Planning a New Downtown in a Small Georgia Town

City officials in Loganville, Georgia are asking residents to contribute to a new vision for the city's downtown, reports Tyler Wilkins in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Approximately 50 residents, city leaders and county officials showed up to a Thursday town hall held at the Historic Rock Gym. About 10 residents shared their vision of the future of downtown Loganville, while others listened to the conversation." Loganville is a town of about 12,000 people, according to 2019 Census estimates.

The residents in attendance "overwhelmingly" rejected new multi-family housing but most "agreed that Loganville needs a makeover with new shops, parks and aesthetic upgrades in a walkable city center." One resident "called for the city to borrow ideas from the neighboring cities of Grayson and Monroe by installing new street lights and planting trees along highways while keeping up with grass overgrowth in the medians."

Local business owner Melanie Long suggested "[t]he city should build a larger playground, walking trails, open spaces or a park for food trucks" and add community programming to attract more businesses. "I want to challenge our city officials to stop trying to build for those who don’t yet live in Loganville, but instead create for the faithful taxpayers that have lived here for decades and hope to continue living here for decades to come," she said.

"City officials plan to meet at a retreat in July to hammer out what kind of development to attract and how to fund it, using feedback from the town hall and a survey."