Snellville is latest metro Atlanta city to move forward with town center ambitions

Like Alpharetta is doing right now and Suwanee did years ago, the southeastern Gwinnett County city of Snellville is moving forward with plans to create a town center from scratch and establish the next mixed-use, OTP destination.

Snellville leaders have been kicking around the idea of a Krog Street Market-style attraction to anchor development near the city’s core for several years, but this week Mayor Barbara Bender signed a public-private partnership agreement for substantially larger plans.

The city’s entering a joint venture with national commercial real estate company CASTO and Atlanta-based MidCity Real Estate Partners to develop what’s being called The Grove at Towne Center—or The Grove, for short.

Located off U.S. Highway 78, a popular route between Atlanta and Athens, the mixed-use project’s $85 million first phase is expected to launch construction next year and start delivering in 2021. It’ll eventually cover 18 acres in downtown Snellville, city officials announced Monday.

Google Maps

According to early plans, the initial phase will include 50,000 square feet of retail, restaurant, office and entertainment space, about 250 luxury rentals, and a new library with a “community/incubator space” on the second floor.

Plans also call for bike and pedestrian paths to be woven throughout the project, connecting with Snellville Greenway.

Courtesy of CASTO/MidCity Real Estate Partners

Individual components of The Grove at Towne Center are described by city officials as follows:

Market Center building: This will be “a unique anchor of the project. [Developers] are working with the city to customize the overall design and uses within the building. Early ideas include a brewpub on the first floor and upscale event space on the second floor.”

Grove Apartments: The multifamily component “will provide residents upscale urban living in the heart of The Grove with designer finishes and will included amenities such as a state-of-the-art fitness center, pool, grilling area, parking deck, and business center.”

The Commons area: This will allow the city “to host many of the community’s wonderful festivals and activities in one centrally located space.”

Courtesy of CASTO/MidCity Real Estate Partners