Gwinnett Daily Post

LAWRENCEVILLE - Two weeks after a move to give an additional $19 million to fund a baseball stadium in Gwinnett, commissioners could give the go-ahead for a mixed-use development around the 10,000-seat venue.

Brand Morgan, who sold 12 acres on Buford Drive to the county for the project, has proposed the development of 610 residential units, a 300-room hotel, 351,000-square-feet of commercial space and 617,000-square-feet of offices on 73.5 acres between Rock Springs Road and Old Peachtree Road.

The proposal must go before the Atlanta Regional Commission and Georgia Regional Transportation Authority to determine if infrastructure is available for the development of regional impact. Then, it will come before a public review process, planning and development director Glenn Stephens said.

"The stadium gives us the ability to do much more than we had originally planned," Morgan said, adding that the offices and condos

will aid the retail

development of the project.

He said he hoped to begin construction in the spring, which is when the Triple-A Gwinnett Braves are scheduled to begin their season.

While the funding move drew criticism from the community, Morgan said he did not believe it would impact his project.

"We hate the fact there was a stadium budget bust as much as Gwinnett County does," he said. "This is a separate project."