In a couple of weeks, the Norcross City Council is set to finalize the feasibility study for a 2.1-mile segment of the Piedmont Pathway in Gwinnett County, which would create a new park and greenspace.
Carlos Perez, president of the city’s consultant Perez Planning + Design, said the project’s inclusion in the county’s buildout of its path system could eventually provide regional connections to DeKalb County, Lawrenceville, and north Fulton County.
Early design phase
“If they decide to approve it, then this [concept study] positions the project to compete for federal dollars,” Perez said. “Norcross already has the Greenway, which has received federal dollars and positions the city to receive more because they’ve done a good job as stewards of that money.”
Right now, the site of the planned Piedmont Pathway is a heavily wooded area surrounding Beaver Ruin Creek, which some residents described as a “messy swamp.” The vision is to put an Atlanta Beltline-style path and boardwalk above the creek bed, with recreational areas in open areas between residential streets.
The next step, assuming approval, is to get funding for design and engineering plans.
A few residents, attending the open house and living on the north side of Buford Highway, said they have been hearing about the project for years and fully support it.
“We have nothing in this area … not a lot of walkability,” one woman said. “If you drive up to Pickneyville Park [on the border of Berkley Lake and Peachtree Corners], you can do some loops and get a mile and a half, two miles. But to have actual trails inside the city is a big deal.”
Getting the path funded
Because the city is planning to tap federal funding through the Atlanta Regional Commission and Georgia DOT, Norcross would need to match 20% of project costs. Residents and city staff at the open house said it’s a “good deal” and “real opportunity.”
Robert Forro, a local homebuilder and member of the city’s public arts commission, said many property owners view change negatively. Forro said he likes the project, especially with federal funding and a potential stormwater tie-in.
“Just the sheer act of doing this is going to make all of the land around it more valuable,” Forro said. “It increases the tax base, the money … you have to be visionary as a government official. Change can be bad, but it also can be great.”
Connecting to surrounding communities
Norcross Parks Superintendent Mike Jones said the goal of the city’s trails master plan is to connect residents in different neighborhood pockets to commercial areas. Like dozens of other metro Atlanta cities, connectivity is a priority.
The goal is to connect neighborhoods south of Buford Highway (US 23) between Beaver Ruin Road (SR 378) and Jimmy Carter Boulevard (SR 140) to historic downtown Norcross via shared-use paths along Mitchell Road.
Meanwhile, the city solicited construction bids for the Norcross Greenway project. It’s about 3.3 miles of shared-use paths beginning southeast of Buford Highway (SR 13) on South Cemetery Street and ending at Pinnacle Way/Beaver Ruin Road.
The path is expected to be 10 feet wide and constructed in five segments, with on-street and off-street sections, including two bridges and two boardwalks. When complete, it will connect to Beaver Ruin Road, creating a continuous 4.8-mile loop.
The Norcross Greenway will also connect to Gwinnett County’s bus service, which runs local service in the Buford Highway, Mitchell Road, and Beaver Ruin Road corridors, as well as the Doraville MARTA station.
