Norcross Approves $3.06 Million for Expanded Downtown Parking

Norcross has approved a $3.06 million construction budget for its expanded Downtown Parking Project and awarded the contracts to build and oversee the work.

The City Council acted Nov. 2, moving the project forward after 12 months of planning and engineering. Ohmshiv Construction LLC will handle the main construction under a $2,679,670.70 bid, the lowest responsive, responsible offer among seven received Sept. 28.

The full construction appropriation is $3,061,637. Council had approved a $2,841,355 project budget in April, making the latest amount $220,282 higher.

Columbia Engineering will manage construction. NOVA will test construction materials, and United Consulting will handle geotechnical testing for the stormwater retaining wall.

A construction start date, completion timetable and final parking-space count were not included in the city’s announcement. Those details will determine when downtown visitors and businesses begin to see the changes.

A separate step for downtown businesses

At the same meeting, council authorized Norcross to apply for the Georgia Main Street Program and approved $3,300 for travel, training and start-up membership.

The state program supports historic downtowns through business development, promotion, design and preservation. Norcross has submitted an interest form, but the council vote does not itself make the city a designated Main Street community.

The process requires a start-up phase of at least one year. If accepted, Norcross would enter a start-up agreement, obtain National Main Street Center membership and complete training. Staff would then return to council with a separate request to establish a Main Street board.

The city’s existing downtown manager already fills the staff role required by the program.

The council meeting recap covers both decisions. The Nov. 2 agenda is also available for residents seeking the full meeting materials.