Nonprofit organization Christian City is moving forward with plans for a 15-acre, mixed-use village next to its sprawling campus about 10 miles southwest of Atlanta’s airport.

Plans call for blending retail with a mix of residential and office uses, park space, plazas, and more at a wooded site in Union City where Ga. Highway 138 meets Peters Road, just east of Interstate 85 and north of Trilith.

Christian City was founded in 1965 by members of Christian churches in the metro as a refuge for children in need; the campus has since swelled to 500 acres, with accommodations for multigenerational residents in Union City, a south Fulton County city of roughly 27,000.

Union City officials approved zoning for the 15-acre expansion last month.

Location of Christian City's planned expansion where Ga. Highway 138 meets Peters Road, in relation to Atlanta's airport and southwest OTP landmarks. Google Maps

Christian City officials say the project is being designed—in partnership with architect Jeff Floyd and Millard Choate of Choate Construction—to be “highly walkable and enjoyable for pedestrians, with a roundabout and parallel parking that slows down cars,” according to an announcement today. (That’s despite the abundance of surface parking in the initial site plan.) Plans also call for linking the mixed-use village with a new Union City multi-use pathway and a golf cart path to the rest of Christian City.

Beyond greenspaces that could host wellness classes, communal movie nights, and other events, Christian City hopes to build neighborhood retail, townhomes, medical offices, loft-style residences over retail, self-storage facilities, and an early learning center, which would be operated in partnership with the YMCA. Other facets could include a communal library.

Today, Christian City’s campus lends crisis intervention, housing, healthcare, and other supportive services to kids, youths, and seniors of all faiths—or no faith. According to the organization, more than 1,000 people call the community home today.

Other recent Christian City projects include four housing units called THRIVE cottages for people ages 18 to 24 as they receive career, housing, and life skills training as young adults.

Wooded location of the new development plans next to existing Christian City facilities. Google Maps

The proposal's location off Interstate 85, at left. Google Maps

Floyd, the expansion’s architect, previously lent a hand in designing projects such as Centennial Olympic Park and Smyrna Market Village.

“With its location on the city line, this project has the opportunity to be a new gateway for Union City—a place for the community to gather, congregate, play games, and connect with one another,” said Floyd in a prepared statement. “When completed, this place will feel like a living room for the community to hang out and spend time together.”

Here's a look at Christian City's 15-acre site plan in detail: 

Courtesy of Christian City

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