Village Place at Gainesville will occupy 64.6 acres, which must be re-zoned from agricultural to mixed-use, and is approved for as much as 650,000 sf of office and commercial space, as well as a maximum 475 mixed residential units ranging from rental apartments to townhouses for purchase. As far as projected costs, officials behind the Village Place proposal say it is too soon to put a price tag on the project. "We have done some cost analysis in connection with evaluating projections but there have been no engineering studies done for ultimate grading and clearing," Peg Contrucci tells GlobeSt.com," and that's where we would begin to determine costs."

The neighborhood-style development would also include a 20,000-sf plaza and an amphitheater for ongoing civic functions. "This is not the typical suburban development," Contrucci explains. "What we're offering is more of a mixed-use development that's more pedestrian oriented. There are offices for small and medium-sized businesses; people won't have to get into their cars to go to work or the grocery store. And, and it's within walking distance to a school and fire department--things that have traditionally anchored small-town communities."

The Virginia Gateway Addition property, known as the Atlas Iron Works site, covers 54 acres. It, too, will be rezoned from heavy industrial to general commercial, and allows for a maximum 580,000 sf of retail space. The existing Virginia Gateway, of which the new development would be an extension, allows for a maximum of nearly 300,000 sf of retail space. Officials at The Peterson Cos. are reportedly planning for a Target store at the location, as well as a restaurant and a hotel. The next step for both developments is the County Board of Supervisors. "Their approval actually makes it real," says Contrucci. Both Village Place and Virginia Gateway applications are scheduled for review by the commissioners on Oct. 15.