Alpharetta families looking for healthcare, IT, or skilled-trades credentials close to home could eventually have more options after Governor Brian Kemp's FY2027 budget proposed $2.26 million to design a second building at Gwinnett Technical College's Alpharetta–North Fulton campus.
The bond funding appears in the governor's budget report, Connected Alpharetta reported Wednesday, July 29. The money covers architectural and engineering design only. Construction would require a separate future appropriation from the Georgia General Assembly, and it remains unclear whether the legislature has formally approved even the design funds or whether the figure remains a gubernatorial recommendation. No groundbreaking date has been set.
The campus sits on a 25-acre site on Old Milton Parkway, across from Avalon. Since opening in 2016, its single 95,000-square-foot building has housed more than 50 degree, diploma, and certificate programs, including registered nursing, paramedicine, radiologic technology, cybersecurity, computer programming, and hybrid/electric vehicle service.
College-wide enrollment surging
Gwinnett Tech reported 15,689 students enrolled for the 2025 academic year, marking nine consecutive semesters of growth. Fall 2025 alone topped 12,300 students, a 12% jump over the prior year. Those figures are college-wide, covering both the Lawrenceville main campus and the Alpharetta location; a campus-specific breakdown has not been published.
The college's FY2026–2030 strategic plan lists "strategically launching new programs at the Lawrenceville and Alpharetta-North Fulton campuses" as an institutional goal. The True North 400 community improvement district, which covers Alpharetta, Roswell, and Milton, said July 15 that the expansion would grow "training capacity in high-demand fields like healthcare, IT and skilled technical programs."
Lauren Dodson, Gwinnett Tech's vice president of economic development, wrote in a July 15 post for True North 400: "As Gwinnett Technical College grows alongside True North 400, we remain committed to our shared goal: building a stronger, more skilled and more connected North Fulton."
Workforce pipeline for North Fulton
Alpharetta is home to roughly 107,342 employees as of the first quarter of 2026, with dominant clusters in technology, life sciences, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing. Kali Boatright, president and CEO of the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, chairs the Gwinnett Tech Foundation Board of Trustees, linking the college directly to area employers seeking trained graduates.
True North 400 previously co-funded a $6 million Northwinds Parkway extension to improve road access to the campus.
No timeline for a construction funding request or a projected seat-count increase has been released. Gwinnett Tech President Dr. D. Glen Cannon and the Technical College System of Georgia have not publicly announced next steps beyond the design phase.
