INDEX
•Mayor Resigns
•Councilmember Takes on Suwanee's Growth
•Falcons Find Suwanee 'A nice place to be'
•Millage Rate Remains Lowest in Gwinnett County
•City Council Meeting Highlights
•Planning and Zoning Commission Notes
Mayor Richard Trice
Resigns; Chief of Police too
Mayor Richard Trice is going out in style. He presided
over his last City Council Meeting June 16 dressed in jeans and a tuxedo shirt and jacket,
explaining that it's something he's always wanted to do. After 10.5 years on City Council,
the last 8.5 as mayor, Trice submitted his resignation June 1, catching many in the City
and on Council by surprise. His resignation was effective June 30.
Trice addressed the nearly capacity audience at the City Council meeting, stating that
"We've gotten a lot done, and had a lot of fun doing it." He includes the new
City Hall/Police Department, City Hall Park, Suwanee Walking Trail, the planting of trees
in medians and elsewhere in the City and the many new and revised ordinances as
accomplishments of which he is most proud. "Suwanee is still a small town," he
noted during the meeting, "if we choose to keep it that way."
Of his unexpected departure, Trice says, "I just felt...it was time for me to go on
to other things. I have not ruled out politics in the future, but need to take a break....
We have a great Council and staff, and I know they will continue to do what is in the best
interests of the City." Trice will be expanding his catering business and spending
more time with his wife, Mary, and 15-year-old daughter.
Trice will continue to be active with the City. He will serve as co-chair for Suwanee Day
1998.
A special election will be held September 15. A candidate will be elected to complete the
mayor's term, which runs through December 31, 1999. Mayor Pro Tem Jimmy Burnette will
serve as Interim Mayor until the election is held. All candidates will be required to
qualify, probably during the first or second week of August. Also during the September 15
election, citizens will vote on a referendum that would allow businesses in Suwanee to
receive an exemption from the Freeport Tax. Because of this tax on inventory, Suwanee is
not competitive with Gwinnett County and other entities in attracting businesses.
Chief Mike Boyd moves to Moultrie
After six years as Suwanee's Chief of Police, Mike Boyd
resigned in May and accepted the top position with the Moultrie (GA) Police Department.
Moultrie, which is 35 minutes from where Boyd grew up, has a population of 15,000 and a
police department staff of 55. Capt. Clyde Byers is acting as Suwanee's Interim Police
Chief while the search process for a new leader is underway. The City expects to hire a
new chief by September 1.
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Suwanee City Council invites you to a Town Hall Meeting.
Council is seeking citizen
comment, particularly on the City's land use plan. The meeting will be held later this
summer.
Check the newspapers and City Hall sign for specific date and time.
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Suwanee
Gets a New (Internet) Address
Soon Suwanee residents will be able to request that
the police department keep an eye on their homes while they're vacationing, business
owners will be able to apply for a business license, and travelers from outside the City
can scour accommodation information, all at one location and all with a few strokes of
their computer keyboard and a modem. The City of Suwanee is on the Internet at
www.suwanee.com.
The City has contracted with Paradise Marketing Group to design the web page. That company
has designed Alpharetta's and Decatur's pages and currently is working on one for College
Park. "This is something we needed to do," notes City Administrator Hardin
Watkins. "Many of our neighboring cities are currently on the Internet. We don't want
to be left behind."
The first edition of the web page is scheduled to be up sometime this summer; until then
an "under construction" notice is posted at Suwanee's web address. Through its
web page, the City eventually will offer various applications online, advertise special
events, provide an online edition of CrossRoads, offer crime prevention links, and be
accessible via e-mail. Other information that is typical of municipal web pages include
historical information, points of interest, facts and figures, a list of community
services and contact people, and business information.
Design of the web page will be paid for through tourism and trade funds, generated through
hotel and motel taxes. The City's page will include a link to a home page for each of the
City's seven hotels. Suwanee's page also will be linked to the state hotel reservation
system that is accessible at interstate rest stops.
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Council Enacts
Moratorium on High-density Residential Development
Suwanee City Council enacted a 180-day moratorium on
high-density residential development during its May 19 meeting. The moratorium was
prompted by a proliferation of requests to rezone land for multifamily use and will allow
Council and City staff to examine and update the comprehensive land use plan and future
land use plans.
In the past three months, the City received five requests to rezone land for multifamily
purposes. The total number of units represented in these requests is well over 1,300.
