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SNELLVILLE –The Grove at Towne Center took another big step forward Monday as Mayor and Council unanimously voted to begin the search for an architect to build the development's City Market.

The City Market, dubbed the "Mercantile", will be a two-story, 24,000-square-foot market complete with a unique dining experience and room or small- and large-scale events in the second floor. The Mercantile will be built on the corner of Wisteria Drive and Thomas Snell Way, a new road in the development.

The move allows the city to interview architects for the Mercantile which will be the centerpiece of The Grove.

In September, the city, along with co-developers CASTO and MidCity, announced the approval of a City Market construction and leasing agreement. And last month, Snellville's Downtown Development Authority has officially acquired the former U.S. Post Office building on Oak Road. It is the final piece of property needed in what will become The Grove, located between Wisteria Drive, North and Oak Roads and Clower Street. The former post office will be demolished to make way for luxury apartments and a 749-space parking deck later this year.

Demolition for The Grove's $85 million first phase began with asbestos abatement this week and is slated to deliver in 2022.

The Grove at Towne Center will be a large scale, mixed-use town center property, comprising 18 acres between Oak Road, Wisteria Drive, North Road, and Clower Street, in downtown Snellville. The Grove at Towne Center's first phase – including the Mercantile - will include more than 50,000 square feet of retail, restaurant, office and entertainment space, and approximately 250 multi-family luxury apartments. In addition, the new Elizabeth Williams Library will be constructed and include a second-floor business development/accelerator space.

In other city business:

• Mayor and Council voted to table rezone and land use permit that would have brought a 101-unit townhome development to Scenic Highway south of Henry Clower Boulevard until the developer can meet with neighboring residents to determine a better fit for the character of the area. The case will be reheard by Mayor and Council March 22.
• The developer of a five-story hotel proposed for Highway 78 near Fountain Drive withdrew his request for a special use permit to build the project after it was rejected by the city's Planning Commission and raised concerns from neighbors citing increased noise, traffic and unwanted lighting. The developer now has the opportunity to change his plans for a better use of the property.

The City has issued a request for bid for their Property & Casualty Insurance and a second bid has been issued for the sale of property. To get more details please go to our bid page.

There is nothing super about missing the biggest football game of the season because you are drunk sitting in a jail cell.

That is why the Snellville Police Department and the Governor's Office of Highway Safety are reminding everyone to always make the smart decision to never drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The Snellville Police Department will join state and local law enforcement agencies to prevent drunk driving crashes during Super Bowl weekend by taking all legally impaired drivers they find on the road to jail. No warnings. No excuses.

"Georgia law enforcement enforce DUI laws every day, but state troopers, sheriff's deputies and police officers know events like Super Bowl weekend lead to a greater probability of impaired drivers endangering the lives of everyone on the road," said Chief Roy Whitehead. "Drunk driving is a choice, and we are asking everyone to choose wisely by not getting behind the wheel when they know they are over the limit of .08 BAC. Those drivers who ignore our warnings may find themselves in a jail cell."

COVID-19 will prevent many people gathering at parties or at bars and restaurants to watch the big game this year. State and local law enforcement officers remind those fans who will have alcohol on their tailgate menu on game day to pass the keys to a sober driver should they need to travel.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 10,141 people killed in alcohol-impaired crashes in the United States in 2019.

While the number of alcohol-impaired driving deaths in Georgia in 2019 dropped by six percent from the previous year, alcohol is a factor in one out of four traffic deaths in the state.

"Georgia law enforcement officers do not want to have to arrest anyone for DUI, but they know they are preventing a possible DUI crash with every impaired driver they take to jail," Governor's Office of Highway Safety Director Allen Poole said. "All drunk driving deaths are completely preventable, and we are asking everyone to join our fight to save lives on our roads by choosing to never drive after drinking."

The Snellville Police Department, GOHS, and NHTSA offer the following tips to help stop drunk driving:

1. Choose a non-drinking person to be the designated driver before going out.
2. Do not let someone you know get behind the wheel if they have been drinking.
3. Let friends know they can contact you for a sober ride when needed.
4. Those hosting a party where alcohol is served should make sure guests leave with a sober driver.
5. Always wear your seat belt because it is the best defense against impaired drivers.

