Plan
TOWN CENTER REAL ESTATE
declared
CENTER
Hired Financial Advisers for Open
Space Bond
ADVISERS
TRACTS
URA Bonds Challenged in Court
PUBLIC MEETINGS FOR
OPEN SPACE PLAN
downtown slum
OPEN SPACE
REFERENDUM
BETTER PARKS CAMPAIGN
Purchased Town
Center
Developed
FUNDRAISING
Town Center Master
tracts
Hired Bond Attorneys
SUWANEE SOIREE
Plan
for Open Space Bond TOWN CENTER Developed 2002
COVENANTS
Town Center Market Analysis
Old
Hired Appraisers for Town Center
Town Master Plan
DEVELOPED 2002 URBAN REDEVELOPMENT
“2020 Town Master Plan” – Two Strategic
planning efforts
1999: “2020 Town Master Plan”
A Shift in Philosophy
• Community desire for more
parks
• Focus on revitalizing Old
Town
• Maintain/Create a unique
identity in Gwinnett County
• Provide options for new
development forms –
especially more compact and
mixed use development
2001: “Recreation and Open Space Needs
Assessment”
• Approximately 9 acres of
city park land in 1999
• Focus on passive parks
• Led to $17.7 million bond
referendum
• Now at 350+ acres of
protected open space
58%
of voters APPROVED
the Open Space
referendum
42%
of voters OPPOSED it
2001: Old Town Master Plan
(Urban Redevelopment Plan)
• Second Strategic Plan.
• Studied potential
enhancements to the Old
Town Area.
• Recommended a focus on
building a New Town
Center to complement the
historic Old Town Area.
•Subsequently grand-
fathered into the LCI
program.
•Which led to creation of
an Urban Redevelopment
District…….
Previous planning efforts over 3+ years led to
the City purchasing 23 acres of land,
undertaking additional master planning and
development of the....
2003: Suwanee New Town Center Master Plan
•
•
A Master Planned 60+
acre mixed-use project
City purchased 23 acres
•
10-acre Town Center Park
•
•
•
•
Town Center Avenue
Amphitheatre
Interactive fountain
13-acre Mixed-Use Town
Center
•
•
31 Multi-family units
130,000 Square feet
office, commercial, and
civic uses
Shadowbrook at Town Center
• Bowen Family
Builders Developed
40 adjacent acres
• 116 Townhomes
• 85 Single-family units
• 18,000 square feet of
office and commercial
uses
• 14.5 acres of open space
Suwanee Town Center Master Plan
Design Elements
• 10-Acre Park Anchor
• Mixed-Use Development
• ‘Downtown’ Street Character
• Critical Mass of Development
• Realistic Development Market
• Connectivity
• Civic Presence
On the city-owned 23
acres the City planned:
• A Public Park
(10 acres)
• 4 Mixed-Use
Development
Opportunities fronting
the park (11 acres)
• New City Hall site
(2 acres)
4
3
2
1
Funding
Various sources have been used to fund the purchase and
construction of Town Center Park ($5 million+ invested)
• Urban Redevelopment Authority Bonds. - funded
acquisition of the 13 acre “mixed-use area”
• General Obligation Bonds – Open Space Bond Program
– funded the park land acquisition and part of its
construction
• SPLOST Parks and Recreation Proceeds. - funded part of
the park construction
• SPLOST Transportation Proceeds. - funded construction
of the new roadway (Town Center Avenue)
So…Is That It????
What’s Next…
• Buford Highway Improvements
• Downtown Suwanee Master Plan
• Town Center Phase II Master Plan
• Terwilliger-Pappas Mixed-use Project
• Focus on connections
• Generated idea to reconstruct
Buford Highway
• Reinforced the importance of Buford Highway as a connection
between Town Center and Old Town
Buford Highway Context-Sensitive Design
Buford Highway Today
Buford Highway Tomorrow
Buford Highway Tomorrow
Downtown Suwanee Master Plan Update
Town Center Phase II Master Plan
Terwilliger-Pappas Mixed-Use Project
Extension of Town Center as Illustrated in 2015 Downtown Suwanee Master Plan
Project details:
 Developer: Terwilliger-Pappas
 5 Story building
 10,000 Square feet of commercial space on the first floor
 235 Class “A” apartment units above
55% One-bedroom or studio units
40% Two-bedroom units
12 or fewer 3 bedroom units
Average size 956 square feet.
 Multi-level parking deck