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ross Official newsletter C of the R ads June 2013 Eve 6 to rock Suwanee The Southern California pop-punk trio that is Eve 6 will rock Town Center Park with a free concert performance on August 10. The band enjoyed platinum and gold success in the late 1990s and early 2000s with hit singles like “Inside Out,” “Leech,” Promise,” “On the Roof Again,” and “Here’s to the Night.” Eve 6 inked its first record deal before members had fin- ished high school, released its first album in 1998, and called it quits in 2004. Original band members – Max Collins New homebuilding on vocals and bass, Jon shows signs of health, growth Siebels on The front-page headline in the May 10 Atlanta-Journal guitar, and Constitution read: “New homebuilding shows signs of life.” drummer Tony Based on City data and realtor reports, if that story had been Fagenson – reunited in 2011 and released a fourth album, written specifically about Suwanee, the headline might have Speak in Code, last year. Stand-out singles from this most read, well: “New homebuilding shows signs of health, growth.” recent album include “Curtain” and “Victoria.” In January, Redfin named Suwanee (along with Roswell and Smyrna) as one of 2013’s hottest up-and-coming neighbor- Eve 6 will take the stage at 8 p.m. An opening band will hoods in metro Atlanta. Redfin’s prediction is proving to be on be announced at a later date; check www.suwanee.com for target as new construction as well as prices in Suwanee are up, updates about this summer community concert. Bring friends and foreclosures are down. and neighbors, lawn chairs, and blankets, but no alcohol may The City of Suwanee had 115 single-family housing starts in be brought into Town Center Park. 2012, which was almost double the previous year. Currently, approximately 46 single-family homes are under construction, more than the total number of homes built in Suwanee in 2009 INSIDE THIS ISSUE… and 2010 and, if that pace holds up, closing in on the 153 housing starts reported in 2007. Food truck In a May presentation to City staff members, Coldwell fare…p. 6 Banker RMR realtors reported that demand was outpacing sup- ply in Suwanee and that Suwanee is experiencing more robust buyer interest than many surrounding markets, which are tend- ing to be recovering more slowly. Realtor Andrea Wright reported that the average list price A walkable 100 reasons to Y for Suwanee homes was up 37 percent in the first four months public art Suwanee…p. 9 encounter…p. 3 Continued on page 2 Page 2 June 2013 www.suwanee.com Construction…continued from page 1 of this year as compared to the same time period in 2012. The average home value was up more than 15 percent, at $222,400 this year as compared to $193,000 last year. Still, Wright noted, home values are generally below those of the peak days of 2006, and so while there are many first- time buyers and those 55 and older in Suwanee and other markets, many move-up second- and third-time buyers are still waiting for values to bounce back more strongly. Economic development indicators followed by the City of Suwanee show that foreclosures are down sharply. In the first quarter this year, Suwanee had 22 single-family foreclo- sures; in the first quarter of 2009, there were 46. The City’s highest number of foreclosures in a single month was 36, reported in June 2011; Suwanee’s foreclosures this past March totaled 6. Planning and Inspections Director Josh Campbell reports that the City currently has 204 platted but vacant lots remaining. Construction of single-family homes is nearing completion in McGinnis Reserve, Stonecypher, Suwanee Station, and Village Grove; Highland Station and Three Bridges have more empty lots remaining. At the City’s cur- rent residential construction rate, vacant lots would be consumed in a little more than two years. In 2009, there were 668 platted, vacant lots in the City, which were, at that time, on pace to build out in 52 years. While no new neighborhoods currently are in the development process, Campbell says, “With the market pressure for housing in Suwanee, I anticipate that we’ll soon see applications for new neighborhoods.” In addition to the excellent Gwinnett County Public Schools that serve Suwanee’s youngest residents, realtors report that buyers are attracted to Suwanee because of Town Center, parks, events, and the strong sense of communi- ty. Results from the 2012 National Citizen Survey indicate that other factors considered by new residents were police/ public safety, community appearance, overall community vibe, neighborhoods, and Suwanee’s image/reputation. Residents get a chance to warm up to piece of Cold War history An iconic symbol of the Cold War era found a temporary home in front of City Hall last month. A 12-foot