Simpsonwood Park Development Update

Citizen Steering Committee continues redesign plans with many residents against any changes

The second meeting of the Citizen Steering Committee for the Simpsonwood Park Master Plan took place on January 15 at Pinckneyville Community Center and focused on a presentation and discussion of three conceptual plans.

• Concept 1 centered on a central hub
• Concept 2 centered on an eastern hub
• Concept 3 centered on a river hub

According to Carlos Perez, president and founder of Perez Planning + Design, LLC (PP+D), a research-based firm contracted to facilitate the park redesign, key features for each include vehicular circulation, parking areas, multi-use paths and program areas like dog parks and nature exploration zones.

Perez added that the plans aim to balance natural resource protection with recreational needs, emphasizing ecological management and sustainable trail systems.

The committee emphasized the importance of community input, particularly on the balance between parking spaces and natural areas, as well as the need for clear communication with county leadership.

Concept 1

• 100 paved spaces
• 40 overflow parking spaces
• 1.9 miles of paved trails
• 5.7 miles of hiking trails
• 7.3 acres of impervious area

“The idea is that we have this existing road that would be improved, but done in a way that preserves that feel of a natural park,” said Perez.

He added that all of the models will have an access road to the Wood Creek pump station. The Department of Watershed Resources must be able to get vehicles and equipment in for maintenance and repairs. It wouldn’t change much from the existing road. However, in certain areas, the road will need to cross streams and creeks.

“We would do that with a wood bridge consistent with the character of the site,” said Perez.

He added that much of the parking will be near an area being called the Great Lawn. There will be additional parking near the chapel, with an overflow parking area of 20 to 30 spaces for events that may take place in the park.

“It will be done in a way that’s paved but integrated as cleanly as we can within that environment,” said Perez. “The overflow parking would be a green space area that, when parking is not there, then it just looks like an open field with trees around the edges.”

The primary multi-use paths are consistent with what’s currently in use at other parks throughout the county.

“The idea is to look at a potential two loops, one that’s about a mile and one that’s a little longer — 1.5 miles — going around a portion of the site and then connecting back to Jones Bridge,” he said. “Then there is the accessible access path from the parking areas and from the hubs with sidewalk connections that connect the paved, multi-purpose trails to the different hubs that are located in this area.”

Perez added that there will be boardwalks to cross over wetlands, creeks or streams as needed. There would also be some small pavilions — a larger one in the central part, near the chapel and two smaller pavilions.

This concept has the potential for a light camping area. The Great Lawn could serve as an outdoor classroom. There’s also a nature exploration area and space that could be a dog park. Perez also mentioned two overlooks along the river with a restroom nearby. This plan calls for a restroom near the central area and another near the chapel as well.

“There’s also a secondary hiking loop and connector trails that happen throughout the park,” said Perez. “These would be very natural in appearance, not improved.”

Concept 2

• 90 paved parking spaces
• 65 overflow parking spaces
• 1.67 miles of paved trails
• 6.6 miles of hiking trails
• 7.1 acres of impervious area

“Concept number two looks at moving the hub closer to the road,” said Perez. “We’re calling it the Great Lawn hub.”

He added that, similar to the first plan, this one has an access road to the pump station and also access to the cell tower. There will be parking areas near the Great Lawn, a campground area and near the chapel.

“We have a slightly different orientation of the multi-purpose trail, including one that circles on the edges of the Great Lawn and another one that circles around the middle area, one a little closer to the overlook and then a connection to the road.”

Another difference is an area with walkways near the chapel, an interpretive, accessible path area and more accessible boardwalk.

“In terms of the structures, we have some of the existing chapel, a large pavilion and two small pavilions near the chapel,” he said. “There will also be a restroom or a maintenance building in that location.”

This model, too, includes an area for a dog park, a nature exploration area, a campground in the Great Lawn area and a meadow. There will be primary hiking and secondary hiking loops that circulate throughout the site and connect to walking paths.

Concept 3

• 130 paved parking spaces
• 40 overflow parking spaces
• 1.75 miles of paved path
• 6.5 miles of hiking trails
• 7.4 acres of impervious area

“We’re calling concept number three the river hub,” said Perez. “This concept shows that main entrance road going a little farther into the site near the river. And this was in response to those river experiences and trying to get accessible locations closer to the river, to get people to the river.”

The river hub would include paved parking and overflow parking. There would still be parking near the chapel. This model also includes picnic areas. The plan has a one-mile, multi-purpose loop and another half-mile loop that connects to the road and accessible paths.

The model has two large pavilions, four small pavilions and the chapel. It also includes a labyrinth, a natural play area, a dog park and a camp ground.

Committee and community feedback

The committee members who were present all consistently agreed that Concept 3 was their least preferred plan. Although they had concluded in the November meeting that they didn’t want a dog park or a playground, some form of both were in all of the designs.

They were also lukewarm on the camping component, arguing that people looking for a place to smoke marijuana, drink alcohol and do drugs were more likely to use the facility than any scouting groups.

Some were against any paved paths at all — even though that would limit access for those with disabilities or families that needed to use strollers. And just about everyone wanted to see fewer — not more — pavilions.

