Mayor Barbara Bender outside the former U.S. Post Office on Oak Road. SNELLVILLE — The city's Downtown Development Authority has officially acquired the former U.S. Post Office building on Oak Road, the final piece of property needed in what will become The Grove at Towne Center.
The nearly 40-year-old building, located at the corner of Oak and North roads, will be demolished and make way for 250 multi-family luxury apartments and a 749-space parking deck later this year. Under the agreement, the city was required to buy and renovate property for a new post office. The new post office, a former SunTrust Bank location, is located at 2440 Wisteria Drive and opened in November.
"The U.S. Postal Service required that the only way to get them to agree to move was to find a new and better facility within one-half mile of their current operation," said City Manager Butch Sanders. "We located the old bank building, negotiated and purchased it from SunTrust and then renovated both inside and out to USPS standards."
The completion of the exchange agreement and acquisition are the latest steps in bringing the mixed use development to the city's downtown area.
In November, the city agreed to partner with developer MidCast LLC to design, build and lease the City Market building planned for The Grove and in December Mayor and Council approved the construction contracts for the parking deck with Winter Construction.
"By working closely with the U.S. Postal Service, the city was able to acquire a piece of property vital to making The Grove at Towne Center development a reality," Mayor Barbara Bender said. "In the months to come, residents will see a lot of activity in The Grove which will result in a transformation of our downtown and give them a world-class mixed use development they can enjoy and be proud of."
The costs associated with the Post Office acquisition and move totaled $2.25 million, $98,374 under budget.
The Grove at Towne Center will be a large scale, mixed-use town center property, comprising 18 acres between Oak Road, Wisteria Drive, North Road and Clower Street, in downtown Snellville. The Grove at Towne Center's first phase will include over 50,000 square feet of retail, restaurant, office, and entertainment space, and approximately 250 multi-family luxury apartments. In addition, the new Elizabeth Williams Library will be constructed and include a second-floor business development/ accelerator space.