Rick Badie writes about people, places and issues in Gwinnett County. His column appears in Gwinnett News on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. He can be reached at rbadie@ajc.com or 770-263-3875.
"Gwinnett Village," they state. What, exactly, do you envision when you hear the term "village"? Hold that thought. Let's ride. We'll head east on Jimmy Carter. Our starting point will be the intersection of JCB and Brook Hollow Parkway, where one of the new signs greets motorists. Pappadeux's Restaurant and Global Mall, a shopping destination for people from India, sits to our left as we approach the I-85 ramps. Can't get to the restaurant or shops from here, though. Instead, you have to drive down to the next traffic light and make a U-turn at the intersection of JCB and Live Oak Parkway. So let's keep cruising east and see what makes up this village. There's plenty of places to buy gas. Two Shell Food Marts sit on both sides of Jimmy Carter. Another is under construction farther east. Need money till payday? Well, the village is your place. The strip has at least seven title loan/check-cashing businesses. It's easy to miss some of them because they are tucked away in strips malls on side streets.
By now we are well beyond Rockbridge Road and fast approaching Britt Road. We've passed three churches, dozens of fast food joints, restaurants, and professional offices for medical doctors, accountants, insurance agents and notary publics. Quaintness doesn't befit this village.
Besides the two signs on JCB, there's another one on I-85. It says, "Gwinnett Village — Next three exits." That would be Jimmy Carter, Indian Trail Road and Beaver Ruin Road. The DOT put them up last week at the request of civic leaders and property owners who support formation of a Southwest Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District.
For Jimmy Carter, the goal is noble: cut crime, improve traffic and beautify storefronts. Advocates are working to get a majority of property owners to agree to tax themselves to pay for enhancements. The money would be used for landscaping, sidewalks, marketing and other efforts to raise property values in the area.
The idea is to make JCB a destination area, one with an identity that carries cache. I'm for it. My subdivision sits off a less problematic strip of Jimmy Carter Boulevard. But it's still Jimmy Carter Boulevard. Homeowners in my neighborhood await the transformation of the dingy shopping centers that offer zero curb appeal.
Signs point to Gwinnett Village, but what is it? A village is a place where you can walk without the possibility of getting mowed down. It's a place with bistros and boutiques, not billiards and laundry mats. It's hip, cool and appetizing.
It's everything that JCB isn't. Many of the shops and businesses need to be hosed down, painted, renovated — something. Some of them need to move on. Right now, this district needs to be prettied up.
This is cache, read story here
