Politics & Government

Mayor Provides Updates on Construction Projects

Several Smyrna projects, including Jonquil Village and parts of Belmont Hills, were discussed at the mayor's State of the City Address.

Smyrna Mayor Max Bacon used his annual State of the City address to give residents an update on several construction projects in the Smyrna-Vinings area.

The former site of the Hickory Lakes apartment complex, which was purchased by the city and demolished in 2011, is slated to become approximately 190 single family homes that will sell for $300,000 or more. Bacon said that construction should begin at the site within nine months.

Despite the likelihood that the city will end up losing money on the deal, Bacon said he was confident that the reinvestment in the area will pay dividends in the long run.

Another development that has been on the minds of Smyrnans for years is the site of the former Belmont Hills shopping center. The complex was torn down in 2009, and the land parceled out. The Cobb County School District built Smyrna Elementary School on part of the land, and David Weekely Homes plans to build 154 single-family homes on part of the land they purchased from developer Jack Halpern.

Halpern has also purchased the 11-acre site of the former Jonquil Plaza shopping center, which was the target of a $100 million-plus development called Jonquil Village before the economic recession hit. Recently, a plan by Branch Capital Partners to turn the site into a mixed-use development with a focus on residential use was denied by the Smyrna City Council.

Bacon believes that a big-box grocery store like Publix would be a perfect fit for the site. The mayor said there is no grocery store on Atlanta road anywhere between Marietta Square and Interstate 285.

Halpern has yet to submit a site plan to the city.


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