The Urban Redevelopment Agency of Gwinnett County is soliciting proposals to reposition a mostly dormant 106-acre industrial property just outside the city of Norcross. The site sits next to Lightera’s optical fiber manufacturing campus, which previously controlled the land before selling it to the county’s redevelopment agency in 2018.
According to reporting from The Atlanta Business Chronicle, the agency has not set a single prescribed use for the large tract and is open to a range of concepts from the development community. Potential program options identified by the county include multifamily housing, office space, retail, traditional industrial facilities, or flex industrial projects that can support a mix of uses.
While a variety of development paths are under consideration, the county has flagged a preference for higher-density residential formats if apartments become part of the selected plan. In that scenario, officials indicated they would favor high-rise style multifamily buildings over lower-rise alternatives, signaling an interest in more intensive use of the 106-acre site.
The property carries a significant incentives profile. It is located within a tax allocation district, providing a mechanism to reinvest certain future tax revenues back into the project area, and it lies inside both state and federal opportunity zones. Those designations may provide developers with additional tools to help structure a viable capital stack for large-scale redevelopment, subject to program requirements and investor appetite.
Gwinnett County has established a firm response timeline for the current solicitation. Proposals for the 106-acre site adjacent to Lightera’s campus are due to the Urban Redevelopment Agency by 2 p.m. on May 15. Interested development teams are expected to submit their concepts and qualifications within that window for consideration.
The new request for ideas follows other efforts by Gwinnett County to reposition legacy commercial assets. In 2025, the Urban Redevelopment Agency issued a separate request for proposals to redevelop Gwinnett Place Mall, another high-profile property in the county. Together, these initiatives underscore an ongoing focus on reimagining older commercial and industrial sites through public-led solicitation processes.
As the 106-acre industrial property moves through the proposal phase, the county’s openness to a mix of residential, office, retail, and industrial concepts, combined with its location in multiple incentive zones, frames the site as a notable test case for large-scale redevelopment in this part of the metro area.
