Jonquil Village Still On Course

Plans for a retail and residential mixed-use development at the long dormant Jonquil Village shopping center property are still moving forward.

That’s what Ted Sandler, the attorney for the current Jonquil Village property owners Todd and Cheri Maxwell, confirmed to Patch on Tuesday.

“The contract is still alive…things are moving along,’’ said Sandler.

Atlanta-based Branch Properties, LLC, which owns two other mixed use development properties in the Smyrna-Vinings area (West Village and Ashbrook Crossing), submitted a zoning application with the last week as the initial 45-day inspection period came to a close.

Representatives from Branch could not be reached for comment, but Sandler confirmed that the site plans include a Publix grocery store anchoring the mixed-use development that will include retail and residential components.

“I’m very optimistic about this,’’ said Smyrna Councilwoman Teri Anulewicz, who represents Ward 3 where the Jonquil Village property resides. “I have a completely different feeling with the conversations we’ve had with Branch than I’ve had with anyone else that we’ve had conversations with over the past four years.”

Located at Atlanta and Spring Roads, the original plans for the roughly 14 acres was for a $181 million mixed-use project including 300 luxury condominiums, 160,000 square feet of retail space and 20,000 square feet of office space. But that was back in 2006 and with the downturn in the economy, the new plans will be of a much smaller scale.

There will be a down zoning process and it is possible that in early 2012 a zoning request with a possible amendment(s) could go before the Smyrna City Council. One small issue that needs to be addressed concerns a small parcel that is less than an acre that involves a lender. 

Still, Sandler remained very optimistic and remarked of the city of Smyrna’s desire to erect a monument sign on the property indicating an entrance into downtown Smyrna.