PORTERDALE, Ga. — Business leaders and Porterdale community and government officials recently broke ground for the Cedar Shoals mixed-use project on the city’s west side.
Brad Mitchell of developer Infinity Homes and Development of Covington had chrome-plated shovels made especially for the long-awaited groundbreaking event.
Infinity and Safe Future Real Estate Investment are building the 257-acre project at Covington Bypass Road and Ga. Highway 81.
Estimated value of the project is $140 million when completely built out, according to a Development of Regional Impact filed with the state government.
Mitchell said plans call for 1,225 residential units, including 341 detached single-family homes, 164 townhomes and 720 apartments.
He said he chose to move forward with development after hearing about the industrial development and job growth planned for the area from Dave Bernd of the Newton County Industrial Development Authority.
The site is located in an area between the Covington Bypass, Ga. Highway 81 and the Yellow River.
Mitchell said the site offered numerous advantages because of its location near a major thoroughfare that makes it easily accessible for potential residents.
In addition, the adjacent Yellow River and area trails offer recreational opportunities, he said.
A kayak launch and a new 10-foot trail are planned on the site, Mitchell said.
Kay Piper, who recently returned to Porterdale City Council after serving on it in the 2000s, said she anticipated the project would do well in the historic city.
Piper, a real estate company owner, said the area’s real estate market is busy and Cedar Shoals could take advantage of the demand.
Completion is planned in phases, with final completion set for 2025.
The first phase set for completion includes 90 single-family lots, as well as a main street to the development from Covington Bypass and emergency access from Ga. Highway 81, according to a review by the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission.
Buffers are planned along the Yellow River and creeks on the site; and green spaces and 20 retention ponds are planned to mitigate the project’s impact on stormwater management, according to the Development of Regional Impact.
“Currently, the site is partially wooded with wetland conservation areas next to the Yellow River at the southern edge of the lot. Significant portions of the site were cleared for a previous project that was never constructed,” the regional commission’s report stated.
Cedar Shoals is being developed on the former site of a residential development known as White Horse that was left unfinished during the Great Recession of the late 2000s and early 2010s.
