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In Blandtown, nearly 350 more apartments have officially arrived Josh Green Tue, 12/05/2023 - 08:54 An apartment venture promising a sense of rural detachment directly west of Midtown’s hustle and bustle is officially open for business in Blandtown, continuing the neighborhood’s rapid densification near the Huff Road corridor over the past decade.

Charlotte-based Crescent Communities officially debuted its seventh multifamily project in metro Atlanta last month, NOVEL West Midtown, which replaced an empty wooded lot at 1330 Fairmont Ave., just north of Huff Road.

Neighboring residential projects that have recently claimed underused parcels include Minerva Homes’ 34-unit Hayden Westside townhomes and Empire Communities’ sprawling Longreen project, which is consuming an area equivalent to roughly three city blocks along Huff Road.

NOVEL West Midtown includes 340 rentals, ranging from studios to three-bedroom options, and what’s described as a “uniquely natural setting” with a “sense of adventure” provided by access to hiking trails and the future BeltLine Northwest Trail segment that will cut nearby.

Ten percent of the apartments were reserved as affordable housing, as BeltLine inclusionary zoning rules dictate.

The project's 1330 Fairmont Avenue location, just north of Huff Road in Blandtown. Google Maps

A cereal dispenser, at left, in a common area at NOVEL West Midtown. Crescent Communities/NOVEL West Midtown

Units start at $1,699, with six weeks of free rent currently being offered, according to the project’s website. The smallest apartments in the building are 600-square-foot studios.

The priciest options at the moment cost $3,515 monthly, which gets three bedrooms and two bathrooms in 1,396 square feet.

With an aesthetic that’s said to be inspired by nature and the neighborhood’s creative spirit, NOVEL West Midtown’s perks include an outdoor kitchen, large dog park, double-height clubroom, game area, a coworking lounge, a gear room , and saltwater pool with cabanas, hammocks, and a spa. 

Partners in the Blandtown project include Dwell Design Studio (architecture), Kimley-Horn (engineering), Dix.Hite+Partners (landscapes), CID Design Group (interiors), and Juneau Construction Company.

Practically next door to NOVEL West Midtown, Crescent Communities is also plotting a 250-unit apartment venture to replace a home improvement showroom and the neighboring parcel at 1095 and 1121 Huff Road, according to permit filings from earlier this year.

Crescent Communities/NOVEL West Midtown

The outdoorsy theme is prominent in the NOVEL West Midtown fitness center. Crescent Communities/NOVEL West Midtown

Elsewhere in the metro, the developer has finished a project called RENDER Covington, while RENDER Stockbridge and RENDER Turner Lake are under construction.

Crescent Communities also recently sold a mid-rise project finished last year along Spring Street in Atlanta, NOVEL Midtown, to California-based real estate firm Goldrich Kest.

Swing up to the gallery for a closer look at Blandtown’s newest multifamily bet.

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1330 Fairmont Avenue Novel West Midtown Crescent Communities Dwell Design Studio Kimley-Horn Dix.Hite+Partners CID Design Group Juneau Construction Company Atlanta apartments West Midtown Huff Road Atlanta Construction Atlanta Development Renting Renting in Atlanta Atlanta Rents Atlanta Rentals Novel Midtown RENDER Stockbridge Render Turner Lake RENDER Covington Goldrich Kest

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The project's 1330 Fairmont Avenue location, just north of Huff Road in Blandtown. Google Maps

The outdoorsy theme is prominent in the NOVEL West Midtown fitness center. Crescent Communities/NOVEL West Midtown

Crescent Communities/NOVEL West Midtown

A cereal dispenser, at left, in a common area at NOVEL West Midtown. Crescent Communities/NOVEL West Midtown

Crescent Communities/NOVEL West Midtown

Crescent Communities/NOVEL West Midtown

Crescent Communities/NOVEL West Midtown

Crescent Communities/NOVEL West Midtown

Crescent Communities/NOVEL West Midtown

Crescent Communities/NOVEL West Midtown

Crescent Communities/NOVEL West Midtown

Crescent Communities/NOVEL West Midtown

Crescent Communities/NOVEL West Midtown

"Earthy palettes, biophilic touches, and natural textures [are found] within each of the residences," per developers. Crescent Communities/NOVEL West Midtown

Crescent Communities/NOVEL West Midtown

Crescent Communities/NOVEL West Midtown

Crescent Communities/NOVEL West Midtown

Crescent Communities/NOVEL West Midtown

Subtitle NOVEL West Midtown project is said to foster “sense of adventure” near Huff Road

Neighborhood Blandtown

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What's the Best Atlanta Neighborhood of 2023? Nominate yours today! Josh Green Mon, 12/04/2023 - 16:24 Atlanta just isn’t Atlanta without a friendly, year-end, criteria-free competition to determine which neighborhood was most wonderful this year.

