Improving transit can help our entire region

Gwinnett Is Great.

I believed that the day it was first painted on our iconic water tower. I’ve believed it every day since.

Gwinnett County is a unique, special, and growing place. At almost 1 million people strong, we’re bigger than six states if we were independent. As part of metro Atlanta’s roughly 6 million residents, we also understand that we’re part of a much larger community.

In order for Gwinnett to continue to be great – and for our greater Atlanta community of Atlanta to be great – we cannot rest on our past laurels or remain bound by our preconceived notions that what worked yesterday will work for us tomorrow. Specifically, with our successes has come growth. We are at a time where our county and our region must grow differently.

For the past year I have been part of a legislative study committee looking at ways to relieve the burden of our growth through alternative mobility solutions. Specifically, we’ve looked at the many ways and agencies that currently deliver transit alternatives. We’ve looked at how transit has been funded. We’ve looked at how we’re going to grow, and how our next generation of employees will get to work.

And, we have looked at decisions made by employers who are moving to be near dedicated transit lines. Amazon has most recently put this issue to the forefront of discussions, but it is a lesson that has already hit home with decisions made by NCR, State Farm, and others. The future of high-tech, highwage, corporate headquarters jobs will be aligned with transit.

Our legislators are now considering a bill that will provide more flexibility to counties that wish to connect with our neighbors via transit. The Atlanta Transit Link (The ATL) is an opportunity for us. It continues to allow counties to choose their transit destiny and make local funding decisions. It also sets up a new dedicated funding stream from the state, as well as an independent board selected by local elected officials to coordinate planning and federal funding to solve our congestion issues at a regional level.

Those of us in Gwinnett understand that we have always been bold in our response to challenges. We also know better than to rest on our laurels. We have before us an opportunity at this point in time. We can cling to the past, or we can choose our future.

Transit will allow Gwinnett to choose how we grow. It can assist redevelopment of some areas, add density where it makes sense, all while preserving the more-rural, low-density atmosphere of areas further away from major transportation corridors. That’s not just true in Gwinnett, but our region as a whole.

Transit is now inexorably linked with economic development, just as Gwinnett is inextricably linked to the rest of our regional neighbors. We are going to grow. Transit allows us to grow together, not just in moving our growing population, but in economic mobility as well.

Gwinnett’s future, like Metro Atlanta, is bright. Transit will be part of our future if we are to achieve our full potential. I not only look forward to the state passing this year’s transit bill into law, but to Gwinnett choosing transit as another component that keeps us on the right track.

Transit for Gwinnett is an idea whose time has come. It’s a great choice.

Nash