A mixed-use community now under development at the corner of Walt Banks Road and Ga. Highway 54 is moving along smoothly toward a projected summer construction start.

After years of controversy surrounding the site, the city took it upon itself last year to find a planner and put together a master plan for the property.

Bob Adams of Bob Adams Homes, who already controlled 20 acres of the 73-acre tract, eventually gained control of the entire area and has begun clearing and grading for the initial residential section.

Adams said this week that he tweaked the city's site plan a bit, mainly looking at the marketplace to see what was economically feasible, but there has been very little change between the original plan and what he will present to the Planning Commission this month.

He is on the agenda for Monday night's meeting, but he plans to ask for a continuance so that a required traffic study can be completed. Doing such a study during the holidays was not practical because traffic patterns change so much during that time, Adams said.

Adams expects to be ready to go by the time the Planning Commission's Jan. 24 meeting rolls around.

The total square footage for the commercial section is set, but individual tenants can be somewhat flexible, within a 40,000-sq. ft. maximum. “No big boxes are allowed,” Adams said.

Construction should begin in June on the 63 or so homes that are to be built on the northeast corner of the site. Adams' company will build and sell the homes, he said.

For the commercial portion, Adams has joined with G. K. Johnson, an experienced commercial developer, to take over construction after the initial development of the land. Adams said his firm's strength is in residential building, so he thought it best to find another company for the commercial construction.

Providing the city approves the conceptual site plan, things should keep moving right on schedule. “We're pretty much on our way,” Adams said.

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