Preferences leaned towards Concept 1 for its main area layout and Concept 2 for its limited number of concrete paths. The community emphasized preserving the park’s natural state, citing environmental impacts and overdevelopment.

“I don’t know if y’all know there is a petition going around,” said committee member Danielle Leahy. “It has 1,200 people that [have] signed it that also agree. I’m just letting everyone know we are supposed to gather information, and that’s what I’ve done.”

Leahy said she isn’t satisfied with the way the Citizen Steering Committee is progressing.

“I found it disconcerting that features like the playground and dog park — that were completely nixed by the steering committee last time — were reintroduced on every single plan, nonetheless. The same could be said for the campgrounds, as they had less than 50 percent support at the first meeting, yet they appeared on each plan,” she said.

“Unfortunately, this sends the message to my group and the steering committee that our voices are ultimately not being heard. Gwinnett County seems to be pushing forward with their own hidden agenda no matter the opinions of the steering committee.”

Friends of Simpsonwood

Leahy founded Friends of Simpsonwood, a group of concerned citizens that largely want to see Simpsonwood Park remain pretty much as-is. She and about 50 members of the group attended the meeting. Dressed in red, they wanted to make it known that they were a strong voice in the community.

They had three main issues with the Citizen Steering Committee that were posted on their website. Peachtree Corners Magazine presented those complaints to Parks and Recreation Deputy Director Glenn Boorman. His written responses are below:

• The Steering Committee was quietly selected by Gwinnett County, with no transparency about why some citizens were selected and others were not. When asked at the Simpsonwood public meeting in September if members of the public could nominate and/or vote on members of the committee, Gwinnett County denied that request. Without full transparency about who is representing us (and why), we do not have fair representation.

Response: The attached slide was a part of the presentation at the November meeting explaining how the Citizen Steering Committee was established. Besides the original members that returned, the applicants were reviewed for location of residence (one was, in fact, not in Gwinnett County) to ensure an even geographic spread surround the area, review of recreation interests or activities looking for a broad spectrum of interests as well as community mindedness to represent the community.

• The Citizen Steering Committee is not allowed to discuss unwanted park features. During the November meeting, the members of the CSC were openly told that they are not allowed to discuss any features that they do NOT want for the park, only features they do want. This narrow form of discussion disallows real thoughts or opinions to enter the arena.

Response: There are specific activities and features which are not allowed on the property as dictated by the Conservation Easement. There are uses which are planned for other park locations. There is no need to have these items (such as active fields for sports and mountain biking) as part of the discussion.

• The Citizen Steering Committee does not have a vote. As of right now, there are no plans for the CSC to actually vote on any features for the park. As described by one official, the CSC is simply “an advisory committee” to Gwinnett County.

Response: This statement is incorrect, there [was] voting on features … at this meeting.

Public comments

The last 10 minutes of the meeting were reserved for public comment. The organizers allotted five speakers to have two minutes each.

Even though he doesn’t live in Gwinnett County, Malte Weiland works at the Peachtree Corners office of Siemens as a sustainability professional. He said he’s in the park about three times a week. He’s also been on the board of the Dunwoody Nature Center for eight years and said he’d be willing to lend any expertise to the park master plan.

“Our park has very similar constraints and also similar guiding principles to what I heard tonight, and we’ve got some semi-innovative ways that we approach that, particularly around our nature-based education and the long-term preservation of natural resources,” he said. “So if anyone’s interested in learning more about how we approach that and how we help this process, or maybe impact the design, I’m happy to meet with you more or just share that as well.”

Debbie Mitchell lives in North Manor and is worried that proposed changes will negatively impact the quality of life for those near the park.

“My house is [to] the back of the church, so I’m very close,” she said. “My concerns are the environmental impact to the humans that live there, as well as the nature and the fact that you’re enhancing something and bringing more into an area of low trash, low light, low sound. I hear that there’s going to be events. And I don’t want to hear rappers in my yard, and that’s basically what it would be.”

She’s also concerned that the enhanced amenities will increase traffic and cause congestion.

“The roads have not been widened. They’ve not been prepared for a park that’s going to have events and have 200-plus cars,” she said.

 Pam Prehmus has lived in Peachtree Corners for 43 years. She remembers when it was mainly horse farms and natural greenery.

“Simpsonwood is unique. It is the only park where my daughter and [her] four children, as well as my other grandchildren that come to town, are able to hike in real woods, not man-made woods — real meadows— and play creatively without man-made logs put someplace,” she said. “You talk about preserving Simpsonwood, but you want to bring in more cars, more groups of people, which may actually exacerbate your problems that you’re trying to fix. This causes erosion, disturbances and affects public safety.”

The remaining speakers echoed similar concerns.

“This renovation goes against the three self-directed guiding principles set by this committee to address,” said Jack Head. “The watershed special protection area on the river has proposed items on each concept. …  Those river overlooks would invite trash into the river. The parking spaces would clear cut trees. It would not be natural.”

Next steps

The committee had been scheduled to tour Simpsonwood Park, as well as two others in the county, but inclement weather caused the county to postpone the outing.

The next Citizen Steering Committee meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. on March 4 at Pinckneyville Community Center and is open to the public.

Photos credit: Arlinda Smith Broady