These five requests will not be affected by the moratorium. Two of the requests already
have been acted upon and the other three are on the agendas of the July Planning and
Zoning and City Council meetings.
In its May meeting, City Council denied a request to rezone an area near Buford Highway
and McGinnis Ferry Road from a single-family designation to one that would allow
apartments at eight units per acre. The Council approved, with several conditions, a
zoning change on Scales Road from light manufacturing to a designation that will allow
owner-occupied cluster homes near the Old Towne district. The developer plans 85-94 units.
On the agenda for July meetings are:
For City Council and citizens, such requests propose a dilemma. Would Suwanee be better off with high-density housing or manufacturing developments of unknown quality? The moratorium is designed to give City Council time to ponder this dilemma and examine land use plans. Also, the City plans to hire a city planner sometime this summer, and addressing this issue will be one of that person's first priorities.
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Council Enacts Moratorium on High-density Residential Development
Suwanee City Council enacted a 180-day moratorium on high-density residential
development during its May 19 meeting. The moratorium was prompted by a proliferation of
requests to rezone land for multifamily use and will allow Council and City staff to
examine and update the comprehensive land use plan and future land use plans.
In the past three months, the City received five requests to rezone land for multifamily
purposes. The total number of units represented in these requests is well over 1,300.
These five requests will not be affected by the moratorium. Two of the requests already
have been acted upon and the other three are on the agendas of the July Planning and
Zoning and City Council meetings.
In its May meeting, City Council denied a request to rezone an area near Buford Highway
and McGinnis Ferry Road from a single-family designation to one that would allow
apartments at eight units per acre. The Council approved, with several conditions, a
zoning change on Scales Road from light manufacturing to a designation that will allow
owner-occupied cluster homes near the Old Towne district. The developer plans 85-94 units.
On the agenda for July meetings are:
For City Council and citizens, such requests propose a dilemma. Would Suwanee be better off with high-density housing or manufacturing developments of unknown quality? The moratorium is designed to give City Council time to ponder this dilemma and examine land use plans. Also, the City plans to hire a city planner sometime this summer, and addressing this issue will be one of that person's first priorities.
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Councilmember Takes on Suwanee's Growth
To members of Suwanee's City Council "grow" is one
of those four-letter words. Not that all of its connotations are negative. It's just that
"grow" and its six-letter counterpart "growth" have to be implemented
very carefully.
It was the desire to become a part of Suwanee's growth management efforts that motivated
Alex Stone to run for City Council last fall. As chair of Suwanee's Zoning and Appeals
Board, on which he had served for three years, Stone could see that growth in the City was
about to explode, and he wanted a role in making Suwanee's policy decisions.
"To manage growth effectively," he says, "you have to find that fine line
between the interests of residents and those of commercial people. It's a tough job, but
we've got to do it.... The last thing the people of Suwanee want is to see our town become
like Jimmy Carter Boulevard or Pleasant Hill Road."
Indeed, it was Suwanee's small-town atmosphere that lured Stone and his family here
five years ago. The Stone family lived on the other side of I-85 in Lawrenceville for 10
years and as they passed through Suwanee on their way to Lake Lanier, they came to love
the small-town, community setting. In 1993, they moved into the Settles Bridge
subdivision.
Each workday, Stone, a genuine Atlanta native, makes the
clogged commute to Little Five Points where he serves as vice president for technology of
the Mutual Savings Credit Union, which serves Atlanta Gas Light employees and their
families. His wife, Donna, works at Travel, Inc. in Duluth. And his daughter Kelley,
graduated in June from North Gwinnett High School where she was named student of the year
in the medical services area; son Kevin, a rising senior, was named outstanding
architectural student.
When his kids, work, and City Council duties allow him the time, Stone, a Georgia State
graduate, enjoys yard work and gardening as well as golf. "If I break 95," he
says, "I'm doing good."
Stone has personal knowledge about the "good" job that Suwanee's Police
Department is doing. On the night before last November's City Council election, Stone
decided to set out the remainder of his campaign signs, a task that kept him out until
about 3 a.m. Starting around midnight, every half-hour or so, different Suwanee police
officers would shine their spotlights on him and inquire what he was up to. They wanted to
be sure he was putting up signs and not taking them down. "I have first-hand
experience that they're doing a good job," Stone notes.
His goal for the remainder of his first year as a councilmember is to do a good job of
managing Suwanee's surge of rapid growth.
