of January 2011 with two new homes under construction and several major remodelings in progress. There was abundant new construction occurring along Centerville Highway as well, as of January 2011. On Norris Lake Way, a collection of homes in the million dollar range continued to sell as of 2011, making it one of the few areas of the metro where upscale new construction was still selling well. Hightower Trail and other areas of southern Gwinnett County continue to see new construction as well. New and finished resell homes in Governor's Walk and the Lake Norris area and on acreage in southern Gwinnett County continued to sell strongly during the recession, often for near pre-recession prices. Georgia MLS statistics back this metro Atlanta anomaly, and many feel the area's good luck during the foreclosure crisis occurred because Snellville remained strong economically during the recession, and is a popular relocation area for locals of the metro Atlanta area resettling from other suburban areas. City land swap In early November 2000, then-mayor Brett Harrell began negotiating a land swap to transform an abandoned supermarket into a municipal complex and the now-former City Hall into part of a church campus. The old Kroger in the Oakland Village Shopping Center on U.S. 78 across from Snellville United Methodist Church and City Hall was just one of several dead or dying shopping centers plaguing Snellville. Abandoned big-box stores had become enough of an eyesore to make them a major issue in the 1999 city elections. Harrell had campaigned on a platform that included efforts to revitalize vacant retail space. The project was not without its opponents. Among the concerned were tenants of the half-occupied Oakland Village Shopping Center that the city would take over, and who would be forced to relocate. The City Council voted unanimously that November to proceed with the exploration of a potential land swap. There was concern that timing could become an issue and kill the deal in the early stages. The owner of the shopping center wanted to sell his property by the end of 2000, while the City Council decided to take no action for a six-month period. Some citizens expressed concerns about the project at the City Council meeting and asked for the deal to be put to a referendum. On March 5, 2001, the city held its first public hearing on the land swap. Over 100 citizens attended