The Mayor and Council will discuss a 10th amendment to The Grove master development at a called meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Snellville City Hall.

To review the amendment click HERE

SNELLVILLE — The city's Downtown Development Authority has officially acquired the former U.S. Post Office building on Oak Road, the final piece of property needed in what will become The Grove at Towne Center.

The nearly 40-year-old building, located at the corner of Oak and North roads, will be demolished and make way for 250 multi-family luxury apartments and a 749-space parking deck later this year. Under the agreement, the city was required to buy and renovate property for a new post office. The new post office, a former SunTrust Bank location, is located at 2440 Wisteria Drive and opened in November.

"The U.S. Postal Service required that the only way to get them to agree to move was to find a new and better facility within one-half mile of their current operation," said City Manager Butch Sanders. "We located the old bank building, negotiated and purchased it from SunTrust and then renovated both inside and out to USPS standards."

The completion of the exchange agreement and acquisition are the latest steps in bringing the mixed use development to the city's downtown area.

In November, the city agreed to partner with developer MidCast LLC to design, build and lease the City Market building planned for The Grove and in December Mayor and Council approved the construction contracts for the parking deck with Winter Construction.

"By working closely with the U.S. Postal Service, the city was able to acquire a piece of property vital to making The Grove at Towne Center development a reality," Mayor Barbara Bender said. "In the months to come, residents will see a lot of activity in The Grove which will result in a transformation of our downtown and give them a world-class mixed use development they can enjoy and be proud of."

The costs associated with the Post Office acquisition and move totaled $2.25 million, $98,374 under budget.

The Grove at Towne Center will be a large scale, mixed-use town center property, comprising 18 acres between Oak Road, Wisteria Drive, North Road and Clower Street, in downtown Snellville. The Grove at Towne Center's first phase will include over 50,000 square feet of retail, restaurant, office, and entertainment space, and approximately 250 multi-family luxury apartments. In addition, the new Elizabeth Williams Library will be constructed and include a second-floor business development/ accelerator space.

Three automated traffic devices to help curb speeding will go live in front of three Snellville schools Feb. 7.

Snellville Middle on Pate Road, Britt Elementary on Skyland Drive and South Gwinnett High School on Highway 78 will have cameras placed in front of them to keep speeders at bay.

Cameras will be placed on posts outside the schools and take pictures of the license plates on the offending cars. An officer will verify the license plate number before a civil fine is levied.

Following a move by the Georgia Legislature making way for the devices, the program has been a success in locales such as Alpharetta, Lilburn and Duluth. A violation will be issued to those who drive 11 mph over the school zone speed limit.

The program is administered by ResdSpeed Georgia LLC which provides the equipment, sends the citation and collects the fine. The city will receive 65 percent of revenue from the program which will be used toward public safety.

Citations will be $80 for a first offense and $130 for a second offense. Offenders will not be given points on their license and the offense is not reported to state.

Based on the number of violations, previous pedestrians struck by vehicles and the need to ensure the safety of our young people, the city decided to implement this program to protect its citizens.

CLICK ON THE BOX BELOW FOR IMPORTANT COVID-19 SURGE INFORMATION

COVID 19 Update - Amber Schmidtke, Ph.D. - Georgia Municipal Association - Jan. 4, 2021

As COVID-19 cases spike locally, nationally and globally, Snellville's Mayor and Council are urging residents to use every means possible to follow the advice of medical experts – wear masks, maintain social distance, wash their hands, avoid large gatherings and avoid being in crowded, poorly ventilated, closed settings.

Our main goal is, and has always been, to protect our citizens and keep our medical facilities from being overwhelmed.

The Mayor and Council implore residents and businesses to comply with the Governor's executive order.

