By Balazs Szekely, Associate Editor – Commercial Property Executive
Developer Halpern Enterprises broke ground Thursday on Belmont, a multi-use project going up at the intersection of Windy Hill Road and Atlanta Road in the heart of Smyrna.
The site, which already contains the LEED certified 900-plus student Smyrna Elementary School, is the former Belmont Hills Shopping Center. The 480,000-square-foot center, which opened in 1954 and was purchased by Halpern Enterprises in 1967, became functionally obsolete and was leveled two years ago to make way for the new development.
The new 48-acre mixed-use project will feature restaurants, a 47,593-square-foot neighborhood retail center by Halpern Enterprises, a 153-home single family residential subdivision and a 274-unit luxury apartment community. The single family units will be built by David Weekley Homes and Wood Partners is entrusted with the construction of the luxury apartments. Besides the housing options and the retail component with a collection of restaurants and shops, the project includes a community green space with walking path, pavilion, and pond.
Steve West, Vice President of Development at Halpern Enterprises sees a great potential in the area.
“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,” he said in a press release. “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.”