IN BRIEF: Developers with the 4A company, which owns 300-plus acres of Conyers land south of Interstate 20, launched three days of design brainstorming for the plot, which would be anchored by the "shining jewel" of Metro Atlanta YMCA facilities. During a Monday evening opening reception at the Corner Market, developers and designers sketched out to a room full of invited community leaders some guiding principals for the development - healthy living, walkability, community, and sustainability. The YMCA facility would be a crucial piece to the plans. YMCA officials would like to see the proposed 60,000 square foot facility, which is roughly estimated to cost about $16 million to $18 million, be funded as a public-private partnership, such as in Alpharetta or DeKalb, where the city or county paid for the building while the YMCA paid for the operation of the facility. YMCA of Metro Atlanta Chief Operating Officer Eston Hood said he had never seen such high community interest and viability as reported in a recent 6-month study of Conyers/Rockdale. Tentative discussions with YMCA, city, county and other community officials had been ongoing for the last 18 months, said Hood. The property had originally been planned as a live-work-play condo/town home development before the economic recession. The Corner Market and Village at Almand Creek Apartments at the intersection of Flat Shoals and Parker Road were part of the original plans. The property is located between Interstate 20 and Flat Shoals, behind the Rockdale Career Academy on Parker Road and Johnson Road.

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