2017 Projections for Duluth and Suwanee: Do You Agree?

Suwanee and Duluth are close, geographically and demographically.

And Duluth is using the proximity and Suwanee's successful redevelopment as one of several comparisons in its Downtown Master Plan (technically in draft stage), which has been posted to the Duluth website.

The comparisons to Suwanee in the Duluth plan, which is on Page 76, are for the year 2017. (See the attached screenshot.)

Using a "15 minute drive time" area, the data in the Duluth report says that in 2017, Duluth will exceed Suwanee in median home value and median household income, and will have a lower median age.

The report says: "Suwanee’s main competitors are the same as Duluth - Gwinnett Place Mall, The Forum, and the Peachtree Industrial corridor. Buford Highway is not competitive with Suwanee."

The Duluth report also makes similar comparisons with Woodstock and Smyrna -- "markets that have experienced success in revitalization projects in the past." (Quote appears on Page 75.)

The report adds: "Taken together, these metrics add up to the conclusion that there are sufficient numbers of potential consumers with the affluence to support the transformative restaurant and retail element of the downtown redevelopment plan, creating a ‘critical mass’ of support that will lead the City of Duluth into continuing prosperity and stability in the coming decades."

The complete Duluth downtown master plan is here.

-- Do you agree with these projections and assessments? Tell us in the comments below.