Falcons find Suwanee ‘a nice place to be’
The rumors that the Atlanta Falcons are leaving Suwanee is "a misconception," according to Jim Hay, executive vice president of administration. In a May phone conversation, Hay said that "no decision has been made" for the National League Falcons to leave Suwanee, where the team has had training camp since 1978. While this may be the last summer that Falcons will hold summer training in Suwanee, Hay states that the team will return to the City for regular season practices. Operations at the current conference center will likely cease, however.
City Administrator Hardin Watkins is glad to know that the Falcons will remain in town during football season. "It’s highly desirable to have a professional team in town," notes the self-acclaimed sports enthusiast. "Everyone throughout metro Atlanta and Georgia knows where Suwanee is because the Falcons are here.... Their presence affects pride in the community."
The team continues to look at several other places for summer training camp. Among those areas being considered, according to non-Falcon personnel, are Columbus, Georgia, and Wisconsin. Beginning in summer 1999, the team will be absent from Suwanee during the five-six week training period, but the team offices will remain here.
Generally, Hay notes, players are happy to be in Suwanee and away from "the hustle and bustle of downtown." The team enjoys a good relationship with the City and its businesses, he adds. "Suwanee is just a nice place to be."
New academy serves up appetizing sports facility
As home of the Atlanta Falcon’s training facilities, Suwanee always has had a taste for sports. With completion of the Suwanee Sports Academy, Suwanee’s hunger will be well-fed.
About 95 percent complete, the Sports Academy includes seven regulation NBA courts that can be converted for volleyball, a one-sixth mile indoor track, free-weight room, aerobics room, full-service concession area, locker rooms, party room, trainer’s room and conference rooms.
The Suwanee Sports Academy, says partner and program director Robert Hanna fills a recreational void in the area. "There was no quality facility...that could handle major tournaments," Hanna says. "We saw that there was no one place for youth to congregate. Our emphasis is on developing youth’s character, and the appetizer, the thing that brings them to the table, is sports."
The facility will be used largely for tournaments and leagues. In March, 96 teams participated in the Duluth Shoot Out, and three basketball tournaments took place in May. In June, children from all over the country participated in the Adidas Junior Basketball Camp, and summer basketball camps will be offered for kids 6-15.
The Atlanta Trojans of the United States Basketball League (USBL), a semi-professional league for players trying to make the NBA cut, played home games this spring at the Suwanee Sports Academy. Some local players on the Trojans included Michael Maddox from Georgia Tech, Pertha Robinson and Lorenzo Hall of the University of Georgia, and Antwon Hall from Life College. Scouts from the Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Lakers attended games. "You get a lot better view of the court than you would at the Dome," Hanna notes.
Youth and adult basketball and volleyball leagues will be available. The Sports Academy also plans to offer more daytime programming, particularly for mothers of preschoolers, in the near future. For more information, contact the Suwanee Sports Academy at 770-614-6686.
Millage rate remains lowest in Gwinnett County
At its May meeting, City Council set the "new" property tax rate for fiscal year 1998-99. The rate will remain at 2.5 mills, the same as it has been for the past nine years. For a homeowner with a house valued at $150,000, this means a payment of $150 in property tax. (All property is assessed at 40 percent of fair market value.) Property tax bills are mailed out in November.
A 1997 study by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce compared millage rates for various cities within the county:
Berkley Lake 7.5
Duluth 5.55
Lawrenceville 3.0
Lilburn 3.75
Norcross 5.0
Snellville 6.0
Sugar Hill 4.0
Suwanee 2.5
Help make
Suwanee Day 1998
the best ever!
Volunteers are needed
to chair committess, plan, and coordinate
this fall event.
To participate, call Lisa Pendley at City Hall,
770-945-8996.
City Council meeting highlights
March 17 Council meeting:
• Council approved, with several stipulations, rezoning of 43 acres fronting Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road near Buford Highway to C-2 from R-140. The property is owned by Gateway Properties, and the proposed use is for a commercial subdivision. Stipulations approved by Council included the provision of interparcel access throughout the development and the use of all-brick construction.
• Council approved the new Telecommunications Tower Ordinance, one of the strictest in the state, and repealed the moratorium on telecommunication tower applications. The new ordinance restricts all new towers to areas zoned M-1 (light industrial) and requires the towers to be camouflaged or applicants to provide an explanation for why it cannot be done.
• Carol Hassell, a resident of Westbrook Road, was appointed to the Planning and Zoning Board.
