Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District

2009 Annual Report

MISSION STATEMENT:

To increase property values, promote business development and improve quality of life for all those who live, work and play in the village

CREATING A S A F E R C O M M U N I T Y

GOAL: Decrease Crime

For the third year in a row, residents, businesses and property owners in Gwinnett Village have benefited from lower crime rates in key categories. In 2009, Gwinnett Village introduced its newest crime deterent: a team of four full-time private security officers who patrol the area during the crucial overnight hours, seven days a week.

According to 2009 figures from the Gwinnett Police, crime continues to decline in the CID:

Robberies declined 23%
Commercial burglaries (break-ins) were down 17%
Thefts (shoplifting, car break-ins) declined 12%

The CID strategy for reducing crime began three years ago, as community leaders and the Gwinnett Police Department worked with the CID board to designate Gwinnett Village as a Targeted Enforcement Zone (TEZ). Under the TEZ umbrella, the CID, the City of Norcross, and the county police work together to track and eliminate crime with a 24/7 network of highly visible, strategically placed public and private security patrols. The CID has funded over 12,500 hours of extra police patrols in the area.

The results? A much safer, more stable place to live, work, and do business - even in the face of a tough economic climate.

"Crime reduction has been a top priority for the CID since the beginning, and we are now seeing the results of our efforts for the third year in a row."

Ann Cameron, Transwestern Commercial Services CID board member

CID Funded-Security Program - Targeted Enforcement Zone

Phase 1: Implemented June 2007 - Two parttime Gwinnett County offificers, seven days a week

Phase 2: Implemented December 2007 - Two full-time City of Norcross offificers, seven days a week

Phase 3: Implemented February 2009 - Four full-time private security offificers, seven days a week

BUILDING A N A T T R A C T I V E C O M M U N I T Y

GOAL: Improve Curb Appeal

Brightly blooming flowers, roadways free of litter and graffiti, and attractively landscaped medians and roadsides - that’s curb appeal! All these changes and more are part of a concentrated effort by the CID to improve the appearance and economic vitality of Gwinnett Village.

As any real estate agent can attest, the hard-dollar value of seemingly minor cosmetic improvements can make a BIG difference. In a commercial district such as Gwinnett Village, these first impressions can mean the difference between customers who stop and spend... and those who pass by. In fact, numerous qualityof- life studies verify that clean, well-maintained communities attract more business and enjoy greater prosperity and lower crime rates.

Gateway Projects
In 2008, Gwinnett Village set the bar high with several Gateway Projects - dramatic landscaping improvements at the I-85 interchanges with Jimmy Carter Boulevard, Indian Trail Road and Beaver Ruin Road.

This year, the CID continued its beautification efforts with strategic landscaping projects that built upon these Gateway projects. Our 2009 efforts focused on:

Median improvements on Beaver Ruin Road and Oakbrook Parkway
Streetscape improvements on Buford Highway and Jimmy Carter Boulevard

Right-of-Way Maintenance
Historically, right-of-way maintenance is handled by the county or city - but in today's economic climate, deep budget cuts have often left right-of-way vegetation uncut.

In Gwinnett Village, the CID has shown visionary leadership by increasing its responsibilities for right-of-way maintenance and ensuring that roadways continue to meet Gwinnett Village standards. The CID now maintains almost 25 miles of streets within the district, mowing right-of-ways, trimming trees and shrubs, and picking up litter on a weekly basis. Our crews collected more than 2,000 bags of debris in 2009!

ENHANCING M O B I L T Y

GOAL: Decrease Traffic Congestion

Traffic!! It's become a fact of life in metro Atlanta and recent polls tell us that traffic congestion remains one of the top concerns of those who live, work and play in Gwinnett.

The CID continues to lead the district's "Mobility Movement" by seeking innovative solutions to traffic woes. In 2009, the CID and its partners made significant strides on two fronts: (1) improving specific roadways-primarily along Jimmy Carter Boulevard; and (2) exploring innovative options such as light rail transit.

CID-supported road improvement projects in 2009 include the following:

Jimmy Carter Boulevard Improvements

Repaving
I-85 ramp access
Replacing the bridge over I-85
Intersection with Singleton Road
Intersection with Norcross Tucker Road
Intersection with Goshen Springs Road
Intersection with Buford Highway

Other Roadway Improvements

Brook Hollow Parkway at Indian Trail Road
Access management on Indian Trail Road

"Light Rail" for Gwinnett?
CID leadership believes that maintaining and improving quality of life in the decades to come will require more than wider roads and bridge replacements. A multi-phased approach will need to include some form of light rail. With support from state and local transit experts, Gwinnett Village and Gwinnett Place CID leaders are exploring a vision that will connect Gwinnett County to the entire metro region.

