Gwinnett Place CID’s Vision 2020 Plan Diversifies Options For Live-Work-Play
The Gwinnett Place area is not only demographically diverse, but also hosts a wide employment base. Across 4,700 employers and over 64,000 workers, the region generates $3.2B in annual payroll. Unlike the nearby areas of Sugarloaf and the Mall of Georgia, where retail jobs dominate, the workforce in the Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District has a broader range, from professional and scientific occupations to positions in manufacturing, healthcare and the food service industry.
The workforce diversity could stem from the GPCID’s relatively high inventory of office and multifamily properties. Gwinnett Place has 1.9M SF of office, compared to 2.8M SF in Sugarloaf and 120K SF near the Mall of Georgia. GPCID leads in multifamily, with almost 5,000 units, compared to 1,700 units in Sugarloaf and 1,300 units in the Mall of Georgia.
In February, the GPCID unveiled its Vision 2020 strategic plan to strengthen the area as a center of economic and employment activity. The GPCID advocates and partners with transit, housing and improvement projects while calling for surveys into the current perceptions of the Gwinnett Place area. The studies will identify gaps where the GPCID could promote development opportunities. Initiatives like the Venture Drive Redevelopment Overlay District, the Tax Allocation District and the Opportunity Zone work together to promote a mix of high-end and dense residential buildings, commercial businesses, offices, recreational facilities and commuter transportation.
Under Vision 2020, millennial housing options will increase, fueling further workforce growth.
Retail is still a prominent sector of the Gwinnett Place workforce at 29%, but it is not as dominating as the Mall of Georgia, where the industry makes up 62% of the workforce. Administration and support jobs in the GPCID follow at 14%, with food and lodging at 13%, according to a report from Bleakly Advisory Group.
“While retail trade is the leading employment sector in the GPCID area, these jobs make up less than a third of all jobs in the district,” Bleakly Advisory Group President Geoff Koski said. “A nearly equal portion of GPCID jobs are in higher-paying employment sectors such as information technology, finance/insurance, real estate and professional/science/tech services. The distribution of jobs across employment sectors points to the desirability of the area to a wide range of companies and employers.”
The flow of young workers into the area has strengthened the CID's efforts to develop the Gwinnett Place area into a desirable place to live and work. Employees between the ages of 30 and 54 make up 57% of the workforce while those 29 years old and under make up 27% of the workforce population.
The GPCID also has broader wage distribution than nearby areas. Across earnings, 36% of workers in the GPCID earn middle income wages from $15K to $40K, higher than Sugarloaf and the Mall of Georgia's respective 25% and 32% in the same bracket. The GPCID’s youthful demographic skews incomes lower than other areas, but these households offer an opportunity for long-term growth.
The GPCID follows a national trend of young professionals flocking to affordable and economically dynamic areas to start a career or raise a family.
The variety of workers in the area fuels the GPCID’s transformation into a dense urban area. Capturing just 5% of the area’s payroll in the Gwinnett Place area would lead to $161M in annual spending. The revenue would fuel further infrastructure and lifestyle improvements in the area.
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