• Council approved the provision of long-term disability insurance as a benefit for all City employees for fiscal year 1998-99, to begin July 1.
• Councilmember Dave Williams noted that Gwinnett County was considering a rezoning request for R-75 with a special use permit from R-200 on 133 acres on Westbrook Road near Smithtown Road. The proposed use it to build 333 homes on 133 acres. Council directed City Administrator Hardin Watkins to send a letter to the Gwinnett County Commission stating the City’s opposition to the proposed rezoning and interest in seeing low-density development on Westbrook Road. Williams also planned to attend County rezoning hearing and to speak with County Commissioner Tommy Hughes regarding the City’s position.
March 30 called Council meeting:
• Council approved application by Monterrey Mexican Restaurant for a liquor license to serve alcoholic beverages by the drink for consumption on the premises only.
April 21 Council meeting:
Council authorized Gwinnett County Tax Commissioner to accept credit cards for tax payments collected on behalf of the City of Suwanee.
June 16 Council meeting:
• A plaque was presented to Mayor Richard Trice in appreciation of his service to the City. The plaque, adorned with a gavel and a photo of the new City Hall, read: "In sincere appreciation to Mayor Richard A. Trice for your years of leadership, dedication, insight, and vision, we the citizens of Suwanee, Georgia, thank you from the bottom of our hearts." The mayor’s wife, Mary, also was presented with a plaque, embossed with the City of Suwanee seal, in appreciation for her allowing the City to "borrow" her husband for the past 10.5 years.
• Council voted to amend density calculations for development puposes. In determining density, developers will be required to include in calculations only 50 percent of land that is unsuitable for development.
• Eric Haase was appointed as part-time Associate Judge with the Municipal Court, pending judicial qualification and a background check.
• With the resignation of Mayor Richard Trice, Councilmember Alex Stone will assume leadership of the City’s Tourism and Trade Committee.
Planning and Zoning Commission notes
March 3 meeting:
• Rezoning request for C-3 from C-2 denied for Gwinco Boulevard site for Applebee’s Restaurant. Instead, commission approved a special use permit for C-2 that will allow the restaurant to sell alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises.
• Eva Kennedy Office Building site plan was approved.
• Preliminary plan for Estate of Martin’s Farm Subdivision, which will include 21 homes, was approved.
April 7 meeting:
• Recommended approval of rezoning request for C-2 from M-1 by Suwanee Self Storage to include truck rental services. Recommendation included several conditions, including the restriction of automotive or truck repair on the premises.
• Chevron site plan for Peachtree Industrial Boulevard location was approved.
May 5 meeting:
• Request to rezone 25 acres on Buford Highway from RM-8 to R-100 for use as an apartment community was approved with a reduction in the number of units not to exceed 140. Also, the exterior of units fronting Buford Highway will be required to reflect the architectural theme of the community and will be brick on all four sides.
• A recommendation was made to City Council to approve an application for C-2 zoning with a special use for packaged sales of alcoholic beverages (with conditions of no consumption of alcoholic beverages on premises and retails sales of alcoholic beverages only) for Chevron site on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard.
On the trail again Repairs to two-mile Suwanee Creek Trail, which stretches from Suwanee Elementary School to the Martins Farm subdivision, will be completed by July 15. Increased flooding of Suwanee Creek caused the foundation to erode and the boardwalk to be damaged by floating debris, resulting in a trail that looked like this. The repairs will be completed by Good Contracting at a cost of $7,500.
Senior citizen of the year
Keith McDaniel, a Sugar Hill citizen who is active in the Suwanee Seniors Group, was named Gwinnett County Senior Citizen of the Year. McDaniel is the former principal, basketball coach, and baseball coach at North Gwinnett High School.
Brochure promotes Suwanee hotels
Some 10,000 brochures invite passers-through to "stay with people you know." A promotional piece for Suwanee’s seven hotels and motels, the brochures will be located at the Georgia Welcome Center on I-85 South near Lavonia, Georgia, the airport, Gwinnett Civic and Convention Center, and the Welcome Center as you enter the state from Alabama. The brochure offers hotel discounts and lists dining facilities and area attractions.
Confiscated money buys flashlights
With $800 confiscated in a drug seizure, the Suwanee Police Department has purchased eight rechargeable flashlights that have been mounted on patrol cars.