’Tis the season, after all, for time-honored, random traditions.

But first, for this year's Best Atlanta Neighborhood tournament, we need you to nominate the neighborhood you believe is 2023’s best—for whatever reason.

Did your ’hood show exceptional class, resilience, and togetherness in 2023? Did it up its restaurant, shopping, or night-life game? Did an amazing park or building finally open? Were marvelous old homes restored on your street, or new ones built? Did a rare, truly affordable living option come to be? Etc.   

The goal here is to keep the nomination process as simple and democratic as possible.

Please follow these easy steps:

1. In the comments section below, nominate oneAtlanta neighborhood or nearby city in the metro. (If more than one place is named, only the first will be counted.)

2. If that’s too complicated, reach out to us via Facebook, Twitter, or now Instagram with your neighborhood nomination.

3. Feel free to express why you think your/that particular neighborhood is 2023’s best. Go on—brag!

Nominations will close at 1 p.m. sharp (EST) on Monday, Dec. 11.

The 16 Atlanta neighborhoods with the most nominations will qualify for the tournament. Seeding will be determined by number of nominations.

Again, seeding will be determined by number of nominations.

A recap of 2022's tournament action. Expect new measures in place this year to keep contestants more honest and less automated. Urbanize Atlanta/Shutterstock

The winning Atlanta neighborhood will receive the everlasting prestige of showing an entire city that it truly cares. It’ll also have bragging rights—like mighty Mozley Park and amazing Avondale Estates have enjoyed—for a full year.

Below is a quick recap of all past winners. Who shall join them from the wild year that was 2023?

…

The hallowed pantheon of Best Atlanta Neighborhood tournament winners:

2011: Inman Park

2012: Old Fourth Ward

2013: Kirkwood

2014: Reynoldstown

2015: West End

2016: East Atlanta

***2017:*West End (again)

2018-2020: (forced hiatus)

2021: Mozley Park

2022: Avondale Estates

2023: TBD

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Best of Atlanta 2023 Best Atlanta Neighborhood Best Atlanta Neighborhoods Neighborhood Tournament Mozley Park Summerhill Avondale Estates Castleberry Hill

Subtitle It's beginning to look a lot like criteria-free tournament season 'round here

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At long last, Howell Mill Complete Street redo is actually happening Josh Green Mon, 12/04/2023 - 14:39 Eight long years after it was set to be funded by Atlanta’s RENEW bond initiative in 2015, a Complete Streets project described by city officials as transformative is gearing up to finally move forward.

According to Upper Westside Community Improvement District officials, a groundbreaking ceremony for the Howell Mill Complete Street Project is slated to take place Tuesday, with a goal of making one of Atlanta’s most rapidly developing corridors friendlier to non-motorists and more efficient overall.  

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, ATLDOT Commissioner Solomon Caviness, and longtime project advocate Atlanta City Councilmember Dustin Hillis are expected to lead the ceremony.

“Howell Mill Road is the backbone of the Upper Westside District,” Elizabeth Hollister, Upper Westside CID’s executive director, said in today’s announcement. “This project brings critical upgrades to improve bike, pedestrian, and vehicular movement.” 

The general scope of the Howell Mill Road section in question, with traffic conditions at 2 p.m. on a Monday. Google Maps

Specifically, the Complete Street redo calls for resurfacing Howell Mill Road from just north of Collier Road down to Marietta Street, a distance of about two and ½ miles. Along the route the city plans to synchronize traffic signals with technology upgrades and build raised bike lanes from Forrest Street (about a block north of Atlanta Water Works, near Urban Tree Cidery) to all points south along Howell Mill.

Other upgrades will focus on sidewalk repairs and additional safety improvements, officials said today.

The city has selected construction partners P2K and Lefko Construction in a joint venture as general contractors to build the $21.5-million Howell Mill Complete Street project. 

