LILBURN, Ga. — A plan to redevelop Lilburn in Gwinnett County has some residents fearing their schools will be overrun, but city officials say that won’t happen.
Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson uncovered new data about how the plans to redevelop the city could impact residents.
In January, the Lilburn City Council passed a 90-day moratorium on new construction.
Currently, city leaders are hoping to turn buildings in Old Town Lilburn into hundreds of apartments, restaurants and a public plaza.
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It has the potential to transform the area, and new data shows it may not impact schools with overcrowding as much as critics may think.
“We’ve got a long way to go but we’re headed in the right direction,” Jenny Simpkins, Lilburn City Manager, told Channel 2 Action News.
The nearly 300 apartments planned, along with businesses and walking spaces, coming to Old Town Lilburn would be a major part of the city’s future, according to officials.
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“This is the ideal location to create the city over the next Boulevard,” Simpkins said.
Criticism from some residents has focused on concerns about what adding new homes could mean for local schools.
Some residents say schools are already crowded.
“Our schools are overpopulated,” Anna Beack, a resident, said. “It’s this small, little quaint town and then they’re wanting to put just more housing. That’s the last thing this area needs.”
A new city report confirmed some Lilburn schools are overcrowded, but the Railroad Avenue project also may not affect overcrowding as much as some think.
“94% of the units are either two bedroom, more or less,” Simpkins told Channel 2 Action News.
Only 40 children are expected to be added to Lilburn Schools from this plan, according to estimates from Gwinnett County Schools.
Right now, Parkview High School is 371 students over capacity. By 2026, estimates show it would be 430 students over. Gwinnett County Schools said the Railroad Avenue project would add just 12 more students to Parkview.
Simpkins said there will be more chances for the public to weigh in on the redevelopment plan before the $75 million project is said and done.
“We’re going to grow, we just want to do it responsibly,” Simpkins said.
The project itself is a public-private partnership as far as how it’s funded. Construction could begin as early as 2025.
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