The site has been graded, a four-lane highway is almost finished and the office building will soon be occupied. Opus South Corp. is moving along on its 148-acre construction project in Suwanee, the largest single development in the city.

"Things have been going incredibly fast," said William Valentine, real estate manager for the corporation. "Site development is well under way."

Suwanee officials have touted the development as one capable of transforming the I-85 Gateway area. They hoped it would spur the redevelopment of other older sites in the area, planning director Josh Campbell said.

"We're fully supportive in trying to get more professional offices in the Gateway and in the city in general," Suwanee City Manager Marty Allen said. "The proximity of the property to the interstate and the visibility is well suited to higher-end office units."

The value of the development, Allen said, was estimated at $300 million in 2006, with $6 million generated annually in tax revenues.

Opus' project includes the site of the Falcons' former training center near I-85 and runs all the way to Satellite Boulevard. Ready in a few weeks will be a new road, Suwanee Parkway, that goes from Lawrenceville Suwanee Road to Burnette Road and the eventual McGinnis Ferry extension.

Near Satellite, a Lowe's store will open this fall, Valentine said. To comply with the city's design guidelines, the store incorporates special architectural features that break up the large facade and make it seem like a series of separate retail units.

The Class A five-story office building will have 143,000 square feet. Valentine is anticipating having a mix of tenants, some taking an entire floor, others only 5,000 square feet.

Other components of the mixed-use development include Main Street-type retail facilities near Lawrenceville Suwanee Road, an apartment building, possibly senior housing, townhomes, a full-service hotel and other office buildings.

"There's a fair bit of green space in the project," Valentine said. "As the development fills in, it will feel more urban than what's out there right now."