Developers of The Village in

Fayetteville are looking to turn back the clock and produce a neighborhood

that they say is reminiscent of the way towns were built nearly a century

ago.

Ground is expected to be broken

on the 110-acre planned development within the next month or so, and residential

lots should be ready for home builders by next spring.

A presentation by developers

to city officials at a luncheon last week left both sides very encouraged

about the prospects for this unique project.

"It's basically a self-contained

community," as City Manager Joe Morton put it. "I think it will

be a unique development. The city is fortunate to have it here."

The primary developer, Fayetteville

Village LLC, has laid out a master plan with a number of parks, amenity

areas and quiet one-way streets that wrap around both residential and

commercial property, giving residents the opportunity to "live, work

and play" at the same location.

Using design techniques that

they say have not existed since before World War II, the developers plan

to design, build and market the entire site as a team. Rather than simply

putting in the infrastructure and then selling off lots to builders to

construct as they please, they put together an extensive master plan that

was presented to the city as a single project and considered for several

months before the city approved it earlier this year.

For city officials, this kind

of organization makes things run much more smoothly, especially if any

problems come along as the project is underway. "It works great for

everybody to have one person overseeing the development," said Morton.

Walter Rekuc of Eagle Real

Estate Advisors in Suwanee, who led the presentation of the master plan

last week, said that he wants The Village to be "another flagship

community of ours. We want to show what an old-style neighborhood can

look like."

One of Rekuc's most recent

projects, the 465-lot Rivermore Park in Suwanee, won several awards from

the Georgia Home Builders Assocation, including Best Site Plan, and some

national awards are still a possibility, he said.

Also currently participating

in a "Street of Dreams" project in Suwanee as well as a Southern

Living home, the company has worked with the Audubon Society and National

Wildlife Federation on several developments with regard to various nature-related

aspects, Rekuc said.

The Village centers on 202

proposed residential units a combination of estate lots, townhouses and

village lots on the site, which is bordered on the south by Ga. Highway

54, on the east by Tiger Trail, and on the north by Fayette County High

School. In addition to the retail and office space available within the

project itself, the close proximity of schools is expected to be a major

selling point for potential residents.

At least three town-square-style

parks, similar to what is seen in the historic section of Savannah, are

planned in an attempt to bring together the various land uses in a traditional

neighborhood setting.

Residential streets will have

an unusual look due to the fact that most of the homes will have parking

in the rear with access via alleyways. Some of the streets leading through

these neighborhoods and into the town square areas could be one-way streets,

Rekuc said, with bike lanes throughout. The developers are hoping to have

20 percent green space on the overall site.

The emphasis will be on residential

construction while the infrastructure is put in place, and retail marketing

and construction is expected to pick up after the streets and parks are

completed. Some of the residential units are expected to include loft

apartments over certain commercial spaces.

The main entrance from Ga.

Highway 85 will be on what is now LaFayette, which will lead directly

into the main boulevard that runs throughout the development. A day care

center is planned for the corner of LaFayette and Tiger Trail.

A traffic light is proposed

for Hwy. 85 at LaFayette, but that has not yet been finalized. A light

is also planned for the Village's primary southern entrance off Hwy. 54.

Negotiations between the developers

and the city are ongoing with regard to that intersection, as city officials

want to be certain it will line up with an office development now being

built on the opposite side of Hwy. 54. Both Rekuc and Morton said last

week that they believe the details on that aspect of the plan will be

worked out fairly soon.

Another traffic signal is planned

for Hwy. 54 at the southern end of Tiger Trail, next to a portion of the

site that the developers hope will eventually contain a hotel and conference

center.

Estate homes are expected to

be in the 3,000-sq. ft. range, on 30,000-sq. ft. lots. Cottage homes,

starting at 2,250 square feet, will sit on lots of about 7,000-8,500 square

feet.

Village homes, on slightly

smaller lots than cottage homes, will be a minimum of 1,850 square feet.

Attached townhomes, in traditional Brownstone style, start at 1,200 square

feet and are 25 feet wide.