Mall of Georgia has the worst transportation design ever (Atlanta: sale, mortgage)

[SAAN]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Rail out there might benefit people who work at the mall and surrounding retail stores but I doubt that many shoppers would use it.

Would be a nice alternate in the rush hour to take a commuter rail into town vs driving all the way down, but there would need to be a light rail that connects Doraville to Perimeter Center or preferably Cumberland to really make it work.


Gas would need to hit $4-5 a gallon and stay there for years before transit expansion is taken seriously in metro ATL. Its split on the folks that want and dont want MARTA in their area, and while alot will say race plays a factor, which is true alot of the time, just about all by black family and friends in Gwinnett all said they dont want MARTA out there either and will just sit in traffic. With alot leaving Dekalb to go to Gwinnett, they say they dont want a repeat out there, even though Im starting to hear of plenty or crime in Snellville now where no transit runs.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by SAAN

Gas would need to hit $4-5 a gallon and stay there for years before transit expansion is taken seriously in metro ATL. Its split on the folks that want and dont want MARTA in their area, and while alot will say race plays a factor, which is true alot of the time, just about all by black family and friends in Gwinnett all said they dont want MARTA out there either and will just sit in traffic. With alot leaving Dekalb to go to Gwinnett, they say they dont want a repeat out there, even though Im starting to hear of plenty or crime in Snellville now where no transit runs.

Doesn't matter what year it is or what race people are, the same anti-MARTA garbage persists.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by SAAN

Would be a nice alternate in the rush hour to take a commuter rail into town vs driving all the way down, but there would need to be a light rail that connects Doraville to Perimeter Center or preferably Cumberland to really make it work.

It just doesn't seem likely that many people who shop at the Mall of Georgia area would ride a train to shop downtown, or vice versa. We also had several stops to make and a train would have been of little benefit.

[MattCW]

As much as I love transit, I'm inclined to agree that it wouldn't help MOG significantly. Most of the traffic to it won't be coming from along the backbone line, whether CRT or HRT. Now the reverse, people heading to Atlanta, that's a different story, but that's another topic.


I know cars are a dirty word around here, but for maneuvering about the suburbs, there isn't going to be a replacement for that for decades, if ever. MOG needs a better road network. Everything is hung off GA-20. I know Gravel Springs Rd is supposed to get rampsIdeally the GA-20/I-85 cloverleaf would be a stack interchange with flyover ramps directly onto 20 in the NB direction. But without that, MOG Boulevard should be extended to Woodward Mill Rd with ramps added on I-985. Gravel Springs should also be extended to I985. But even with that, there needs to be a moratorium on further development away from GA-20. Maybe a bit around the interchanges (fast food, gas, etc.) and a bit off GA-20 toward I-985, but not very far. It may even be best if both of these were made south-only interchanges with I-985.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by MattCW

As much as I love transit, I'm inclined to agree that it wouldn't help MOG significantly. Most of the traffic to it won't be coming from along the backbone line, whether CRT or HRT. Now the reverse, people heading to Atlanta, that's a different story, but that's another topic.


I know cars are a dirty word around here, but for maneuvering about the suburbs, there isn't going to be a replacement for that for decades, if ever. MOG needs a better road network. Everything is hung off GA-20. I know Gravel Springs Rd is supposed to get rampsIdeally the GA-20/I-85 cloverleaf would be a stack interchange with flyover ramps directly onto 20 in the NB direction. But without that, MOG Boulevard should be extended to Woodward Mill Rd with ramps added on I-985. Gravel Springs should also be extended to I985. But even with that, there needs to be a moratorium on further development away from GA-20. Maybe a bit around the interchanges (fast food, gas, etc.) and a bit off GA-20 toward I-985, but not very far. It may even be best if both of these were made south-only interchanges with I-985.

