Now that the lights are in place, the $2 million Peachtree Towne Center bridge is all the more striking as it straddles South Mesquite Creek.

Never mind that it doesn't connect to Peachtree Road, the Interstate 635 service road or, well, anything.

In order to share the vision for 60 acres of city-owned land to become a four-star, full-service hotel and conference center, five restaurant pad sites, midrise office building, medical wellness/specialty building, and retail/commercial multi-use development, Mesquite's leaders had to take the first step.

"This piece of dirt here wouldn't have been worth anything without this bridge," Mayor John Monaco said. "Now there's interstate access for a major development."

The first structure at Peachtree epitomizes Project Renewal, Mesquite's long-term strategic plan to rebuild and reinvent itself. Project Renewal is a bridge to a place the city wants to be.

The moniker is quite the broad brush. Project Renewal is neighborhood revitalization and new higher-end housing developments. It's business retention and expansion. It's road projects. It's changes to planning and zoning ordinances and stricter code enforcement.

It's the SuperTarget, one of the largest in the nation, that opened in October near Town East Mall.

Sourcing for the City Council's 2007 vision is just as broad. Economic Development Director Tom Palmer said elements come from the general fund, bonds, the city's Quality of Life Foundation and partners such as the school district, the chamber of commerce and the mall.

A partnership with Lang and Co. has put Peachtree Towne Center in motion. Mesquite is providing economic incentives including virtually free land as well as sales and property tax rebates in order to turn land that had no taxable value into a property worth $52 million or more.

The city put up $600,000 as its share of a bridge that – to the short-sighted – leads to nowhere.

"It was a good opportunity to leverage private dollars," Palmer said.

The city committed another $150,000 to Phase II, which will connect the bridge to Peachtree Road and create the first elements of the hike and bike trail on the property. Tying Peachtree into the interstate will be a longer process – about two years – because other governmental bodies are involved.

Long before that, freeway users will see Project Renewal's public relations phase in the form of five billboards. A Web site, a "Rows of Texas" design for bridges and street signs within the LBJ retail corridor, and a two-year anniversary news conference are also part of making over the image of Mesquite.

Council member Shirley Roberts said a survey helped identify four existing neighborhoods where renovation would most give the city a boost. Each has five-year, major public works projects focusing on either installing or replacing major infrastructure such as sidewalks, curbs and gutters, driveways, alleys, fire hydrants, street lights, water and sewer lines, or improving drainage.

The residential component of the vision, though, is more than sustaining neighborhoods for another generation. The city seeks a spark for high-end housing.

"The part of Project Renewal that we're excited about is for the aspirational housing," Palmer said. "The vast majority of our housing is $200,000 and below."