History Of The UPCCA
By Gay Shook and Mike Mason
The United Peachtree Corners Civic Association (UPCCA) was established in 1993 in response to land use concerns in the unincorporated part of western Gwinnett known as Peachtree Corners. Homeowners joined together to form UPCCA, an umbrella group of neighborhood homeowners’ associations, and incorporated as a 501c4 organization. Thus organized, UPCCA was able to have a say regarding development on the main thoroughfare through Peachtree Corners, Peachtree Parkway, and the surrounding areas.
UPCCA has evolved through the years from a group defined by opposition to developers to a group defined by its vision for Peachtree Corners. This meant UPCCA viewed developers and the County as potential partners and not always as adversaries. Peachtree Parkway looks as good as it does because of this support for certain development and a consistent pattern of cooperation with the Gwinnett Planning Commission and the Board of Commissioners. A crowning achievement has been the Peachtree Corners Overlay District, established in 2007, as a result of the consistent and tenacious work of UPCCA.
An important UPCCA program is the Peachtree Parkway Improvement Project. Begun in 2004, UPCCA now maintains the Parkway medians year round to improve upon the twice a year mowing done by the Georgia D.O.T. The program is funded by voluntary fair-share contributions of landowners on the Parkway and other stakeholders.
As part of the Peachtree Parkway Improvement Project, a gateway monument sign announcing Peachtree Corners and the Paul Duke Parkway is planned for summer 2008. It will be constructed on the acreage at the “split,” where Peachtree Parkway veers off from northbound Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. This stretch of Peachtree Parkway to the Chattahoochee River was designated the Paul Duke Parkway in 1999, for the founder of Peachtree Corners.
UPCCA is participating in the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce’s “Partnership Gwinnett” by branding Peachtree Corners through its sign topper program, through the landscape maintenance program, and through the construction of a gateway monument sign. All of these efforts signal that Peachtree Corners in Gwinnett County is indeed a good place to live, work and play.
General UPCCA meetings are open to all. They are held once a month at least six times during the year, usually at the Simpsonwood Conference & Retreat Center. Topics of general interest are presented, and speakers from government, industry, and education, among others, are invited to present. In election years, candidates for elected office are invited to a Candidates’ Forum to answer questions from the audience of homeowners. UPCCA maintains an active website and questions are always welcome: www.upcca.com
The United Peachtree Corners Civic Association has been called “the gold standard for homeowners’ groups” by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. (May 11, 2003.)
