Norcross City Council members spent part of their meeting Monday hashing out the details of a $3.08 million parking expansion around City Hall, a project that would add dozens of new spaces but has also stirred worry among neighbors who stand to lose a buffer of trees along Wingo Street. The council is scheduled to vote on four contracts tied to the project on November 2.
As reported by Rough Draft Atlanta, the expansion would add roughly 55 parking spaces around City Hall, with city officials saying the number could climb to as many as 68. The plan also calls for landscaping and a new brick plaza at the main entrance, though it would reduce some tree canopy between City Hall and Wingo Street.
A Budget That Grew From $2.8 Million to $3.08 Million
Norcross elected officials approved an initial $2.8 million construction budget back in April, the station's report notes. The project total is now $3.08 million, and the city is preparing additional contracts for construction management, materials testing, and geotechnical consulting. Ohmshiv Construction holds the main contract, worth about $2.9 million including contingencies, after emerging as the lowest responsive and responsible bidder among seven companies that submitted proposals.
Norcross leaders are still weighing how to pay the remaining balance, with discussion centering on whether to tap city operational reserve funds or Gwinnett County SPLOST proceeds.
Wingo Street Homeowners Push Back on Lost Buffer
Resident Lynn Ward told the council Monday she is concerned about replacing the buffer between her Wingo Street home and the future parking lot, and she asked the city to address the effects of nearby construction on her property before the contract is approved. Other Wingo Street cottage owners echoed similar concerns, saying they worry about losing crape myrtles and other canopy trees that currently separate Jones Street businesses from their homes.
Those fears come against a broader backdrop: the Norcross Tree Preservation Board reported a 12 percent citywide drop in tree canopy between 2018 and 2024, and the board has made updating tree preservation ordinances and collecting new canopy-loss data a priority. The city has also touted its environmental credentials, having earned its 22nd consecutive Tree City USA designation from the Arbor Day Foundation this year while maintaining 38 percent citywide tree canopy coverage, well above the 27 percent national average for major U.S. cities, as detailed by Rough Draft Atlanta.
Advocate Charlotte Osborn has pushed for developer payments tied to removing specimen trees to go directly into the city's tree bank fund for replanting, and board member Bruce Gaynor asked City Manager Cheri Hobson-Matthews to find a solution after raising questions about whether developer tree-removal funds were reaching their intended purpose. The concern has some data behind it: as of October 2025, the city's Tree Bank fund held $51,896.13 but had received no deposits during the 2024-2025 period, according to Citizen Portal. Separately, a proposed citywide urban forestry management plan was discussed, per Citizen Portal.
Three Construction Phases, Nine to 12 Months
City staff plans to begin permitting work once the contract is awarded, with the project expected to break ground shortly after New Year's. The build carries an estimated construction timeline of nine to 12 months and is expected to wrap before the end of 2027, spanning three distinct phases.
Phase one covers demolition, stormwater pipe installation, clearing properties behind the site, and grading, and it will make the area of underground stormwater work off-limits while the lot is torn up — though the city hall and downtown public parking lot will remain partly open during that stretch. Asphalt paving and brick paver installation will overlap later in construction, and the overall pace will depend on several factors still being worked out by the city and its contractors.
Construction will also require coordination with the businesses and homeowners that border the site. Savage Pizza will need its dumpsters relocated to accommodate the work, and nearby residents will need temporary parking spots during the build. Norcross Public Works Director Len Housley said the project requires close coordination with abutting businesses and homeowners as the timeline moves forward.
Part of a Larger Downtown Buildout
The City Hall parking project is just the latest piece of a broader downtown transformation in Norcross. The city officially opened its new Public Safety Building on September 1 to house the Norcross Police Department, a project funded in part by SPLOST dollars and a $6 million municipal bond, according to the City of Norcross.
A preliminary plat review included discussion of 37 on-street spaces. Downtown growth has put increasing pressure on existing parking capacity. The city has also leaned on alternatives to driving, including the Ride Gwinnett Norcross microtransit pilot launched in 2024 to offer on-demand shared rides as a non-automobile option for local trips.
Norcross commissioned a parking study in 2009, according to the City of Norcross. The council's November 2 vote will determine whether the project moves forward.
