A First Look at the $300 Million Development Coming to Butler and I-295

When it was first announced that the Skinner family would sell off its final giant chunk of land at the Butler Boulevard and I-295 junction for development, it was clear that big things were coming.

We now have a better idea of what at least part of that project will look like. Atlanta, GA-based Fuqua Development recently announced plans to purchase 67 of the 1,000 acres and develop a $300 million mixed-use “village center” near Kernan and Butler.

The project, referred to as Gwinnett Exchange in renderings, will include a 21,000 sq. ft. food hall, a two-story “fashion hall” building, two hotels, two 4-story apartment buildings with ground-floor retail, office space, and an event lawn with a stage.

The food hall will seat 400 and will be food truck-friendly, and renderings show a bar within the building as well. The fashion hall will allow tenants to set up shop in stalls much like the food hall and will feature a coffee bar.

The design, created by Pieper O’Brien Herr Architects, aims to evoke a historic main street charm and emphasizes walkability within the development.

The Fuqua project will fulfill the “village center” section of the Skinner family’s master plan for their 1,000-acre property. Much of the property is slated to be developed into residential neighborhoods, with the rest designated for multi-use purposes.

Work is currently beginning on reconfiguring the Butler/Kernan interchange to prepare for these future developments.

Fuqua Development has some history in Jax; they were the development company behind the Fresh Market-anchored Brooklyn Station development in Riverside.

If all goes according to plan, Fuqua is expected to begin construction on the Butler/295 project next year.