Residents fight to stop a public restroom from being built in their Gwinnett neighborhood

A Gwinnett County neighborhood is pushing back against a proposal that includes a public restroom in future improvements of a nature preserve, citing additional safety concerns.

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The Norcross City Council is looking for ways to improve the seven-acre Johnson Dean Nature Preserve that’s tucked away next door to homes inside of a residential neighborhood near downtown Norcross.

As city leaders work to award a contract for a developer to begin making improvements, neighbors say the proposal which includes future plans for a pavilion and a public restroom is unwanted and potentially unsafe.

“Who knows what traffic could come through here,” asked Brady Rinehart, who launched a petition last week to block plans for the construction of a restroom. “It’s the security of my children that’s at stake.”

Rinehart lives nearby and says he and other neighbors have raised concerns about the potential for homeless individuals setting up camp near the proposed restroom so close to houses.

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