Another upscale shopping area is scheduled for Peachtree City's "City Circle" area at Ga. highways 54 and 74, this one described by developers as a "power center." The location is at the traffic hub of the city.

Bill Bassett, a vice president of Cousins MarketCenters, says that "power centers" complement regional malls by providing shopping opportunities to affluent communities which may be "isolated" from major malls. He says the smaller, more "village-like" power centers may be the "future of retail, because they are more convenient, safer and feature the right mix of stores for the demographics of the area."

The 17.5-acre site of "The Avenue at Peachtree City" is already zoned for commercial use and was negotiated for a shopping area through Pathway Communities. Cousins Properties of Atlanta and Fickling and Company of Macon are joint developers for The Avenue, which will contain between 140,000 and 190,000 square feet of "mall-based retailers," select local stores and specialty restaurants.

The larger square footage will be possible if a major department store decides to locate at The Avenue, according to Bassett. Site plans for configurations with and without the department store have been approved by the Peachtree City Planning Commission. The companies are "actively pre-leasing," he added, and have had "good conversations" with several department stores.

He did not comment directly on alleged competition for tenants with The Mews of Peachtree City, a development of similar size announced recently by Callaway Development for the intersection of Hwy. 54 and Walt Banks Road. That project has yet to receive city approval. Bassett did say, however, that Peachtree City is "under-served" by upscale retail stores, and that company research had determined "that people who live in Peachtree City are driving to Lenox Square and Perimeter Mall to find the shops they want."

The Avenue already has access roads from hwys. 74 and 54 and from Clover Reach. Its design will feature a small amphitheater for community events and relaxation, lots of benches and trees, bricked pedestrian walkways at the same level as the parking lot, and "head-in" parking that allows shoppers quick access to stores, according to Lisa Simmons, Cousins corporate communications director. A number of bronze sculptures also will accent the "Main Street feel" of The Avenue, she added.

Some of the types of tenants that the developers are seeking, Bassett said, include Abercrombie & Fitch, Nine West, Johnny Rockets Restaurant, Smith & Hawken and Harold's.

Construction will begin in the summer of 1999, with opening in the fall of 2000, Bassett said. The Avenue is a way of "getting the mall stores without getting the great big mall," he said.