Ridge Lake Park: City of Sugar Hill

The City of Sugar Hill saw a lot of new developments initiated and completed in 2023, with some expanding into this calendar year and on into 2025.

In September 2023, the City of Sugar Hill’s Downtown Development Authority (DDA) gave their formal approval in favor of a leasing agreement for a new Starbucks in Downtown Sugar Hill.

The Starbucks is joining the Soils Development located on Temple Drive. The Sugar Hill DDA will maintain ownership of the commercially lucrative spaces in this region.

Spanning about 2,000 square feet, the new Starbucks is expected to open sometime in mid-2024 and will offer an outdoor patio. While it will not have a drive-thru, they will be offering curbside pick-up in the front of the business.

“Starbucks approached us with a unique twist on their proven winning model that goes back to their early days as a local coffee shop. I’m most excited for the community focus and Sugar Hill specific design this operator plans to bring along with the world-renowned Starbucks coffee and drinks. This location will provide an amazing downtown atmosphere with ample space for residents to meet up, work and experience community. This addition to our downtown further proves our commitment to community focused growth and creating amazing spaces for residents and visitors to enjoy,” Councilmember and DDA member Mason Roszel was quoted in a City press release.

The new space will have free Wi-Fi and the standard, expansive collection of beverages and food offerings.

In the same press release, Operator Brian Simmons added, “We are thrilled to introduce the trusted Starbucks brand, locally owned and operated to Downtown Sugar Hill. Our mission is to craft a ‘Third Place’ where people can gather, unwind, connect, and experience a sense of community. We embrace the principles that the City of Sugar Hill has envisioned, which aligns seamlessly with our goals.”

In the wake of the September release of political-horror film “Lanier”, the Sugar Hill Historic Preservation Society offered a presentation on the “The Mysteries of Lake Lanier” focusing on the ‘Lady of the Lake’ ghost story on Oct. 25

The story involves a tragic car crash in 1958 — the human remains having been uncovered a stunning 31 years later.

November of 2022 saw the groundbreaking for Ridge Lake Park located between the Arbor Clos neighborhood and Sugar Ridge Drive on the southern end of Highway 20.

Plans included, according to a City press release:

• Pervious paver parking
• Restrooms
• A covered pavilion.
• Large and small dog enclosures
• A small pond / lake for fishing
• Paved trails

Originally anticipating an Oct. 2023 unveiling, the park officially opened in Nov. 2023 — and boasts the City’s very first dog park. A disc golf course is in the works for 2024.

The designs for the Alton Tucker Boulevard Extension were completed and the project officially awarded to OhmShiv Construction, LLC.

Intended to improve upon the intersection of West Broad Street and Level Creek Road, the development will also extend Alton Tucker to Highway 20. 

The anticipated completion of this project is sometime in 2024.

Designing efforts for the Highway 20 Pedestrian Bridge also commenced — though some details such as the general layout, materials, and size remained in flux this past year. Also still being determined, were issues of aesthetics and GDOT permits.

Upon finalization, the next steps are / were to secure the design team and finalize the bidding and advertising documentation for partners in construction.

The project is set for completion in early 2025.

Funded by a grant via the Federal Highway Administration, the Downtown Greenway / LCI Project required filing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) from pre-approved firms for design. It is only after GDOT approval that advertising for design partners could commence.

The project facilitates a connection between PIB/20, Alton Tucker, and Highway 20.

As of the City’s last press release, the official timeline is still to be determined.

Aiming for completion in mid-2024, the Whitehead Road Sidewalks project began designs and Right of Way (ROW) approval processing in 2023. Upon receiving these requisites, advertising for partnering construction agencies comes follows.