The intersection of Mall of GA Blvd @ GA-20 and also the local Quicktrip, Culvers (yum), Floor & Decor are all too close to I-85 for a Stack interchange to be constructed. Also its worth noting that the interchange specifically isn't the real bottleneck, the real issue are the signals of Mall of GA Blvd and so forth as you enter the Mall of GA.

I do think the additional interchanges will help and I also agree in general transit between it and other suburban nodes won't help a great deal.

As for a roundabout, I don't think thats a good idea for that interchange. Roundabouts tend to lose their advantage in handling traffic in large traffic volumes seen on GA-20, and especially when you account for the amount of tractor trailers that use that exit.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

As for a roundabout, I don't think thats a good idea for that interchange. Roundabouts tend to lose their advantage in handling traffic in large traffic volumes seen on GA-20, and especially when you account for the amount of tractor trailers that use that exit.

Unless they made a 3-level roundabout interchange, where you only had to get on the roundabout if transferring between GA-20 and I-85. Something like this but with a wider roundabout:

https://www.google.com/maps/@29.9748...!3m1!1e3?hl=en

The future interchange at Gravel Springs might relieve the pressure at GA-20, though.

[sedimenjerry]

Originally Posted by toll_booth

The future interchange at Gravel Springs might relieve the pressure at GA-20, though.

This is really the issue. 20. Gravel Springs intersection and better SW connectivity. Satellite Blvd is north of 985 and probably doesn't take enough traffic off. Plus you gotta take 20 north to get to it anyway. Plunkett isn't designed to handle anything but very local traffic. You really have no choice but to get on 20 and fight with all the other stores along that road.

[Born 2 Roll]

In an article that appeared in the Gwinnett Daily Post, Gwinnett County resident and opinion columnist Rob Jenkins writes that he is worried that a changing retail marketplace is having a negative effect on the Mall of Georgia.

Because, my friends, I perceive that the Mall of Georgia, for all its grandeur, is slowly dying. If you think a giant mall can’t die, I have two words for you: Gwinnett Place.

Think of all the great stores, once MOG fixtures, that are no more. Talbots. Banana Republic. Brookstone. Nordstrom. Some have gone out of business. Others have been bought out or replaced by equally-high-end chains, like Von Maur. But many have simply disappeared, giving way to fly-by-night discount outlets — or worse, empty storefronts.

JENKINS: "The Mall of Georgia: Use it or lose it" (Gwinnett Daily Post)

[arjay57]

Thanks for posting that, B2R. He's got a durn good point.

If people keep buying stuff at Walmart and Target, and at discount stores and online, our malls are up the creek.

[sedimenjerry]

The one thing benefiting MOG at the moment is that it's still surrounded by desirable areas.
GP still isn't that far off from some nice areas, but Pleasant Hill Rd south to 29 and the areas to the west have been struggling for as long as I can remember (so 20+ years). I'm not which came first, the decline of the I-85 corridor or the decline of GP, but I think that has to have some impact.

Plus, who's gonna build a mall to compete with MOG? While Sugarloaf Mills (RIP Discover Mills) was competition for GP, it doesn't seem to be competition for MOG. And I can't think of where a full size 20th century era mall would be built. Tanger Outlet Mall already exists up in Commerce so I don't think an outlet mall will be built. Mixed use developments are all the rage, but I'm not sure where one would go. The population density really starts to decrease NE of 20. I know there's the planned/in limbo project at Sugarloaf, but those seem to be more of a local draw. People in southern Gwinnett already do most of their shopping along Scenic Hwy (with its own traffic problems) so not really worried there.

I think the only thing would be the continued rise of online shopping. MOG needs to stay proactive to:
1) Provide events and entertainment options. Malls have long been social outlets (and not just a place to buy stuff), keep it that way.
2) Maintain a middle class to upper middle class appeal and reputation. Gwinnett Place long passed the point of no return. You could suddenly get GP with 100% occupancy and all the nice stores the MOG has but many people would stay away unless they had an armed guard with them. The problem with GP isn't just that it's largely empty, it's that it is very sketchy now.