A luxury mixed-use project rises in Maryland

The Washington Business Journal is reporting this week (Feb. 9-15, 2007) that Park Potomac, a $500-million luxury mixed-use community, is being built in Rockville, Md., just off I-270, in affluent Montgomery County.

The developer, Foulger-Pratt, plans to build 454 condominium units, as well as 570,000 square feet of office space, 145,000 square feet of retail, and a 156-room hotel. Those condominium units ... well, the first phase starts at $500,000 and goes up to $1.9 million per unit, and the second phase starts at $800,000 and goes beyond the $2 million mark. The idea is to market them to people whose kids have grown and who don't need their 5,000-square-foot homes any more.

A well-known suburban law firm, Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker, has signed on as a tenant for 65,000 square feet of the office space and will move in around August 2009.

So some residents will be able to walk out of their apartment, do their shopping, and consult their attorney -- all without leaving the complex.

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A new village at the foot of the Great Smokies

A new "village" is opening up soon in Gatlinburg, Tenn., at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains, less than two hours from Asheville, N.C.

Known as White Oak Flats, this will be a 15-acre, $50 million development that will include 84 luxury condominiums and about 50 retail shops, food, and entertainment venues. The theme will be the heritage of the Great Smoky Mountains and Southern Appalachian arts and crafts. Publicity materials say:

"Highly respected professionals who have been designers and planners for Disney and MGM have carefully master-planned White Oak Flats to be an environmentally sensitive development with native arts and crafts, exquisite dining, a fully operational winery, one-of-a-kind boutiques, and a magnificent mountain lodge.

"From homemade ice cream to gourmet coffee and pastries to a country deli or an upscale restaurant featuring continental cuisine, the Settlement at White Oak Flats provides a wide range of dining and snacking experiences. And from a playhouse to an amphitheater to quaint boutiques full of unusual finds and galleries featuring Appalachian’s best artisans, there is something for everyone.

"The Settlement at White Oak Flats is truly a unique small town experience."

This is a different vision of mixed use -- more like a luxury condominium community with a mountain lodge and various forms of entertainment. It's an attempt to replicate a small town, but a very affluent one.

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