Newsroom
AJC: Gwinnett business leaders make their case for MARTA, transit expansion
By Tyler Estep
January 24, 2019
Gwinnett business leaders are publicly lining up behind the county’s
upcoming MARTA referendum, calling expanded transit options necessary to help the community stay competitive and attractive to companies and their workforces.
The outcome of the referendum could also have wider impact across Atlanta. Approval by Gwinnett’s voters may help pave the way for a more expansive, more regional transit system, an offering increasingly desired by
big-time businesses looking to relocate or expand.
Lean More
Bisnow: A New Gwinnett County Referendum Could Put Public Transit Back On Track
By Gwinnett Place CID
January 29, 2019
When voters in Gwinnett County go to the polls Tuesday, March 19, they will have the opportunity to revolutionize the county’s transportation mobility, spur economic development and help redevelop the region’s aging infrastructure.
Over the last three decades, Gwinnett has emerged as a hot spot for education and business. Its proximity to Atlanta and location along the I-85 corridor has helped attract a number of residential and commercial tenants.
Learn More
AJC: Gwinnett’s MARTA referendum: a comprehensive voter’s guide
By Tyler Estep
January 18, 2019
Gwinnett voters will hit the polls in less than two months to decide if the long-resistant suburban county will join MARTA and greatly expand its mass transit offerings.
And there are a lot of moving parts for voters to consider.
With that in mind, find below a comprehensive list of key things Gwinnett voters should know about the referendum itself; the county’s pending contract with MARTA; and the plan that would guide future transit projects should the referendum pass.
Learn More
Gwinnett Daily Post: Gwinnett’s ‘inflection point’ on MARTA is fast approaching
By Curt Yeomans
February 24, 2019
One way or another, March 19, 2019, might be a standout among the key dates in Gwinnett County history.
With voters set to visit the polls that day to decide whether the county should institute a 1 percent sales tax to join MARTA, the metro Atlanta transit system that is either loved or hated depending on who is asked, a lot is riding on whatever decision shakes out.
Georgia’s second most populous county, which has more than 900,000 residents, could either become a member of the regional transit system, or its leaders could be sent back to the drawing board to start over from scratch.
That fact is not lost on county officials such as Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Charlotte Nash.
“I believe that transit expansion is the biggest decision currently facing Gwinnett, as important to the future of the county as the past decisions about water, sewer and roads have been to the county,” Nash said.
Learn more
AJC: Gwinnett transit vote could bring new life to Norcross
By Amanda C. Coyne
February 24, 2019
Plans for a MARTA train station could bring more than passengers to Norcross.
As early voting begins Monday in Gwinnett County, a decision to begin a new tax to pay for transit could also bring new life to the working- and middle-class part of the county in Norcross near Jimmy Carter Boulevard.
A transit station planned in that location would become a hub for expanded bus service within five years, and MARTA train service could follow within 10 to 20 years.
The county acquired 103 acres of land near the intersection of Jimmy Carter Boulevard and I-85 in December that could become Gwinnett’s gateway to the rest of metro Atlanta, pending the referendum’s passage. Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash also has said she envisions an “urban-style mixed-use development” on the site.
Learn more
AJC: At state of county, Gwinnett chair touts MARTA as next big decision
By Tyler Estep
February 20, 2019
Again and again in recent weeks, at open houses and community meetings and town hall gatherings, Gwinnett County Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash has preached the gospel of MARTA in Gwinnett.
She’s touted the county’s pending contract with MARTA and the plan that would guide transit expansion if Gwinnett’s historic March 19 referendum passes.
And on Wednesday, five days before early voting begins in that referendum, Nash did it again — this time as part of her annual state of the county address, over a fancy lunch in a fancy ballroom in front of hundreds of county leaders.
“Let me be clear,” Nash said. “I do not claim that our transit plan and contract are perfect. However, I believe that both are very good and we cannot afford to delay while we search for perfection.”
Learn more