Details of the Georgetown redevelopment released

An Atlanta-based developer's proposal for reshaping Dunwoody's struggling Georgetown area would start with 110 residential units on about 13 acres.

The proposal outlines an urban design that links single family homes and "paired" townhomes through community features such as trails, parks and future retail.

“I’m confident all residents and nearby business owners will find the proposed concept extremely beneficial for the entire city as well as a catalyst for the exciting rebirth of the Georgetown area,” Mayor Mike Davis said.

Dunwoody city officials announced Thursday that the city has agreed to partner with John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods on a .

A look at the proposal shows a more urban aesthetic than the ranch homes on large lots that typify Dunwoody. Residential units that start at 2,100 square feet would be placed close together, some are "paired" residences and share a wall, and many are clustered around parks and other community features.

The developer, in pitching the proposal to the city, compared the planned development in Dunwoody to ones the firm has built at One Ivy Walk in Smyrna and downtown Woodstock, both of which are live-work communities that bring retail, parks and other amenities into the planned communities.

Dubbed "Project Renaissance," the Wieland proposal for Georgetown is the first detailed look at how the city might accomplish a larger redevelopment plan on its eastern gateway that includes residential and neighborhood commercial components.

The city owns a 16-acre parcel on 4000 Dunwoody Park Drive and has an option to buy a 19-acre parcel on the 4500 block of North Shallowford Road. The city bought or has a contract on those properties, in part, to .

Wieland proposes buying 13.4 acres across the two parcels the city controls for $6.37 million, according to the proposal. In pitching the proposal to the city, Wieland said that it has $23 million to begin construction as soon as July 2013.

The residential development would be built in phases, starting on the 16-acre parcel, Wieland proposes. The first phase of the development would include 70 houses, starting as small as 2,100 to 3,000 square feet. Some are mapped as single family and many are "paired" homes.

Construction on the 19-acre parcel would begin three years after groundbreaking on the smaller parcel, according to the proposal.

The 19-acre parcel is envisioned as becoming a more traditional neighborhood that would feature larger single family homes near a large park. The market for the houses would be "empty nesters," according to the proposal, and the houses would feature a main floor bedroom.

City officials plan to gather comments on the proposed redevelopment in May, starting with an open house with the developer and city officials at 7 p.m. Thursday at City Hall.

From there, things are scheduled to move quickly. The city council is scheduled to vote on a formal agreement regarding the redevelopment at its May 29 meeting.

The city received two proposals for the redevelopment after putting out a public request for them in March. It received two. The city's selection committee rejected a partnership with Southeast Capital Companies.