WHAT IS IT?

Prospect Park is a proposed 85-acre mini city in Alpharetta being overseen by Newnan developer Stan Thomas. The project is to be very high-end and include a hotel, homes, offices, retail and restaurants. Two retail tenants have been announced: Whole Foods and AMC Theatres. The office component is to be built by Atlanta-based Barry Real Estate Cos., which plans four office buildings with a total of 1.2 million square feet. The site is located at the northwest corner of the intersection of Old Milton Parkway and Ga. 400.

Wakefield Beasley & Associates (ENLARGE)

A series of opening dates has been announced for planned mixed-use community Prospect Park, but no date has been confirmed.

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WHAT IMPACT WILL IT HAVE

Prospect Park would provide a community of deluxe homes, offices and shops in affluent north Fulton County. It would be a major alternative to Buckhead, with its high end homes, dining and shopping. Other than Buckhead, Prospect Park's closest competitor for providing luxury shopping would be a mall proposed in Forsyth County by Taubman Centers Inc. The Taubman project is in early planning stages and expected to open no sooner than 2011.

WHEN WILL IT BE DONE?

Prospect Park's opening date appears to be uncertain. Thomas, the developer, and Kevin Case, who works with Thomas on the project, agreed to discuss the project and then didn't return telephone calls. On the site, land has been cleared, some sewerage has been installed, some concrete structures are in place, and one crane is present. Deming Fish, with Barry Real Estate, said Barry would not start building offices until a major tenant had been signed. Barry hasn't signed such a tenant, Fish said. The original opening date for the retail section was 2006, which Thomas announced in 2004 at a retail trade convention in Las Vegas. One Web site of Thomas Enterprises lists the opening date of Prospect Park as fall 2007. Another Thomas site lists the opening date as spring 2008. Another Thomas Web site says spring 2009. The Prospect Park Web page reports "the experience begins spring 2008." The Web page of Thomas' retail development arm, The Forum, says the opening date is summer 2008.

— David Pendered