Mayor and Council approved a bubble tea shop and deli to occupy the former Krystal restaurant on Highway 78.
Banh Mi Bubble Tea and Deli, located at 2484 Main St., will take over the vacated building located on the south end of the Towne Center.
The applicants had to modify their plans for the location several times before gaining approval by Mayor and Council so it would comply with Towne Center uses and guidelines.
When Snellville Code Enforcement Officer Johnny Greene knocked on his door, 79-year-old Joseph Jones expected the worst.
Greene, who received a citizen-initiated Quality of Life complaint about Jones’ Summit Chase Drive home, climbed the rickety staircase of the corner lot. When he got to the door, Greene’s foot went through the wooden porch outside Jones’ front door.
The porch and the house was riddled more rotten boards, bare wood and overgrown weeds – violations of city Quality of Life regulations. Jones lives alone in the house and is strapped with medical bills. He was looking at about $3,000 in repairs and maintenance to bring his home up to code.
But instead slapping Jones with a lengthy of list of violations, Greene gave the help the widowed man desperately needed.
“He said, ‘I could fine you but I don’t want to,’” Jones said.
“It was very clear under his circumstances that he would never be able to fix everything that needed to be done,” Greene said. “There was no way he’d be able to finance what needed to be done. If I’d issued citations, it would’ve been another burden on him. He would be put on probation and making payments from here on. That wasn’t what needed to be done so I started looking at other solutions of being able to help him without creating another hinderance.”
Greene called his contact at Habitat for Humanity, and soon after, Jones’ home was being refurbished by a crew of 20 or so volunteers from the charitable organization.
“I presented it to Mr. Jones who just really hated to ask somebody for help,” Greene said.
Eventually, Habitat for Humanity met with Jones and determined he did qualify for assistance. A plan was put into motion to rehab his dilapidated house exterior and even some needed repairs inside his home that aren’t regulated by Code Enforcement. The floor in the kitchen was rotted due to a leaky refrigerator he wasn’t able to fix.
Work began in winter with the inside of the house and by March the outside was repaired as well.
This was the second time Greene called on Habitat for Humanity to help someone in need – the first being an elderly woman who lived alone on North Road. Greene also contacted the Rotary Club of Gwinnett Sunrise to help clean up Jones’ yard.
“It feels good,” Greene said. “A lot of people think Code Enforcement is about making money and that’s totally the opposite. The city would rather have voluntary compliance than having you pay fines. Being able to help someone who needs it, that is a citizen of Snellville, that really does make you feel good.”
Jones said he was grateful for Greene’s help. A friendship between the two as a result.
“The relationship we’ve made, I’d consider him a good friend now,” Greene said. “He knows when he sees me out and about, I’m here to help. Flag me down any time … call me any time.”
For more information about the city’s Quality of Life Unit visit www.snellville.org/planning-development/quality-lifecode-enforcement.
The first ever Family Fun Day at Briscoe Park in 2022 was such a success that Snellville Parks and Recreation decided to make it an annual event!
The 2023 Family Fun Day will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 22 at T.W. Briscoe Park in Snellville.
Admission for this event is FREE! There will be multiple main course food trucks along with a dessert food truck. Snellville Police Department and Gwinnett Fire Department will be on site along with other Snellville departments and churches.
Our Briscoe Park youth athletic groups along with other vendors will have booths set up with fun activities!
There will also be face painting, inflatables, games and MORE!
At 8 a.m., Wednesday, April 5, construction crews will temporarily block the southbound lane of Wisteria Drive at the new Snellville Library located at 2245 Wisteria Drive
This location is indicated in green in the screenshot below.
A crane will be positioned on the southbound shoulder with outriggers extending into the southbound thru lane.
Large HVAC equipment is to be hoisted and set onto the library rooftop.
The northbound lane will remain open during this time. Crews will employ traffic control measures include road cones, signage and flaggers.
This work is expected to take approximately four hours, but it is possible it could continue into the afternoon.