Public health officials across the state and country have consistently and repeatedly informed us of the importance of wearing masks to prevent the spread of COVID. The Governor's Executive Orders, for months, have allowed local governments whose case rates were in the red zone (100 or more new cases per 100,000 population), meaning cases were spiraling out of control in those local jurisdictions, to impose mask mandates if the local governing authority chose to do so. As a result, Georgia Municipal Association developed a model mask ordinance, which complies with the Governor's Executive Orders and leaves the decision to impose a mask requirement to the local governing authority.

Please take a moment to read the following:

• The COVID-19 crisis in Georgia is worsening and fast approaching a catastrophic level. Cases and hospitalizations are increasing beyond available resources, and with the positive tests continuing to climb, many hospitals across the state have little to no ICU bed capacity.

• Primarily as a result of large group and small home gatherings during the holiday season, caseloads are predicted to increase significantly in the coming days. Hospitals will be overflowing and in many regions a shortage of nurses and other medical personnel is projected.

• Vaccines against COVID-19 are starting to be available and although their availability at this point is limited, over the next few months they should become more readily available. The Mayor and Council support and encourage vaccination as a way to help limit the spread of COVID-19.

• The vaccine is here, and it is being administered to more Georgians every day. Regardless of your spot in line, if you take precautions now, you may avoid contracting COVID, and you won't have to worry about the many known long-term impacts on your health.

•The very same people you want to gather with are likely the people you most want to protect. Avoiding indoor gatherings now means you can keep each other safe, healthy and alive for gatherings in the future once you are vaccinated, community spread has significantly declined, and herd immunity has been achieved.

•Many medical professionals expected Georgia's case rates to climb substantially following the Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, and New Years' holidays as they similarly climbed after Thanksgiving. Recent data shows that our current case rate per 100,000 residents in Georgia is the highest it has been since the start of the pandemic and at least 60 percent higher than our summer surge.

•Bars/Restaurants: Georgia has allowed struggling bars and restaurants to remain open so that more small local businesses are not lost. Failing to follow the governor's guidelines puts your favorite small businesses at risk and may make it even harder for them to keep their doors open. Utilize takeout (including new takeout alcohol options in cities that have made it available) and delivery (including new alcohol delivery options where available).

LEGAL REMINDERS: Gov. Brian Kemp's Executive Order:

• It is a violation of the Governor's Executive Order and a misdemeanor crime for people to gather in groups of more than 50 persons if they are required to stand or be seated within six feet of any other person. Unfortunately, there has been little to no enforcement of this provision, which has been one major factor in the increased spread of the virus in Georgia.

• It is a violation of the Governor's Executive Order and a misdemeanor crime for bars to allow more than 50 persons on the premises or to exceed 35 percent of the fire capacity, whichever is greater, but there has also been little to no enforcement of this measure as well.

• It is a violation of the Governor's Executive Order and a misdemeanor crime for restaurants to have seating arrangements that do not ensure at least 6 feet of separation from seating to seating or utilize physical barriers to separate groups sitting within 6 feet of one another.

A piece of Snellville history is being removed today and tomorrow as the centuries-old Red Oak which has stood on Highway 78 since before the signing of the Constitution is coming down.

The tree, located near the Autobell Car Wash, has rotted and become hollow and has been deemed a hazard to passing motorists and pedestrians by the Georgia Department of Transportation and must come down.

A plaque which sat by the tree since 1987 reads, "The National Arborist Association and the International Society of Arboriculture jointly recognize this significant tree in this bicentennial year as having lived here at the time of the signing of our Constitution."

It is hoped both the city's Public Works Department and the Snellville Historical Society will preserve pieces of the tree and its legacy. Oak trees, acorns and leaves have been used on city logos for decades.

"Anyone who has travelled east on Main Street in Snellville is aware of, and probably has driven under, the massive oak tree that overhangs Highway 78," Snellville historian Jim Cofer wrote in "Elegy to an Oak Tree." "Referred to by generations of old timers as 'Mr. Troy's Big Oak,' this wooden behemoth existed more than 150 years ahead of that dedicated educator, school principal, and bovine entrepreneur, Troy Thomason."

In recent years GDOT and the city have made attempts to save the oak by minimizing disturbances to the soil around the roots and routing utilities on the other side of Main Street. However, in recent months, state arborists determined the tree is becoming hollow and poses a threat to pedestrians and drivers passing under its large heavy limbs.