section of the Berlin Wall was placed on temporary display in Suwanee at the end of April as it awaited auction. The once-western-facing side of the concrete section features graffiti artwork that depicts a building, people, and the American flag. As this newsletter was going to press, the wall section was scheduled to be auc- tioned on May 25 by Auction Management Corporation; the wall section remained or will remain in front of City Hall until the new owners can move it. “We were thrilled to be able to exhibit this section of the Berlin Wall,” says Suwanee’s Economic and Community Development Director Denise Brinson. “It offered a cool way to bring an important piece of art and history to area residents. The display fit in well with Suwanee’s goal of making art accessible.” The Berlin Wall was an approximately 100-mile barrier constructed beginning in 1961 – and re-enforced over the years – by the German Historic marker Sandy and Marv Kahn, Democratic Republic (East Germany). The barrier effectively cut off who were visiting from Germantown, West Berlin from surrounding East Germany, prevented free passage by Maryland, get their photo taken in front East Germans to the West, and became the “iron curtain” that literally of the Berlin Wall section on temporary separated Eastern and Western Europe until 1989. display at City Hall. June 2013 Page 3 www.suwanee.com New SculpTour provides artistic take on nature, family, human body & more Officially unveiled at the May 18 Arts in the Park festival, the 2013 SculpTour pieces offer artistic interpre- tations and reflections on a broad range of topics, from nature to the human body, from love of family to an appreciation for well-worn tools. Arranged in and around Town Center Park, the exhibit will remain on display through March 2015. A walk- able art encounter, Suwanee SculpTour is part of the City’s pub- lic arts initiative. The program is coordinated by the Public Arts Commission and is funded through private donations. The artists in the exhibit hail from seven different states. Several are from Georgia with the remainder coming from Florida, Kentucky, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, and Tennessee. New York City sculptor Jack Howard-Potter’s red Dancer 10, which can be seen on the edge of Town Center Park along Buford Highway, seeks to convey the motion of the body in extremely stressful and beautiful positions. In Blue Trees and Sky, Cathrin Hoskin combines ideas about the body’s landscape of ‘Crescendo’ by Gregory Johnson veins and nerves with similar linear patterns found in nature. Human bodies aren’t the only life forms represented in this SculpTour. Two pieces, Who Let the Dogs Out? by Jim Collins and Giraffe by Jonathan Bowling, represent animals. Motion is another common theme among some of the sculptures. In Crescendo, Gregory Johnson examines how Mother Nature in motion – be it in the form of a crashing wave, a rolling cloud, or an avalanche of snow – suggests meander- ing circular movements. A kinetic sculpture, Phil Proctor’s Iron Canopy actu- ally rotates as it’s blown by the wind. The 17-foot piece recognizes that life supports life – in this case, the tree is a habitat for a great owl. ‘Iron Canopy’ by Phil Proctor Relationships – be it the relationship of a couple or the connection between fine art and American subcultures such as hot-rodding or that between a musician-father and his child – also are pondered by SculpTour artists. “Whether people see one or two pieces at a time as they visit Town Center or see all of them at once as they take the approximately one-mile walking tour,” says Economic and Community Development Director Denise Brinson, “we hope that the accessibility of public art in Suwanee will make folks pause, reflect, connect, and maybe smile.” More information about the 2013-15 SculpTour is available at www.suwanee.com/whatsnew.sculptour.php. While visiting the web page, you also can vote for your favorite current sculpture. At the end of each exhibit, if funding allows, the Public Arts Commission purchases at least one sculpture to be added to Suwanee’s permanent public art collection; unique daily votes are among the factors considered in making the decision of which piece to purchase. ‘Dancer 10’ by Jack Howard-Potter Page 4 June 2013 www.suwanee.com Retiring captain shares his thoughts on police career that spans two decades Capt. Clyde Byers has been an integral part of the Suwanee Police Department for more than 21 years. He’s known for being conscientious, loyal, brutally honest, frugal, and especially for his willingness to share “his thoughts on that.” “’Let me give you my thoughts on that.’ Oh yeah, that’s what Clyde would say,” notes his long-time Suwanee police colleague Lt.

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