Terrapin Beer Co. of Athens broke ground Thursday on an attractive mixed-use project that will build a big music venue, apartments and retail in Athens, Ga.

The beer company is the anchor tenant to activate the 35-acre space, part of phase one of the adaptive re-use project called ‘General Time.’

Terrapin, which has a brewery at 265 Newton Bridge Road directly across the street from the development site, signed a long-term lease for a 68,000-square-foot warehouse at General Time.

The project, which has been in the works for two and a half years, plans to include a 3,000-seat music venue, “maker space” for crafts people, around 100 apartment units, three to four restaurants, and retail space.

Atlanta Business Chronicle previously reported Terrapin needed more room and bought into the concept immediately.

“I’m excited for the continued success of a locally-based business, and even more so for activating a key part of the core of Athens,”  said Kelly Girtz, Athens-Clarke County District 9 & Incoming Mayor. “This is an area in which we will see public infrastructure investment and enormous private sector growth in the years ahead.”

The project site is a couple of miles from The University of Geogia at 100 Newton Bridge Road on the northside of Athens.

The development has been vacant for the last 17 years, and its proposed name General Time is a reference to the manufacturing facility previously located on the site.

“The development really named itself. We like the historical reference and how it illustrates the gathering space we are creating. A place where people will come to spend quality time together across a wide variety of activities”, said Michael Dinerman, CEO of Knotting Developments, one of the project’s developers, who has partnered with The Ardent Companies for this project.

Leasing efforts have started through Atlanta-based Pollock Commercial, and full-scale construction will begin by mid-2019.