The project will include 138 townhomes, 340 apartments, 580,000 sf of office space, 360,000 sf of retail space, 14 retail outparcels and a hotel with conference center. The master plan for the project has been approved by the Suwanee City Council.

The project will be designed, built and developed by Opus South over five years. The development site includes two main parcels that have remained vacant for several years. From 1978 to 1999, the practice and training facility for the Atlanta Falcons was located on 37 acres of the site. The remaining 111 acres used to be owned by Motorola Inc.

"This is the largest single undeveloped tract remaining in Suwanee and includes some of the city's most recognizable land," says Suwanee director of planning and community development Marty Allen.

The spine of the development will be a 1.5-mile parkway that will provide access to the development and connect Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road to Burnette Road. Opus South is planning to break ground on the project in the summer, with a projected five- to seven-year build-out for the project to be completed, Opus South (Atlanta) vice president Duane Wood tells GlobeSt.com.

"Our plans are to start construction on some of the retail and office space and a portion of the residential component," Wood says.

Wood says marketing efforts for the commercial space have begun, but no leases have been signed yet. "The project is very centrally located in the Gwinnett County and Interstate 85 corridor," he says. "It will have an urban feel which is new for the suburbs."