Cofer said the tree still looks as it did in his school years in the 1950s and 60s.

"It would have likely been a sapling when members of the Lower Creek Native American tribe roamed the Snellville area," Cofer wrote. "Later, the Jesse Bryan family would farm the land around it in the early to mid-1800s. Jesse volunteered to fight in two different wars - the Mexican-American War and the Civil War - and ran a one-room schoolhouse between those conflicts."

In 1920, the land came into the hands of the Brand family (as in Brand Bank- now Renasant Bank), according to Cofer. Troy and Blanche Thomason bought the 70 acres containing the oak in 1944 and farmed it part-time while teaching school until W.H. and Harold Britt bought 28 acres in 1972, and the remainder was sold for commercial development in 1990.

You can go to the drive-in to watch a movie and now, thanks to Snellville Parks and Recreation, Senior Center members can go to the drive-in to play Bingo.

From 1 to 3 p.m. Jan. 26, there will be a Bingo event at the softball field parking lot at T.W. Briscoe Park for Senior Center members. There players can pull up their vehicles and play Bingo from the confines of their car. Large cards will be held up with letters and numbers and when the player gets Bingo, they will honk their car horn to announce they have won. The event is limited to 15-20 cars. Cards will be distributed when player drive up and check-in. Call the park office at 770-985-3535 starting Jan. 4 to reserve a spot

It's just the latest event SPR officials have come up with to keep Senior Center members entertained, yet safe in these days of Covid-19.

Socially distanced card making and painting classes are also ongoing.

The Modern Fluid Art Class will take place from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Feb. 10 at Briscoe Park in the Betty McMichael Room. Cost is $15 – snacks and supplies are included. Those taking part in the modern art class can take home their own 8-by-10-inch paintings.

The card making class will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. Feb. 8 at Briscoe Park in the Betty McMichael Room.

Call the Senior Center at 770-985-3580 to register for both of these classes.

And as the weather turns colder, indoor tennis lessons will be given to all age groups in the basement of the park office. Visit aetennis.com or Contact Coach Anthony Evans at 470-417-4547 to schedule a session.

Parks and Recreation is also hosting a ESports Tournament Jan. 30. Gamers of all ages can play each other on Playstation or Xbox from their homes and battle online in the latest Madden football video game. The winner will receive a GameStop gift card. There is a $12 entry fee. To register visit www.quickscores.com/snellville.

For more information on how to become a Senior Center member visit www.snellville.org/senior-center.

SNELLVILLE – Due to logistical complications brought on by COVID-19, Snellville Parks and Recreation has announced that the 2021 Snellville Days Festival has been canceled.

"The COVID pandemic has affected all of our lives in one way or another in 2020, and now it seems clear it will flow over into 2021," said Parks and Recreation Director Lisa A. Platt, CPRP. "There is no way for us to be able to create a quality event for our citizens and visitors under the current COVID pandemic situation. Even though the event is still five months away, the planning and support needed from sponsors, vendors and the uncertainty of large groups being able to assemble, it just makes this event not possible for 2021."

The event, which usually takes place the first weekend in May, was canceled this year as well, as the event was slated to take place as the virus was on the rise.

However, city officials say the cancellation could be the first step to "re-imagining" the festival and when it does come back, transforming it into a better, more successful event.

"Just as The Grove at Towne Center is transforming Snellville's downtown, perhaps the Snellville Days Festival can do the same for our local events. Some changes and adjustments could create a new and exciting event that reflects a new attitude and emphasizes the diversity of Snellville's citizens and visitors," Platt said.

Mayor Barbara Bender added, "We will work toward a new version of the festival that creates excitement and better entertainment options for those who have always participated in the festival and for new patrons to come and enjoy."

The Snellville Days Festival is the city's largest annual festival drawing thousands over two days to T.W. Briscoe Park. For more than four decades, the festival has brought friends and neighbors together to enjoy two days of food, games, entertainment and arts and crafts vendors.