A mixed-use development south metro leaders hope could become a retail and residential destination for the area around Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport could break ground this summer.

Airport City, a 320-acre development in College Park that will include offices, single family homes, greenspace and coffee shops, is close to an agreement with its first developer, said Shannon James, chairman of Aerotropolis Atlanta Alliance, who made the announcement Thursday at a meeting of the Atlanta Airport Chamber. He did not disclose the developer.

College Park is in the final stages of contract negotiations with a residential developer for homes at the project, he said.

“You’re getting exclusive information,” he told the audience at the Georgia International Conference Center.

If all goes well, construction could begin third quarter of this year, he said.

The Alliance, a business group focusing on promoting development around Hartsfield, has joined forces with South Fulton and Clayton counties, cities in the two counties and a raft of business groups to boost economic development south of Interstate 20.

Leaders from the different bodies argue that growth in north metro Atlanta has hit its ceiling. They are trying to lure developers who could bring housing and retail on the south side of the city.

“The southside of Fulton County is the future of the metropolitan area,” Fulton Commission Chairman Robb Pitts told the group.

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