While the City of Snellville remains committed to providing our residents with opportunities to recycle household items, the city will discontinue free curbside recycling service on May 1 as the cost of recycling has increased greatly in recent years and the city is no longer in a position to offer the service free of charge.
Consequently, the city will transition to a paid subscription-based service for curbside recycling.
If you choose this option, you will pay an annual fee of $144, and receive a new 65-gallon recycling cart. The fee will cover the 12-month service period. You can call Public Works at 770-985-3527 to set up service. A website will be set up in the near future to take payment online. A mailer with program information and an application will also be sent to residents.
The deadline to opt in to the new recycling program is April 30.
As part of the program, the city will provide you with the information on what items are recyclable curbside, and how to avoid contaminating your recycling contents.
If you do not wish to participate in the program, but would like an extra garbage cart, you can pay an annual fee of $120 for a 65-gallon cart.
Residents that decline to pay for curbside recycling service will still have use of the city’s state-of-the-art Recycling Center free of charge. The center is located at 2531 Marigold Road, and is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information call Public Works at 770-985-3527.
PUBLIC NOTICE
The Mayor and Council of the City of Snellville hereby give notice of the City’s
intent to make available license(s) to sell distilled spirits by the package within the
City Limits of Snellville. Applications are available at City Hall, 2342 Oak Road,
Snellville, GA 30078 and online at snellville.org. Applications are due by June 5,
2023 at 4:00 p.m. and shall be submitted during business hours at City Hall to the
City Manager, Assistant City Manager or City Clerk who shall document the time
and date received. The City Manager will have up to 45 business days to
determine if an application complies with all Ordinance requirements. A written
determination will be sent by certified mail to all applicants. Should more than one
applicant meet all the criteria, the Mayor and Council shall appoint an independent
third party from outside the City limits to conduct a lottery to award the license.
One license will be awarded in this initial process and the City may issue a second
license as determined by Mayor and Council. Applicants are responsible for
accurately meeting and demonstrating all the requirements in their application for
license.
Street sweeping in Sector 2 will take place tomorrow.
Please make sure vehicles are out of the street.
The following are Sector 2 Streets:
Albion Drive
Amberly Way
Anchors Way
Anscot Court
Bellwood Court
Benham Drive
Benhill Drive
Bird Lane
Blackberry Court
Bouldercrest Court
Brookwood Lake Drive
Burlington Lane
Cates Court
Clipper Straits
Club Drive
Colby Court
Colony Circle
Colony Oaks Drive
Colony Way
Cosgrove Place
Crescent Drive
Dogwood Court
Empire Drive
Ferndale Lane
Flagsmoor Drive
Forest Court
Fountain Drive
Gloucester Court
Harbour Oaks Dr
Helms Ct
Hemlock Trail
Hempstead Court
Hickory Lake Drive
Hillshire Ct
Holly Lake Circle
Holly Lake Cove
Holly Springs Drive
Ivy Mountain Drive
Knollwood Drive
Lansbury Court
Lorimore Drive
Manor Court
Maple Creek Court
Masonwood Circle
Medical Way
Masthaven Court
Millbrook Drive
Mornington Lane
Mountain View Road
New London Place
Norton Street
Oak Meadow Drive
Oak Meadow Lane
Oak Meadow Cove
Oakwood Grove Drive
Old Springs Court
Pennistone Way
Presidential Circle
Rawlins Street
Ridgecliffe Drive
Schooner Cove
Shipshire Place
Sterling Creek Court
Sterling Creek Pointe
Stockton Walk Court
Stockton Walk Lane
Stockton Walk Way
Stokesley Way
Stonegate Way
Tanglewood Drive
Victorian Court
Williams Down Circle
Wiltshire Place
Wood Gate Way
Wood Meadow Cove
York Court
The City of Snellville and Gwinnett County have entered into a new Intergovernmental Agreement that will facilitate the construction of over a mile of new sidewalks on Skyland Drive and Pinehurst Road. The agreement calls for Gwinnett to contribute $800,000 toward the total project cost of $1.9 million with the city covering the remainder with funds provided by the American Rescue Plan Act passed by Congress in 2023. New sidewalk on Skyland will stretch from the existing to Rockdale Circle and on Pinehurst from North Road connecting to the Saddlebrook subdivision.
