Construction is finally underway on Belmont, a 48-acre mixed-use development that will feature restaurants, retail shops, single-family homes and luxury rental apartments on the site of the former Belmont Hills Shopping Center.
A groundbreaking ceremony Aug. 28 officially launches construction on the development which has been in the planning stage for more than six years.
The development will include a 153-home single-family residential subdivision by David Weekley Homes; a 274-unit luxury apartment community by Wood Partners; and a 47,593-square-foot neighborhood retail center, which developer Halpern Enterprises will build.
The site is already the location of Smyrna Elementary School, which has more than 900 students and opened last year.
Brett Ward, principal at neighboring Smyrna Elementary said, “We’re very excited. The kids have enjoyed watching the big machines move the dirt around.”
Developer Jack Halpern praised Mayor Max Bacon and city council members for “having the vision and dedication to make this project a success.”
Noting that the timing was a bit off due to the economic downturn, Halpern said, “Our persistence has paid off.”
Belmont Hills Shopping Center was long a well-known shopping destination in Cobb County. The 480,000-square-foot center, which opened in 1954 and was purchased by Halpern Enterprises in 1967, eventually became functionally obsolete and was leveled two years ago to make way for the new development.
“This location has continued to improve in recent years as high-quality projects have been built throughout Smyrna, spurred on by the city’s investment in its downtown,” said Steve West, Halpern Enterprises’ Vice President of Development. “And now, the planned Braves development about two miles away will only add to the area’s quality of life for people to live, work and play.”
The housing developments at Belmont, located at the intersection of Windy Hill Road and Atlanta Road, are set to take shape over the coming year.
The Village of Belmont, built by David Weekly Homes, will be a residential subdivision of 153 single family homes on 10 acres.
Alta Station, some 274 luxury apartments being built by Wood Partners will cater to the millennial generation, bringing an urban lifestyle to the city of Smyrna.
Halpern Enterprises plans to build the neighborhood retail center with the first spaces scheduled to be complete in the summer of 2015. Halpern expects the spaces to be primarily occupied by local retailers and restaurants that will cater to the surrounding neighborhoods.
From the September 2014 issue of The Bright Side, Cobb County Georgia’s Newspaper covering Smyrna, Vinings, Mableton and Austell, GA.
