$450M West Village largest mixed-use project in county

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SMYRNA – The $450 million West Village at Interstate 285 and Atlanta Road combines 1,100 craftsman-style homes and a soon-to-be bustling retail center, making it the largest mixed-use development Cobb has seen.

The 63-acre project, spearheaded by Atlanta-based Pacific Group, integrates 292 for-lease condominiums and townhouses, 120 for-sale flats, 115 townhouses, 73 detached single-family homes, three mid-rise condominium buildings and 190,000 square feet of retail space.

The network of homes, trendy boutiques and restaurants share a style and location that already has gained support from Cobb and the surrounding communities of Oakdale, Vinings and Smyrna.

“Up until now, what we generally had (with mixed-uses) was an area of office with housing placed next to it,” Cobb Commission Chairman Sam Olens said. “This was really the first significant project where the mix of uses is occurring at the onset of development. More importantly, the density associated with the development is in the right place, next to the interstate where the infrastructure can handle it.”

Modeled after another development in Huntersville, N.C., West Village is the product of a partnership among Woody Snell of The Pacific Group; Nick Telesca, president of Atlanta-based Branch Properties; Chris Cassidy and the Highlands Group; Monte Hewett Homes of Atlanta and Atlanta-based Ashton Woods Homes.

The team formed in 2004 with a goal to bring a home-ownership and rental-based project to Cobb that is attractive for young professionals and married couples from all walks of life.

“The whole theme of West Village is there is a price point here for everyone,” Snell said. “What we wanted to accomplish is a place where people could walk from their house to the village for pizza, shopping or whatever.”

The project, which initially garnered skeptics in surrounding subdivisions because of its size and overall density, began in 2004 when Snell started negotiating to buy 64 homes off Oakdale Road for redevelopment.

With a neighborhood plagued by drugs and dilapidated homes, the task of assembling properties wasn’t easy.

“It was the hardest way in the world to get 63 acres,” Snell said. “Fifteen to 20 percent of the people were very difficult. We had to go in and sit at their kitchen tables and talk them into selling.”

The tract was ripe for something new. Police busted a crack house in the neighborhood, and some even suspected methamphetamine was being produced in one of the homes, Commissioner Joe Lee Thompson said.

“It was a really run down area and had been for years. To make the improvement from what it was to where it is today is what I see as the big advantage,” Thompson said. “This is truly one of the success stories in Cobb County as far as redevelopment goes. This project is on the way to being very successful, and it’s on the way to set a standard in the area for the next 30 to 40 years.”

Monte Hewett already has completed many of the cottage-style homes, complete with spacious luxury bathrooms, optional outdoor fireplaces and two-car garages, in the rear of West Village near Oakdale Road.

More are planned on 20 adjacent acres, along with another village shopping center anchored by a major, upscale grocery chain, Snell said.

Construction now is happening on about 43 acres of the 63-acre project.

“Back here, we don’t see 285 and we don’t hear 285, yet we’re two minutes from the interstate,” said Lisa Simmons, a real estate agent for Monte Hewett Homes, which converted its model home – priced in the mid-$500,00s to $600,000s – to an on-site sales center. “On average, we have about 20 to 25 people who come in every week and they’re very, very impressed.”

More than 35 people moved into completed condominiums and townhouses last weekend, Snell said, and even more have signed sale agreements.

“By the end of the summer and this fall, this place will be vibrant,” he said. “Right now we’re in the process of transforming from a construction site to a village.”

McCray’s West Village Tavern, slated for completion in the next 60 days, will join Starbucks Coffee, Blue Moon Pizza, Five Guys Burgers, Yuraku Japanese Restaurant, Je Belle’s formal boutique, Nora’s Place fine arts-and-crafts store and a host of other businesses that were bustling with construction workers on Friday.

All of the retail is topped with for-lease condominiums and surrounded by townhouses that shield three parking decks serving residents and visitors from view.

According to Chris Cassidy, a partner with the Highlands Group and Branch Properties, rental homes were placed above retail to shield homeowners with a higher investment in the property from noise and odors that may come from restaurants.

“We’ve already mitigated for some of the noise so what you have is a six-inch concrete slab between the retail and residential,” Cassidy said. “We’ve also segregated trash facilities and enclosed them because aromas, whether it’s from cooking or trash, is an issue.

“We’ve gone to great pains to build into the product predetermined shafts so we take exhaust from restaurants directly to the roof to minimize impact on residents.”

The idea was to put rental properties, most likely occupied by younger professionals accustomed to an urban environment, next to retail.

“When all is said and done, I like to think it’s raised the bar for other developments that come in,” said Tony Waybright, president of the West Vinings Civic Association and one of many community leaders who have had discussions with Snell since before zoning was approved in 2004. “It gives a focus to the area, a central feature, and it’s something everybody can grow with.”

Waybright, an attorney who has lived near Oakdale Road since 1995, was part of a large group of homeowners who initially opposed the development because of its high overall density and expansive residential components.