The city is also partnering with another county department, Water Resources, as they will bring waterline improvements to the Valley Creek Circle area, new street paving and coordinated construction as the sidewalk and utility work will overlap on Pinehurst Road. The Intergovernmental Agreement for this work was adopted in late 2023.
“These infrastructure projects will certainly add to the quality of life of residents in these areas and it is only through a great relationship between city and county that makes such progress possible," said City Manager Butch Sanders. "The addition of county financial assistance will allow the Mayor and Council to move forward and plan for more sidewalk additions in the future.”
Mayor and Council have put a sixth-month moratorium on allowing new CBD stores from opening in the city.
City officials say some CBD stores may actually be selling products that are illegal and include elevated levels of tetrahydrocannabinol, the major psychoactive component of cannabis.
“Some of these stores have actually expanded to sell a whole lot more products and there’s not a way to regulate the products they’re selling,” Mayor Barbara Bender said. “And some of (the products) are above the legal limits and they are selling things that are illegal. It’s become quite a quagmire.”
While the moratorium is in place, the Planning and Zoning Department will conduct a study to investigate the current status and propose necessary changes to the city’s Unified Development Ordinance.
“What we want to do right now is put a stop to any new applications coming in for these types of stores, selling these types of products, so that we can put it into our development regulations to require a special use permit which requires them to come before Mayor and Council. At this point we feel like this is the step we can take to try and at least not allow more to open in the city.”
The resolution containing the moratorium approved by Mayor and Council notes, cannabis-based products are largely unregulated under the law the health impacts of CBD and cannabis-based products are largely unknown.
Bender said state Rep. Shelly Hutchinson told her she will bring the issue before the state legislature.
The moratorium went in effect immediately and runs through July 23, 2023.
Changes to the Unified Development Ordinance were approved that will tighten up regulations on “Build to Rent” developments following action by Mayor and Council last week.
They approved text amendments to the UDO to establish definitions and regulations for certain zoning classes for “Build to Rent” developments – single-family housing developments that have become popular in recent years but have drawn criticism from those who say they do not add to a municipality’s quality of life.
A build-to-rent home is one that has been built for the purpose of long-term rental. Unlike standard apartments and similar, multi-family structures, build-to-rent homes are specifically intended to be an option for individuals searching for a long-term rental residence - several years or more versus short-term leases.
Often these communities are marketed toward individuals and families who can't qualify for a mortgage loan due to poor credit, lack the funds for a proper down payment, or are facing financial hardships.
The changes to the UDO require builders of Build to Rent developments to take part a pre-submittal application review meeting with city officials; increase the length and width of driveways in such developments; increase street and cul-de-sac dimensions; and adds Build to Rent designations to existing residential development codes. The change also calls for the establishment of a property owners’ association in Build to Rent developments which will be in charge of maintenance of the homes and grounds and can be contacted by the city should code enforcement issues arise.
“I would like to say thank you to (Councilman) Tod Warner who has been a champion of these text amendments to our code,” said Mayor Barbara Bender. "These subdivisions, I think are, in my personal opinion, the scourge of the nation. These developments, to me, are very dangerous for our future. They’re a threat to homeownership and I think it‘s going to trap a lot of people in rental situations that they find that they cannot get themselves out of.”
Bender continued, “We don’t have a mechanism that we are aware of that we can totally eliminate or refuse these types of developments so we have chosen to pick out those areas that we typically have with rental properties in residential neighborhoods and try to make some changes to development codes that would help alleviate these types of problems should we have to approve some type of development like this in the city.”