Within three

years, the shopping landscape on the south side could be dramatically

altered.

The city of

Newnan, along with CBL & Associates, has filed the necessary paperwork

to get approval for a proposed regional mall near the intersection of

Interstate 85 and Bullsboro Drive in Newnan, just south of Palmetto.

If approved,

the 1.1 million-sq. ft. mall would open in 2004 and give south side residents

another shopping option.

Newnan city

planner Ryan Libke said applications have been filed with the Atlanta

Regional Commission, Georgia Regional Transportation Authority and Chattahoochee-Flint

Regional Development Center since the mall is classified as a development

of regional impact.

Libke expects

the matter to be discussed before the City Council in early 2002.

In the request

for review submitted to the different agencies, officials said nearly

3,000 jobs would be created and nearly 30,000 visitors a day would come

to the mall.

When the entire

site is built out in 2009, including other retail establishments, officials

project 42,000 visitors a day.

Traffic improvements

are slated for Bullsboro Drive that would help traffic get to the mall.

Additionally, the Newnan Crossing bypass is underway that would provide

another way to get to the site.

In previous

discussion about the mall, the developer said it would be similar to Arbor

Springs Mall in Douglasville.

If it's built,

the mall would be the latest to open in the ever-expanding Atlanta region.

Stonecrest Mall opened in DeKalb County this week, while Discover Mills

opens in Gwinnett County next month.