Costco, Whataburger and more could be coming to site of Olympic tennis center in Gwinnett County

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Gwinnett County commissioners approved the sale of the site where Olympic tennis matches were played decades ago as part of a plan to move forward with a major redevelopment of South Gwinnett.

The old Stone Mountain Tennis Center is set to become a retail shopping center with the expectation of attracting Costco, Whataburger and more than 200 apartments.

Commissioners approved a $5.6 million sale of the property next to Highway 78 in unincorporated Stone Mountain to Fuqua Acquisitions on Tuesday. Developer renderings include buildings that resemble Costco and Whataburger. Approximately 20% of the 248 planned apartments on the site are set aside to be affordable housing.

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“We are ready to get going and go to work for South Gwinnett,” said Roman Dakare, Gwinnett County Deputy Director of Planning and Development.

County officials told Channel 2′s Matt Johnson that they estimate more than 500 permanent retail jobs will be created, along with 400 construction jobs while the site is in development. Groundbreaking is expected to begin by the end of the year, with the entire project slated to be done by 2026.

Gwinnett County acquired the property in 2016 and demolished the tennis stadium in 2018.

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Some who live nearby say the current plan falls short of what was promised originally and they had hoped for more upscale dining.

“We need sustainable, equitable growth in our area,” said Vipul Patel, who had larger hopes for the site. “A Costco is not going to do it.”

After the news of the sale, some people say a Costco in the community is much needed.

“The closest one is up there off of Interstate 85 so we need one here,” said resident Marian Moss.

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