New developments on the billion-dollar plan to overhaul Gwinnett Place Mall

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A new 3D rendering of the future of Gwinnett Place Mall shows a massive central park, a focus on walkability, a cultural center, and tons of retail and residential buildings.

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County leaders revealed more details from the bold and ambitious $1 billion plan during a presentation at Gwinnett County Government headquarters Tuesday.

“People want to see something at Gwinnett Place Mall,” said Joe Allen, Executive Director of the Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District. “They want to see that dead mall transformed into what we’re calling Global Villages.”

They spent 12 months talking to 3,000 people face to face about what residents wanted.

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The Gwinnett Place CID is putting a focus on representing diverse cultures while designing a plan for nearly 3,000 homes and 100,000 square feet of retail space.

Forty percent of the current Gwinnett Place area is a parking space.

“We’re putting in a lot of green space, central park, a place where people can come together,” said Allen.

So how much of the $1 billion project will the county be on the hook for now? That number is an estimated $158 million, with private money covering the other $863 million.

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The other big number? Twenty — that’s how many years it could take to finish the transformation.

“Everyone’s committed to doing something to move things forward but there’s a lot of logistical items that need to be taken care of,” said Allen.

Groundbreaking, however, could happen within two years.

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