South Hall, a bastion of growth slowed by the economic downturn in recent years, has begun 2011 on an upbeat note.

More development is planned for Spout Springs Road in Braselton, a commercial hot spot the past couple of years.

And some home construction is under way, including at one of the area's largest subdivisions, Sterling on the Lake, also on Spout Springs.

In addition, Oakwood hopes to piggyback off this year's long-awaited completion of Thurmon Tanner Parkway to spur business growth.

Stonebridge Village in Flowery Branch and retail centers on Mundy Mill Road in Oakwood have "performed better than other parts of Northeast Georgia, as they solidified their retail base," said Frank Norton Jr., a Gainesville real estate executive who closely tracks market trends.

"What we hear is the retail sales in those two regions were up in 2010 over 2009, and that trend is going to continue," he added. "And because of those successes, you're going to see other small retailers locate in (those areas) over the next two years."

In the housing sector, Hall County has two developments, Sterling on the Lake and Village at Deaton Creek off Thompson Mill Road, ranking among the hottest-selling neighborhoods in a 22-county area surrounding Atlanta, Norton said.

Also, Butler Property LLC has sought Gainesville's OK to move ahead with building 1,235 apartment units in the Mundy Mill development off Mundy Mill Road.

"We will see three major developments having activity (in 2011), and everything else is relatively isolated," Norton said.

About 65 to 70 percent of all housing permits for 2010 were in South Hall.

"We think that will continue at about 70 percent in 2011 and 2012," Norton said.

Oakwood, which has a master plan for development extending to 2030, is looking forward to the completion of Thurmon Tanner, a four-lane highway linking the city to Flowery Branch and running parallel to Interstate 985.

The road, long seen by public officials as an economic stimulus, was supposed to be completed Dec. 31.

The hope is the road's final segment, connecting Plainview Road to Mundy Mill Road, will be finished "in the first few months of this year," City Manager Stan Brown said.

Also, Brown said he hopes the city will be able to tie into the Braselton sewer system by the end of the year. Oakwood is installing lines from Martin Road down Winder Highway to Braselton.

On the business front, California-based baker King's Hawaiian plans to start up a plant in Oakwood in the fall of 2011.

"It may still be sort of a slow economy - I don't know if the revenue side is going to pick up a whole lot - but we're still doing a lot of planning and preparation," Brown said.

Flowery Branch has a lot of plans of its own, including the eventual development of newly acquired property off Main and Gainesville streets into a municipal complex.

Also, the city hopes to shore up its roads program, particularly in the downtown area. Spout Springs Road also carries a lot of traffic, particularly at rush hour.

"Hopefully, (the economy) will return and we will see some retail growth," Mayor Mike Miller said. "We have a couple of prime retail spaces."