Veranda aims for upscale

WHAT IS IT?

The Veranda at Fort Daniel is a 49,800-square-foot center described by its developers as the only “luxury retail” center in its submarket, near Dacula. The first, and largest, building is under construction now, with a second building in design, said Alex Brunson, project manager for Rhodes Design Group, which managed the project’s design. It is being developed by Peggy Slappey Properties, which intends to take over part of the second-floor space as its headquarters, Brunson said.

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Rhodes Design Group

The Veranda at Fort Daniel, near Dacula, will feature multiple restaurants, fountains and a plaza, and it will include construction with an environmental focus.

The project, located at Gravel Springs Road and Braselton Highway, will feature multiple restaurants and a plaza between the two main buildings with seating, fountains and outdoor dining, Rhodes said.

WHEN WILL IT BE DONE?

Work on the first building should be wrapped up in early November, Ladikos said. There’s no start date for the other two buildings, Brunson said.

WHAT IMPACT WILL IT HAVE?

The project isn’t being designed as a typical strip center, and as such it is not targeting the nail salons and fast-food restaurants common to such centers, Rhodes said.

“The goal is to get more of those upscale shoppers,” Rhodes said.

The banquet room will be an uncommon asset for the area, as will outdoor dining in an area that has little of either, Rhodes said.

The second floor also will be constructed with an environmental focus, using high-efficiency heating and cooling, low-odor paint, recycled flooring materials, and high-efficiency and LED lighting, designer Rebecca Ladikos said.

— Michael Pearson