Executive-2019-summer

T he Mayor of Sugar Hill has big dreams; big dreams some people would think are unrealistic. And maybe they are, but Mayor Steve Edwards, his city council and staff have created a city center and entertainment district out of almost nothing. Over the last 10 years, Sugar Hill’s downtown went from an outdated City Hall and a few office buildings to a destination where Rock & Roll Hall of Fame stars come to perform. So, who’s to say big dreams can’t realistically come true? Like a lot of the cities in Gwinnett County, Sugar Hill experienced a population boom in the early 2000s. “There was a sense of competition among the cities. Cities in Gwinnett were doing great things,” said Edwards. “In the early 2000s, we’d fallen behind, but now I feel like we’re keeping pace.” Located about 40 miles northeast of Atlanta, Sugar Hill officially opened the E Center in April, which added boutique restaurants, shops, the indoor multi-use Eagle Theater, offices and gym to a new downtown area that has been a decade in the making. In 2010, Sugar Hill selected the site for a new City Hall building, which now opens onto a public green space and splash pad. The park borders The Bowl at Sugar Hill, the City’s outdoor amphitheater, which hosts ticketed events for local “We wanted to create a sense of place, a destination, but with a feeling of distinction; something uniquely Sugar Hill.” Big Dreams Build a Unique Downtown for the City of Sugar Hill Led by Mayor Steve Edwards, Sugar Hill has created a downtown that draws a crowd 2 the EXECUTIVE