Several new personnel recently have joined the City of Suwanee staff: And City Council has approved the hiring of two additional staff members. New to City Hall are:
• Buford native, Randall Johnson, has joined the City as an Equipment Operator in the Public Works Department. He previously was in the U.S. Army, stationed in Hawaii where a gallon of milk cost $6.
• Thomas Rayton, Revenue Collections Officer, is a Morehouse College graduate who previously worked as a mental health counselor. "That’s why he’s here," quipped a veteran City Hall staffer.
• Hilda Roberts, who grew up in Suwanee and worked for the City eight years ago, has returned as Development Coordinator. Most recently she worked in the credit department at Kubota International.
• Kyle Tilley, a certified building inspector who comes to Suwanee from Henry County’s building inspection department, is a graduate of Southern Tech in Marietta.
• Trey Gerard and Eric Hoxter have completed their training and were sworn in as Suwanee police officers during the April City Council meeting.
Two new positions will be filled in the near future. A national search is underway to hire a city planner. It’s unusual for a city experiencing the kind of growth that Suwanee is to be without a planner, notes City Administrator Hardin Watkins. By comparison, Duluth has eight full-time staff members in planning. The city planner will serve as the City’s chief contact with developers, oversee rezonings and variances, work on annexation, update both the comprehensive and future land use plans, seek grants, and manage the City’s construction projects. Up to this point, Precision Planning has served Suwanee on a contract basis as planning personnel. This position will be filled sometime this summer.
Also, the City expected in mid-July to hire an administrative assistant to provide support to the City Administrator and City Clerk and to follow up on citizens’ complaints.
Since late February through the the first week of June, the following new businesses have applied for a business license from the City of Suwanee:
Custom Store Cabinets * Monterrey Mexican Restaurant * Atlanta Network Systems, Inc. * CTAC, LLC * Leslie’s Skin and Nails * MPCS Atlanta * Suwanee Welding and Fabrication * Boise Cascade * Michel’s Salon and Spas Designers * Michel’s Salon and Day Spa * Gift’s Extraordinaire * Buy Design * North Georgia Spinal Institute * Cellular Center * Intelligent Strategies and Information Solutions, Inc. * Portable Radiological Imaging * Professional Radiological Imaging * Management Leadership Solution * Action Environmental Group, Inc. * Magnolia Blossoms * Address for Success * Suwanee Realty Residential * Pre-Press to Printing, Inc. * Car Craft Paint Collision Repair, Inc. * Mobley’s Automotive * Johnny’s Pizza * E.J. Williams, Inc. * Cash Compliance and Accounting * Thomas Hazelrigs * Gardner’s Home Improvement * Grounds Master, Inc. * Nation, Inc. * Key Ingredient * Anthony T. Good Contracting * Preferred Restoration, Inc. * Advanced Machine Tool Corporation * Comfort Inn (new owner) * Sure-Coat Painting * Decorating Den Interiors * Ultimate Appearance * Builder’s Floorcovering * Reliance Roofing * JV Heating and Air Conditioning * Ark Appliances * Graphic Production Center * Eyewear for Less, Inc. * Quad Tech, LLC * Advanced Steel Truss * Caswyck McGinnis Apartments * E Magination Station * U & I Trading
FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY
Calls for Service 354 325 426 447
Misdemeanors/Felony Arrests 41 44 74 58
Residential Alarm Calls 51 53 44 55
Business Alarm Calls 52 36 46 61
Traffic Accidents Investigated 26 46 29 61
Speeding Citations 68 32 48 48
DUI Arrests 5 2 9 8
Verbal Warnings 410 425 384 349
The following is a year-to-date (through April) comparison of police activities for 1998 and 1997:
1997 1998 CHANGE
Calls for Service 1,282 1,515 +233
Arrests 120 218 +98
Alarm Calls Answered 280 367 +87
Traffic Accidents 139 137 -2
Total Traffic Citations Issued 406 825 +419
Speeding Citations 189 221 +32
DUI Arrests 22 19 -3
Verbal Warnings 1,374 1,524 +150
JULY
7 Planning and Zoning Commission, 6 p.m.
9 City Council Workshop, 6:30 p.m.
21 City Council Meeting, 7 p.m.
28 Planning and Zoning Appeals Board, 6:30 p.m.
AUGUST
4 Planning and Zoning Commission, 6 p.m.
6 City Council Workshop, 6:30 p.m.
18 City Council Meeting, 7 p.m.
25 Planning and Zoning Appeals Board, 6:30 p.m.