Union City

may soon be one of the largest cities on the southside, with construction

of new homes continuing at a record pace.

Although city

officials passed a moritorium in June to try and give the town a chance

to catch its breath, there is enough buildable lots to create another

town with Union City's population.

While other

southside communities, such as Palmetto and Senoia, have also enacted

moratoriums, it's a safe bet that none of them have quite the number of

platted lots Union City has.

"We have

3,586 lots available. That's everything in the pipeline," said City

Administrator Alan Grindstaff.

In a city that

was once know for its availability of apartment homes, the number of new

single family homes staggers the imagination. Has the city decided to

switch away from multi-family housing?

"We didn't

plan it that way, but that's how it seems to be working," Grindstaff

said.

In the 2000

U.S. Census, Union City had just over 11,200 residents. If all the lots

"in the pipeline" are built, the city could quickly double its

population.

But, it's not

only the residential area of Union City that is starting to see favorable

looks from developers.

Earlier this

year, the city won a $60,000 planning grant from the Livable Centers Initiative

(LCI) of the Atlanta Regional Commission and selected a firm to take its

plan into action.

The community

design and architecture firm of Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh & Associates

of Atlanta was picked from three finalists out of six proposals submitted

and has already begun work by reviewing existing Union City projects and

inventorying land use and analysis.

One of the

projects that most appealed to Union City officials is the firm's work

on the Winter Park (Florida) Mall Redevelopment, partnering with the firm

of Glatting Jackson, who will again team with Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh in

Union City.

Winter Park

was challenged by a 500,000 sq.ft. mall that was badly in need of reinvestment.

The team worked with both the city and the property owner to develop an

alternative urban design concept that essentially integrated the city

into the mall.

Today, Winter

Park Village is a revitalized live, work and play community that is highly

successful.

"We are

looking for the help of the Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh team to remake the

Shannon Mall area and environs into a seamless community," said Mayor

Ralph Moore, himself a professional city planner.

"With

our enviable location on Interstate 85 and its direct connection with

Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport and the amenities of Atlanta

nearby, Union City has a very good chance of being a highly desired address."

The initial

scoping session took place during the month of July and incorporated "visual

preference survey" tools to help to understand what the citizens

and stakeholders of Union City want in their community.

The LCI contract

calls for all work to be submitted to the ARC by December 31. Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh

plans for their final document to be presented to the City by November

21.