Suwanee developer Virgil Williams and his family have pumped nearly $40 million into renovating Lake Lanier Islands resort in the past two years. Now, the family enterprise wants to build a new nearby resort community called Big Creek Resort.

The Williams family has filed for regional approval of a plan to build 684 residential units and 30,000-square-feet of "village-style" retail on land about a mile from the Lake Lanier Islands resort, according to planning consultant Mitch Peevy, who is working on the project.

The new resort would be separate from, but closely tied to Lake Lanier Islands Resort, Peevy said, with plans to give resort owners priority access to the island resorts golf courses, water park and other features. New restaurants and shops in the village area would give residents a place to eat without having to get in their cars, he said.

The development, which would be located in the city of Buford, would have a handful of detached cottages, with the rest of the residential space devoted to condominiums, including some time shares, Peevy said.

Although Lake Lanier continues to suffer from north Georgia's historic drought, Peevy said the Williams family is banking on rising fuel prices to make the new resort a viable alternative to more distant weekend getaways, such as Lake Oconnee or Lake Hartwell.

"Once gas gets to $4 and $5 a gallon, it starts to make sense not to drive so far," he said.

Grier Todd, a Williams family spokesman, said in an e-mailed statement provided by the project's public relations firm that residents shouldn't look for construction any time soon.

"We want to be in a position to move quickly when market conditions warrant and lake levels improve," he said, according to the statement.

The plan must be reviewed by regional and state planners because of its size. It's unclear if it will require rezoning from the city of Buford.

Buford planner Kim Wolfe did not return a telephone message by deadline for this edition.

LLI Management Co., which is owned by the Williams family, purchased leases on the resort's hotel and businesses in 2005 and has spent $40 million on capital improvements in the past two years, according to spokesman Nicholas Wolaver.

So far, the company has finished renovating Legacy Lodge & Conference Center, a 221-room lakeshore hotel, as well as renovating a restaurant and spa at the resort, he said. The company has built new lodgings near the Legacy Lodge called Legacy Villas, and has also begun work on new roads, sewage facilities and a golf course.

The overall completion date for the Lake Lanier Islands project is 2016, according to Wolaver.