River City Company President Kim White told members of the Downtown Chamber of Commerce on Thursday that projects at the 700 block of Market Street and the Ross Hotel are about to take off - along with a host of other buildings and remodeling downtown.
Ms. White said the deal for "a fantastic project" at the half-empty Market Street block is set to close in April.
She said the work to convert the long-vacant hotel on Georgia Avenue into residential and retail use will begin this spring.
Ms. White said there is a pent-up demand for housing downtown, especially for UTC students spilling over from campus dorms.
She said construction is underway to provide for 426 market-rate units and for 721 students, along with 71 single-family homes.
In the pipeline, she said, are developments that will add 614 apartments and 1,890 student spaces.
Ms. White said Vine Street near the UTC campus will be developed for student housing. She said a 20-foot sidewalk is included that will serve as a promenade in the direction of the new university library.
She said Broad Street traffic lanes will be reduced with some of the space use for a protected bicycle lane.
Another project, she said, is to redesign Miller Park so that it will be more of an animated spot that works better with Miller Plaza. She said it likely will have a building at one end that will make it "a bookend" for the one at Miller Plaza.
There were 17 different proposals submitted for the $2.8 million Miller Park remake.