Gwinnett County Commission Chair Nicole Love Hendrickson used Friday’s State of the County address to roll out an ambitious redevelopment push aimed at turning long-dormant retail sites and underused land into jobs, housing and research-driven industry. At the center of her pitch: the troubled Gwinnett Place Mall and the Rowen Convergence Center, which she cast as twin anchors for the county’s next growth wave.
Hendrickson framed the plan as careful, long-term stewardship rather than a rush for quick wins, stressing planning, preservation and community trust as the guiding principles. In a summary of the speech, Gwinnett County quotes her saying, “The future of Gwinnett is not a distant dream. It’s a decision.”
County officials are reviewing proposals to overhaul the struggling Gwinnett Place Mall into a mixed-use district and are seeking plans for a 106-acre tract along Jimmy Carter Boulevard that leaders say the county partly acquired from fiber-maker Lightera. As reported by Atlanta News First, the goal is to break ground on the Jimmy Carter project within the next couple of years. Hendrickson said future redevelopment would be tied directly to the county’s affordable housing strategy.
Rowen Convergence Center Aims To Anchor Life-Sciences Growth
The Rowen Convergence Center, a key piece of a 2,000-acre research and innovation district along State Route 316, is being marketed as a magnet for pharmaceutical, agricultural and technology companies that could deliver substantial jobs and investment. Project leaders say bidding is underway for the site’s first vertical building, according to GPB.
Stone Mountain Site And Transit Upgrades
Another big swing is unfolding at the former Stone Mountain Tennis Center, which Gwinnett approved selling to Fuqua Acquisitions in 2024 for a mixed-use redevelopment featuring retail, multifamily housing and a dedicated share of affordable units, Fox 5 Atlanta reported. To knit these projects together, officials are banking on transit: the county landed a $20 million RAISE grant to overhaul the Gwinnett Place Transit Center into a two-story, multimodal hub that leaders describe as a “critical link” for the area’s revitalization, according to Gwinnett County…