Voters in Gwinnett County want rail service, according to a new poll conducted by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. Sixty-three percent of respondents supported an extension of MARTA into Gwinnett.

Chamber president Dan Kaufman hopes it sparks a serious discussion within the county.

“Access to transit is going to be important for major business relocations. Millennials don’t want to buy a car and in many cases want to live, work, and play within reasonable proximity – or if they have to travel, they do it with other means of transportation,” Kaufman said.

He backs Gwinnett joining MARTA.

“In the future, absolutely. That’s my personal opinion. Not the chamber’s position. We have to have some transportation alternatives. Now whether it’s MARTA or light rail I don’t know yet, but we’ve got to have access to transit in Gwinnett County.”

Kaufman hasn’t had any direct discussions with MARTA officials, but he says there’s growing consensus within Gwinnett’s business community that rail service is needed. Funding, however, remains an issue. The amount of voters who are willing to actually pay for a MARTA extension, according to the poll, is right at 50 percent.