In mid-2009, Gwinnett Village completed a feasibility and conceptual layout design of a light rail system to connect Gwinnett Arena with MARTA's Doraville station. In this plan, the line would begin near Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth and run parallel to I-85, with stops at Gwinnett Place Mall, the Indian Trail Park-and-Ride lot, and the Jimmy Carter Boulevard industrial area (three stops in Gwinnett Village), before connecting to the Doraville MARTA station.

In plans developed by the Transit Planning Board, the light rail system would continue
from the Doraville MARTA station around I-285 to the Cumberland area in Cobb County.

The Gwinnett Village CID currently has a grant from the Atlanta Regional Commission to
develop detailed ridership projections and a market analysis required for federal funding.

INCENTIVIZING R E V I T A L I Z A T I O N

GOAL: Encourage Redevelopment

Gwinnett Village now has three county-approved Tax Allocation Districts with pending approval of an Opportunity Zone by the state (parts of the district are already in a state-approved Opportunity Zone). The two initiatives were championed by the CID to encourage revitalization.

Tax Allocation Districts
In late 2008, the City of Norcross authorized a TAD along Brook Hollow Parkway. In October 2009, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners authorized the creation of two additional TADs in Gwinnett Village. These special districts allow funds collected within their boundaries to be used on such items as infrastructure improvements, environmental cleanup, or demolition of aging, vacant buildings. These improvements, in turn, encourage redevelopment of older shopping centers and industrial buildings.

Over the next 15 years, the TADs are projected to spur almost $2 billion in private capital investment adding more than 16,000 jobs!

Gwinnett Village Tax Allocation Districts:
I-85 and Jimmy Carter Boulevard
I-85 and Indian Trail Road
Pinnacle Way and Brook Hollow Parkway

Opportunity Zones
Portions of Gwinnett Village have also been submitted for approval as an Opportunity Zone, which encourages job creation by allowing the maximum tax credit for new jobs created within the zone. In real-dollar terms, the program provides a $3,500 incentive per job to create employment opportunities in the district! All of the CID's initiatives - from traffic improvements to redevelopment incentives - have been strategically designed to work hand-in-hand with the Economic Development mission of Partnership Gwinnett, the county's long-range economic development plan.

"The Gwinnett Village CID knows that the best way to ensure a prosperous future is to lay the groundwork now and get things done, even if the economy is sluggish at the moment. They've made significant strides in improving the area's attractiveness to businesses and investors."
Nick Masino, Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce

BUILDING A S E N S E O F C O M M U N I T Y

GOAL: Develop Community Pride

Along with improving the community's appearance, the Gwinnett Village CID and its partners are also working to improve community services.

New Offices! The Gwinnett Village CID and several partner organizations moved into new, centrally located office space in the heart of Gwinnett Village in third-quarter 2009. The new headquarters at 5855 Jimmy Carter Boulevard proclaims "Gwinnett Village" in big bold letters for everyone to see.

The Gwinnett Village Financial Services Center opened in October 2009 in space provided in the new Gwinnett Village CID building. The financial center, a joint project of United Way and the Gwinnett Village Community Alliance, offers an array of financial and career services aimed at increasing economic well-being among families living or working within Gwinnett Village. Services include budget counseling, debt management, small business development, career development, free tax services, sustainable homeownership programs, foreclosure prevention, and many other consumer and small-business financial services.

Another element to building community pride is improving the connectivity between neighbors and neighborhoods. New sidewalks along Jimmy Carter Boulevard and other streets make pedestrian access and connectivity greater than ever before.

Sidewalks, improved streetscapes, attractive landscaping, and continuing efforts to ease traffific congestion remain high on the CID's priority list in making Gwinnett Village an even better place to live, visit, and do business... every day.

MAXIMIZING E V E R Y D O L L A R

GOAL: Leverage CID Funding

In today's economic climate, maximizing funds is critical to any organization. The CID has been successful in attacting funding from other state, local and federal entities. Since 2007, Gwinnett Village CID has leveraged its revenue by almost 40%. This means, for every one dollar of revenue, the CID has returned and invested almost $1.40 back into the community. These investments include programs and initiatives that were envisioned, prioritized and executed by the stakeholders of the CID.

The Gwinnett Village CID has a tight, focused strategy to navigate the current economic climate. We will continue to work with local,
state, and federal partners to explore and leverage new opportunities that will bring positive improvements to the district.

Successful funding awarded in 2009

U.S. Congress and Senate awarded federal funds for the Jimmy Carter Blvd. bridge replacement project.
The Georgia Department of Transportation provided a GATEway Grant for Jimmy Carter Blvd. at I-85.
Atlanta Regional Commission funded the CID’s I-85 corridor Light-Rail Transit Ridership and Marketability Study.
Gwinnett County 2009 SPLOST funds support the upgrade at Singleton Road and Jimmy Carter Blvd.
The City of Norcross is helping fund the Buford Highway/Jimmy Carter Blvd. Intersection Feasibility Study.