Three Developers Present Options for Town Center

The idea of a town center for the newly formed city of Peachtree Corners became a step closer to reality on Monday. 

Three developer groups presented plans for the coveted property across from The Forum at the Downtown Development Authority meeting.

While the final decision of what will actually be developed on the 20.6 acres has yet to be determined, three prominent developers presented their ideas for a mixed-use development that would include retail, residential, office space, hotel and entertainment components to the last undeveloped property in the city.

"Today we'll go through some very interesting proposals for the 20+ acres said Dan Graveline, DDA chairman. He along with the six other board members have the ultimate responsibility on selecting a developer and negotiating the contract.

First to present was TPA Group, a 42-year-old company founded by Paul Duke that was involved in the development of Technology Park. TPA assembled a tem that included JLB Partners, a residential developer for a presentation to the DDA board.

The TPA Group proposed a development that would feature a promenade and green space along with two to three story office space, upscale residential space, and a 90-100 bed upscale boutique hotel.

One of the biggest challenges would be to find a way to connect with The Forum. Because S.R. 141/Peachtree Parkway is a state road, there are restrictions, a pedestrian bridge may be the best option. This group's plan would be to start on the multi-family component first.

Second to make a presentation was the Fugua Group which brought in AMLI multi-family developer which proposed a Leed-Silver certified high-end residential development. This group would partner with Bob Cheeley, who owns several tracts of land surrounding the city's property. This group proposes assembling that property for a total of 31 acres to be developed as a mixed use development.

This group asserts it has a good idea of what should be built for the development to be successful and says its proposal is not speculative, it knows the formula to be successful.

Along with retail, restaurants and residential, Fugua recommends more entertainment including a diner theater, a health club and at least 50 percent of parking should be parking decks. It says it has the financing in place and can be ready to move within 90 days.

And Mccauley + Schmidt, the third group to make a presentation, focused on creating a town center surrounded by a mixed use development. Its presenter, Joel Reed from Pond & Company, was highly familiar with the city as his company was involved in creating Peachtree Corners Comprehensive Plan.

The plan, named "The Corners," would include connecting to The Forum and a development that would not compete but rather complement The Forum. The plan would incorporate plenty of space to hold community events, a theater with civic space for meetings, parks, open space and a dog park.

The residential component would be high-quality apartment buildings and town homes to appeal to a broad spectrum of people. The retail portion would include casual and high end restaurants and focus on bringing in retailers that are missing in the area.

After the presentations the board adjourned to go into executive session to discuss the various proposals but before departing Patch caught up with Graveline for his thoughts on the presentations.

"The good news is we've got three very good teams to consider, all have their strengths. We're delighted we have such a tough decision to make," he said.

Graveline could not offer any timetable on how long it would take before a decision would be to make a selection. "We hope shorter rather than longer," he said.