A Super Wal-Mart proposed by Atlanta-based Jacoby Developers, which built Atlantic Station, was planned for the site and denied due to a lack of community support shortly before Snell arrived.

“Everyone was happy that at least Woody (Snell) and the Pacific Group came in and had discussion with the neighbors,” said Waybright, one of many residents, county employees and commissioners who traveled by bus courtesy of Snell to visit Birkdale Village north of Charlotte, N.C., in summer 2004 to see what West Village was modeled after.

Homes and retail buildings now under construction are expected for staggered completion beginning late in the summer or early in the fall. The entire 63-acre project, including the additional village that hasn’t yet broken ground, will be finished in about three years, Snell said.

“When you consider two years ago we were removing a crack house and a meth lab from here, it’s pretty unbelievable, Snell said.

“We turned over a crime-infested area. If you only look at the improvements in home values, it’s huge. They’ve tripled here since we started construction.”

Source:  Marietta Daily Journal
Written by:  Amanda Casciaro

Monte Hewett Homes opens two models in Smyrna’s West Village

ATLANTA – Monte Hewett Homes announces the opening of two model homes in West Village, a new traditional neighborhood development of single-family homes and town homes near Atlanta Road and I-285 in Smyrna. The decorated models show buyers the standard features and many possibilities in a single-family home and a town home within the live-work-play community. Town homes are priced from the $400,000s and single-family homes from the $600,000s.

Monte Hewett’s single-family model home showcases the three-bedroom Howell plan. The main level living spaces feature elegant hard yellow pine floors with black stain. Brushed granite countertops and a unique wood-topped island allow ample space in the chef-friendly kitchen. The family room’s limestone mantle is accented by elaborate built-in shelving on either side of the fireplace. In the master suite’s spacious sitting area, more custom built-ins provide a home management desk and display space for favorite books and collectibles. The cozy area leads to
a porch overlooking the private courtyard.

This courtyard is formed by a brick wall that extends from the Howell’s brick and stone exterior to wrap around the entire backyard. Stone columns are spaced every 10 feet along the wall. Inside the courtyard, a flagstone walkway leads to an outdoor fireplace, creating an ideal spot for entertaining neighbors or enjoying an early morning cup of coffee.

Monte Hewett’s town home model in West Village surprises buyers by offering the spaciousness of a single-family home. Showcasing the Piedmont plan, the three-story home features a media room with wet bar on the lower level. Exposed brick walls in the foyer, rear-entry garage and master bedroom create an urban, loft-like appeal. The kitchen and adjoining family room flow into each other, and a nearby formal dining room gives plenty of space for entertaining – much more space than is usually found in a town home. As in the single-family model, the Piedmont’s kitchen updates the look of granite with a brushed finish.

Like all Monte Hewett homes in West Village, the two models are constructed with 10-foot ceilings and hardwood floors on the main levels and are finished with two-piece crown molding throughout the primary living areas. Special touches in all homes include granite countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms, coffered ceiling in the living room and built-in shelving flanking the family room fireplace. Front porches and rear entry garages accessed through back alleys create hometown ambience. As with all homes built by Monte Hewett, those in West Village
meet or exceed the high standards of EarthCraft construction, so they are more efficient and comfortable, saving home owners up to 30 percent on their energy bills.

In the style of traditional neighborhood developments, West Village includes a mix of home styles arranged around a “downtown village.” Residents can stroll down the brick paver sidewalks into the village to visit the bookstores, boutiques, restaurants and their favorite neighborhood hangout. When recreation or friends call, neighbors can enjoy the community pool, spacious clubhouse or relax by the community’s outdoor fireplace. Because lawn maintenance is included with the homeowner association fees, neighbors have plenty of time to relax and enjoy the
surroundings.

West Village’s retail component will include restaurants, quaint boutiques, a coffee bar and larger shops to attract community residents and visitors alike. The community’s residential components will include the 115 townhomes and 70 single-family homes by Monte Hewett Homes as well as apartments and condos. In all, the community will boast some 1,100 residential and retail units.

For more information on West Village, visit www.mhhomes.com/westvillage, www.westvillageGA.com or call 678-538-3130. To visit, take I-285 to the Atlanta Road exit. Turn north and the community will be immediately on the left.

Monte Hewett Homes builds homes in a variety of price ranges, from the $400,000s to over $1 million, in the best locations throughout metro Atlanta. Additionally, the company builds beach homes at WaterColor, named community of the year for 2004, in Sea Grove Beach, Florida.  Winner of the EarthCraft House Builder of the Year award for 2005. Monte Hewett Homes makes sure its customers win every day with great design, incredible value and exceptional after-the-sale customer service. The builder has made a commitment to meeting customer needs, uniquely and personally, for life. To find out more about the award-winning Monte Hewett Homes and neighborhoods, call 404.459.6080 or visit the award-winning Web site at www.mhhomes.com. You will see that Monte Hewett is building a reputation…for Life.