Construction at the NW Corner of Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and Highway 20 Intersection
As the clearing progresses between Peachtree Industrial, Highway 20, and Hillcrest, I thought it would be helpful to revisit those cases, which were approved in the Fall of 2021. The clearing is actually for two different developments, one consisting of 300 apartments, townhouses, and rowhouses, and another consisting of 269 apartments and 20 townhouses.
Both developments are being required to build Greenway segments that the City will then attach to the rest of the Greenway with a $5.2 million pedestrian bridge across Highway 20. $2.6 million in funding for the bridge is expected to come from Gwinnett County SPLOST, while the remaining $2.6 will be funded by Sugar Hill taxpayers.
The City of Sugar Hill is requiring both developers to pay for traffic impact studies, including signal warrant analyses, to determine if traffic lights are needed at their primary driveways. This would potentially place two new sets of traffic lights near the large intersection of PIB and Highway 20, one at Stanley Street and another just north of the intersection on PIB. Since these developments were approved, City officials have mentioned having a signal at Stanley Street multiple times, indicating that those plans are being solidified. There has been no mention recently of a signal north of the intersection on PIB.
The “Sugar Bowl”
The 16.3-acre site closest to Peachtree Industrial Boulevard just north of the intersection with Hwy 20 is tentatively called the "Sugar Bowl" by the developer. It will be 300 total units, consisting of 154 apartments in two buildings (one is three stories and the other is four stories with a partial basement and the maximum height of the buildings is 51'). There will also be 104 three-story townhouses and 42 four-story rowhouses. (Rowhouses and townhouses are both considered single-family attached housing.) The developer's letter of intent states, "All residential units are currently planned to be rental units." The developer anticipates building the project in phases.
When this came before the Planning Commission and City Council in 2021, the developer said the rental rate would be $799-$2,199/month. Two or more years after that, when these units are built and available, I suspect those numbers will change.
The City is requiring the developer to include a minimum of 2000 square feet of commercial space, which does not have to be built at the same time as the residential part of the project. According to the application and site plan, the commercial space seems to consist solely of parking spaces designed for food trucks and a couple of small "retail containers." In the rendering, these two containers appear to be about the size of a shipping container that would fit on a semi.
The "Sugar Bowl" complex will have two driveways: one off of Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and another off of Hillcrest Drive.
https://cityofsugarhill.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/RZ-21-007-EPACK.pdf
“Sugar Hill Residences”
The second site, off of Hillcrest and Highway 20, is a 29.2-acre assemblage that will consist of 269 apartments, 20 townhouses, and 37,000 square feet of mixed commercial and office space off Highway 20. The commercial/office space will be right off Highway 20 at Stanley Street. The developer, Novare Group, is currently referring to the project as "Sugar Hill Residences" on its website.
The City is requiring the developer to include a minimum of 37,000 square feet of commercial space upon completion of the project, but is allowing the developer to build the commercial space in separate phases from the multifamily space.
The developer's letter of intent says the commercial space will be for retail, restaurant, and office use. They plan to include two drive-thru restaurants, a dog daycare with boarding and an outdoor exercise area, and a massage business, all of which would require special use permits from the City.
Entry and exit for the complex will be Stanley Street, a right-in/right-out driveway directly off Highway 20, and a resident access driveway off Hillcrest.
https://cityofsugarhill.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/RZ-21-006-EPACK.pdf
