After several decades of significant growth and infrastructure investment, Woodstock has emerged as one of the best and most vibrant suburban centers in the Southeast, according to officials at Atlanta-based developer Connolly. And now they are putting their word into action.
Connolly today announced plans to develop a new “gateway to downtown Woodstock” from Interstate 575, anchored by Publix and inspired by historic mills in design.
Connolly closed the 11-acre site on September 25 and immediately began construction of what became known as the Woodstock Mill District.
The website is located where The Towne Lake Parkway meets the Woodstock Parkway about 0.4 miles east of I-575 — a stretch of road that Connolly counted sees nearly 30,000 vehicles traveling at any one time.
Courtesy of Connolly; Designs, Place Maker Design
The Woodstock Mill District's 150 to 210 Towne Lake Parkway site (in red) in relation to downtown (right) and Interstate 575. Google Maps
Designs for the 118,000-square-foot Woodstock Mill District designed by an Atlanta-based firm Place Maker Design is calling for 90,000 square feet of new retail space, including the grocery wholesaler. That will be combined with an adjacent 28,000-square-foot shopping center that Connolly purchased in 2021.
The Towne Lake Plaza shopping center will be renovated next year to better accommodate new construction. It will also be called the Woodstock Mill District.
“We are merging these two parcels into a cohesive neighborhood with restaurants, shops and services,” Connolly principal David Connolly said in a project announcement.
In addition to the Publix, six freestanding buildings (between 3,500 and 13,750 square feet on one or two stories) with space for patios are planned. Three restaurant areas will be located at a planned roundabout.
The location is a four-minute walk from Woodstock's main street and is designed to bring the downtown feel to the highway, according to Connolly. Part of Woodstock's Greenprints Trail System, a 10-foot-wide sidewalk, runs along the site and connects Main Street to the Old Rope Mill Trail.
Connolly's schedule calls for the project to be implemented in phases in the second half of 2026.
“This Publix location will fill a gap in the market and provide a desirable grocery retailer on the east side of I-575 within walking distance of Main Street,” Connolly added.
Courtesy of Connolly; Designs, Place Maker Design
Courtesy of Connolly; Designs, Place Maker Design
The development team also includes Benning Construction (general contractor), Lavista Associates (leasing), Ameris Bank (construction financing), CBRE (real estate brokerage) and Robertson Loia Roof, PC (Civil Engineer).
Woodstock Mill District developers say Woodstock and Cherokee County's “booming” population includes 70,000 residents within three miles of the site and generates an average household income of $114,500. In addition to high-priced single-family homes and higher-density apartments and townhouses, recent developments around Woodstock's Main Street have included a new 635-space parking deck that Connolly officials said will accommodate more than 30 restaurants and retailers.
Closer to his home base of Atlanta, Connolly recently made $70 million in investments downtown Parkside in Dresden Project that added retail stores and nearly 200 apartments to Brookhaven's main attraction.
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