Although it is still a long way from completion, things are progressing smoothly for the developers of The Avenue, a shopping center planned for Ga. Highway 54 at City Circle, just west of Ga. Highway 74 in Peachtree City.

Cousins Properties is developing the 17.5-acre site, which should be about 150,000-160,000 square feet, according to Bill Bassett, a representative of Cousins.

There will be no large "anchor" store in the center. "It's all speciality shops, similar to some of our other Avenue developments," said Bassett.

The complex should be open for business sometime in 2000, probably in the summer.

Cousins is in the final stages of reaching lease agreements with prospective tenants, Bassett said, adding that his firm's policy is not to release names of tenants until the deals are done. Bassett previously said that some of the types of tenants they were looking for included Abercrombie & Fitch, Nine West, Johnny Rockets restaurant, Smith & Hawken and Harold's.

Possible stores in the development were discussed, though, at the final meeting of the Highway 54-Walt Banks Task Force three weeks ago concerning the now-dead Mews development at that site.

Peachtree City director of development Jim Williams reported at that meeting the intentions of several retailers that were rumored to be coming to Hwy. 54 and Walt Banks Road. Williams read letters from some retailers that stated their intentions to locate either in Fayetteville or at The Avenue.

"It's our understanding that the Gap, which includes about four or five different stores, is one" planned Avenue tenant, Williams told The Citizen last week. "The Limited, which also includes about four or five different stores, is another."

The city prefers to leave tenant matters alone, but its hand was forced by actions concerning the Walt Banks proposal.

"We try to stay out of the tenant issues.That is strictly between Cousins and the retailer," Williams said. "The only reason it came up is the developer out at Walt Banks was claiming he had tenants which we really didn't think he had. It forced us to get into areas we don't like to get into. They [tenants] hate it."

Williams said that Cousins is currently working on engineering an architectural plans for the site. "We're expecting to get the engineering plans for review any day now," he said.

Bassett said that the design process is moving along as planned, and the company should be turning dirt at the site sometime this fall.

"It's definitely on schedule," said Bassett.

Road improvements relating to the site should be minimal, if any. Bassett said Cousins is satisfied with the way everything is now. The site currently has access from highways 54 and 74 as well as Clover Reach.