The Issue

Currently, Simpsonwood, a 227 acre tranquil park in Peachtree Corners, is at risk of yet another generic development by Gwinnett County. Originally a farm owned by Ludie Mae Simpson, a school teacher who wished nothing more than the area to remain intact and preserved, it was deeded to the local church in 1973 as a gift from Simpson. For decades, the church kept Simpson’s wishes to keep the land preserved, but as the church finances dwindled they were forced to sell the land to Gwinnett County in 2015. Not long after, a plan to develop the park was approved by the county in 2016. Fortunately, the county funds ran short at that time and the plan was never developed. Fast forward to 2024 and now the county has plans to revisit the development with $8 million to make it happen. Since the plan in 2016 was already approved, we can assume that the future development will be similar, if not the exact same.

Map of 2016 Proposed Plan

Simpsonwood is currently Gwinnett County’s largest “passive park,” which is defined as a park that is designed for quiet, low-impact activties. “Active parks," on the other hand, are designed to promote more physically demanding activities, such as playgrounds, sports, fields, etc. The 2016 plan was to shift Simpsonwood from a “passive” park to an “active” park.

What this Shift Will REALLY Mean

As residents of PTC have already seen with other Gwinnett County “active” parks, like Jones Bridge Park, added amenities means added traffic and all of the negatives that come along with it. Negatives such as:

• Trash

• Noise

• Crowds

• Parking Problems

• Loitering

• Loss of Trees

• Possible Cyclists on Walking Trails

• Displaced Wildlife

  Gwinnett County has already proved with Jones Bridge Park that they are not able to maintain parks once they are developed. Unfortunately, we have no reason to believe otherwise with Simpsonwood.

Gwinnett County has proposed that 100 acres of the park remain “protected,” thereby obviously stating that the remaining 127 acres of the park are NOT protected. Features that were either discussed at recent meetings or are shown in the 2016 plans that will likely impact the park most negatively include the following:

• Playground

• Additional Pavilions

• Up to 34 acres of pavement (including paved trails)

• Boardwalks and bridges that are not in keeping with the natural trails

If plans for these features develop, Simpsonwood will lose its title as the largest “Passive Park” in Gwinnett County, and Peachtree Corners will lose a cherised asset.