Progress in Belmont Possible by End of Year

Both the developer of a stalled mixed-use development at Atlanta and Windy Hill roads and the government of the City of Smyrna are hoping that the general public will be able to see progress at the site before the end of the year.

"I don't want to be tied down to a specific date, but I'd hope to have something before the end of the year, if not sooner," said Halpern Enterprises, Inc.'s Vice President of Development Steve West. 

West blamed the recession, which began in 2008 just as the Belmont project was getting underway, as the main contributor to the slow progress at the planned development.

"We're working really hard on this and hope to have some good news to report soon," he said.

Smyrna's Economic Development Coordinator Jered Sigmon told Patch that when the city last talked to the developers in June, they learned that Wood Partners, responsible for building 274 multi-family luxury apartments that will be located at the site, was attempting to close an alternate financing deal that would allow them to begin work.

However, the conditions of the financing agreement require full architectural drawings and engineering reports. Wood Partners told the city that they were confident that they could complete this task before the end of the year.

"If you look around the metro area, the developments that are getting financing are multi-family luxury apartments," Sigmon said.

In October, 2012, Halpern successfully changed the zoning inside the development to allow them to relocate the site of the apartments to the western side of the property, with access to Windy Hill Road.

Sigmon believes that the new Smyrna Elementary School and the eventual construction of the apartments will "serve as catalysts for the rest of the development." 

He went on to say that it's "not surprising" that the luxury apartments look to be the first phase of the development that will come to fruition in the near future.

In the meantime, he asked that the citizens of Smyrna remain patient.

"We'd like to see some action there, too," he said, "but we're waiting on the market."