The developer responsible for Reunion subdivision in South Hall is facing foreclosure.
On Thursday, Compass Bank filed foreclosure notices in The Times against John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods. The bank is seeking repayment on a $23 million loan it gave Wieland to build Reunion subdivision, a planned community that opened in 2001.
The foreclosure notices are for three parcels in Reunion.
In the spring of 2009, Wieland took to the road in hopes of selling 101 homes in 60 neighborhoods in Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee.
He planned to sleep in a model home in a different neighborhood every night until he reached his sales goal.
His first stop was at Reunion where he said he remained convinced that, despite the recession, the time was right to buy a house.
“This is our fourth big recession, and in the three previous it has always been housing that led the economy out,” Wieland said at the time.
John Campbell, a middle school principal in Gwinnett County, has lived in Reunion for five years. He applauded Wieland’s innovative marketing effort last year.
“He’s a good guy, and he’s showing his commitment,” Campbell said at the time. “We all have to recognize these are different times, so different approaches are needed and appreciated.”
Campbell said he had another reason to hope Wieland succeeded.
“I don’t want him leaving this subdivision. I want him to finish what he’s started here. It’s a beautiful thing.”
This month, Compass Bank filed foreclosure notices on three parcels in the Reunion subdivision and another parcel in Forsyth County, according to legal advertisements.
Unless Wieland settles with Compass Bank, the bank plans to sell his property on the court house steps March 2.