A contractor has been selected for a $15 million mixed-use development planned for downtown Flowery Branch.

Choate Construction Co., which is expanding First Baptist Church in Gainesville and has worked on the Stonebridge shopping center in Flowery Branch, has been tapped for the work, said Kellin Dobbs of Hortman and Dobbs Developers LLC.

"They’ve got a wealth of experience in mixed-site development," Dobbs said.

Work is set to start, as expected, in late October.

The development will feature 21 condominiums, 14 lofts, seven townhomes, possibly two restaurants with outdoor seating, a pub and a grocery store on about 2.5 acres.

Plans also call for a five-story parking deck, a half-acre park, retail stores and office spaces.

Dobbs, who lives in Flowery Branch, said the project could be finished by December 2009.

"This is probably not only one of the most complex developments that Flowery Branch has certainly ever seen, it is probably one of the most complex developments any part of North Georgia has seen," Dobbs said.

The development is planned for three blocks, including the dilapidated former site of the Country Craft furniture building, which dates back to the 19th century.

The development is slated for the blocks adjacent to Main Street along Pine, Chestnut and Church streets and Railroad Avenue.

"The first phase of the development will be land site (preparation) project — the grading, detention (pond), stormwater controls, the sewer and utilities," he said.

That work should take about one to three months.

The second phase will involve construction of the buildings, a project expected to take about eight to nine months, Dobbs said.

Interior work, landscaping, signs and other finishing touches will take about three months.

For more on the project, visit www.oldtownflowerybranch.com.