City Of Cumming Breaks Ground On New City Center

CUMMING, GA — Construction on the highly anticipated Cumming City Center has finally begun after ground was broken Wednesday by the City Council and other area leaders. The project is anticipated to be complete by late 2021.

The Center will abut Forsyth Central High School on approximately 60 acres of a 75-acre plot of land, located between Canton Hwy. and Sawnee Drive. The mixed used development will feature a number of retail and restaurant spaces that will be owned by the City and leased to tenants, as well as several possible community areas such as a large amphitheater, miniature golf course, small lake with a fountain, walking trails and green space and a veterans memorial.

Exact plans of the project could change over time based on the topography of the location, and more information will be made public as the project moves forward.

A conceptual design of the City Center shows that it will feature a classic 1950's Americana architectural style.

In Mayor Troy Brumbalow's latest Mayor's Memo letter, he wrote that the Downtown Development Authority hired a full-time employee to serve as the City Center Property Manager. The Property Manager is currently conducting research into the best practices of other similar developments around the state, and exploring various retail and restaurant opportunities for the spaces that will be available when the Center opens.

After the Center opens, the Property Manager will oversee all day-to-day operations at the facility.

Additionally, during the June Fridays at the Fairgrounds event, Brumbalow unveiled a 1969 Chevrolet Impala that has been restored to honor the memory of two fallen Forsyth County Sheriff's Deputies.

"I am honored to present this tribute to fallen deputies in Forsyth County," Brumbalow said. "This car is a re-creation of the patrol vehicle that Deputy Bill Cantrell and Larry Mulkey were murdered in on January 10, 1972."

Brumbalow said his hope is that it will honor the deputies' service and sacrifice to the community for years to come, as well as other deputies that have been lost in the line of duty.

"It will be on permanent display at the City Center and will be a part of City parades going forward," Brumbalow said. "This project has been a dream of mine for several years and wouldn't have been possible without the help of former Sheriff Donald Pirkle."