The Urban Redevelopment Agency of Gwinnett County is moving forward with its plans to revitalize the former Gwinnett Place Mall area. Their latest move involves the $11.5 million acquisition of the old Sears property, spanning 11.5 acres. This purchase, as reported by Gwinnett County, is a strategic addition to the county-owned land, bringing the total up to 87.5 acres.
Expected to close by the end of October, the deal is a significant step in the redevelopment project that aims to transform the site into a dense, mixed-use center. "We’re building incredible momentum toward transforming this site into a hub for catalytic change and opportunity for our residents, entrepreneurs and businesses," Gwinnett County Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson told Gwinnett County. Furthermore, the redevelopment plans to introduce the Gwinnett Place Transit Center, a project approved earlier this year to better connect the county.
The vision for this redevelopment harmonizes with the County's 2045 Unified Plan. It draws insight from public input studies, including the Equitable Redevelopment Plan and the Gwinnett Place Mall Site Revitalization Strategy. According to Gwinnett County, these studies are informed by community engagement efforts that gathered feedback from over 2,000 area residents. The Equitable Redevelopment Plan specifically underwent eight months of community engagement, demonstrating a commitment to preserving the local cultural diversity while creating a walkable, connected green space.
District 1 Commissioner Kirkland Carden expressed optimism, stating, "This redevelopment will create economic opportunities for our residents and grow our county’s tax digest." With this latest purchase, the county has partnered with CBRE, a global real estate services firm, to strategically attract development partners and to carefully align plans with community priorities. CBRE is preparing to promptly release a nationwide request for proposals, which Gwinnett County expects to do later this month. "Partnering with CBRE will accelerate our redevelopment process and ensure visibility among the type of world-class partners we are seeking in Gwinnett," said County Administrator Glenn Stephens in a statement obtained by Gwinnett County.
In 2021, the Urban Redevelopment Agency began the mall site's transformation by purchasing a 39-acre portion, followed by another 23 acres in 2024, and now, continuing their expansion with the former Sears property. The collaborative effort between Gwinnett County, the Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District, and the Atlanta Regional Commission, demonstrates a unified approach to reviving a once-vibrant commercial hub into a sustainable, future-forward development that benefits the community at large.
