The plans for the site at Northwestern Highway and Orchard Lake Road were approved through a planned unit development, says Dale Countegan, the city's director of planning and community development.

The development was originally quoted at costing about $100 million, Countegan notes.

The company is currently building a Home Depot, consisting of about 100,000 sf and a garden area, Countegan says.

"There should be occupancy within a month," he tells GlobeSt.com. "The land to the west was recently approved for a 136,000-sf Sam's Club."

A gas station was planned for the Sam's Club, but the city council says a fueling station was not on their list of acceptable uses for the PUD, Countegan says.

He adds a couple of multi-tenant outlots were also approved, and will include Atlanta Bread and other retailers, Countegan reports. Another outlot has received site plan approval, he says, and will include Buca Dibepo and three other buildings.

On the outlots, the company is moving forward on site engineering and anticipates construction soon, Countegan notes.

The company has acquired about half of the total 80-acre parcel, Countegan says.

There are some existing residential and older strip commercial properties that would need to be razed and rebuilt, he notes.

"Grand Sakwa is developing as they go. The overall master plan shows the entire development of 80 acres as commercial. The company said it plans to continue retail, but the PUD allows office and residential," Countegan says.