Crowded, car-friendly conditions at one of Howell Mill Road's densest points. Google Maps

The Atlanta City Council approved legislation in September to fund the full project.

Following that decision, Hillis said the city will be piloting an incentive program with the Howell Mill project to see large capital project completed within 12 to 18 months of contracts being awarded.

Should that schedule hold true, the Howell Mill project would wrap sometime between fall next year and the second quarter of 2025.

Howell Mill’s Complete Streets overhaul was once expected to begin in 2017—adding bike lanes, upgraded sidewalks and bus stops, fresh pavement, and new turn lanes—but was later axed from Renew Atlanta’s $250 million project list. Until September, it still hadn’t been fully funded.

“Since being elected as the District 9 councilmember, getting the Howell Mill Complete Street Project fully funded and to the construction phase has been one of my highest transportation priorities,” said Hillis in a prepared statement.

Courtesy of Upper Westside Community Improvement District

Since 2018, more than 1,100 apartments and townhomes have delivered in the Howell Mill blocks between 14th and 10th streets alone, with hundreds more in the pipeline. Star Metals Offices, a new office building, and the mixed-use district that is Interlock’s first phase have also come together in the same area.  

Despite the surge of private development, the three-lane roadway snaking through neighborhoods such as Home Park and Marietta Street Artery has been mostly unchanged in recent years, apart from a few new crosswalks.

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Howell Mill Road Complete Streets Howell Mill Road Complete Street Home Park Marietta Street Artery Marietta Street Artery Overlay District Alternate Transportation Alternative Transportation Bike Infrastructure Atlanta Bike Lanes Propel ATL Atlanta Bicycle Coalition Councilmember Dustin Hillis Dustin Hillis P2K Lefko Construction

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Courtesy of Upper Westside Community Improvement District

Crowded, car-friendly conditions at one of Howell Mill Road's densest points. Google Maps

The general scope of the Howell Mill Road section in question, with traffic conditions at 2 p.m. on a Monday. Google Maps

Examples of development that's made the three-lane Howell Mill Road corridor a denser and livelier place in recent years, as the roadway remains largely unchanged. Google Maps

Subtitle Eight years in the making, booming corridor’s safe-streets overhaul to break ground this week

Neighborhood Home Park

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Photos: Society Atlanta tower has topped out over Midtown Josh Green Mon, 12/04/2023 - 13:07 A year and ½ after officially breaking ground, a mixed-use tower that’s promising a unique approach to urban living in the cosmopolitan heart of Atlanta has reached its highest point.

Officials with national real estate firm PMG, Toronto-based private equity and asset management company Greybrook Realty Partners, and general contractors Juneau Construction Company announced today the 31-story Society Atlanta tower has topped out at 811 Peachtree Street.

The 460-apartment project will qualify for what PMG calls itsSociety Living multifamily platform, which means a blend of traditional rentals and co-living—or “Rent-By-Bedroom”—options will be offered.

The concept was created to address an “insatiable demand for reasonable rents close to urban centers,” project officials have said, though specific rents for the Atlanta incarnation have yet to be specified.

Also included in the Society Atlanta mix is more than 87,000 square feet of office space and 14,500 square feet of ground-level retail situated along Peachtree Street.

Construction progress on the 31-story Society Atlanta tower as seen Sunday from the corner of Peachtree and 6th streets. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The new building's eastern facade toward the Midtown Garden District. Photo by Juneau Construction Company; courtesy of PMG

Project leaders specified today the building will feature two full floors of Class A office space—roughly 45,000 square feet each—with the Cushman & Wakefield firm leading leasing efforts.

The retail spaces will range from 736 to the full 14,500 square feet, as represented by Bridger Properties, officials said.

Amenities at the Cooper Carry-designed building will include a rooftop pool (above the parking podium), yoga lawn, a coworking lab described as massive, plus a modern gym and fitness studio.

The 1.27-acre parcel at the corner of Peachtree and 6th streets sold for a whopping $20.3 million in 2021, project reps have said.

For several years, Atlanta-based The Integral Group was planning a visually striking apartment tower called EVIVA Peachtree for the site but eventually walked way in 2018, reopening the lot for parking.

PMG reps say Society Atlanta is on pace to deliver in fall 2024, continuing the expansion of Society-branded buildings across high-growth markets.

A new rendering showing planned activation of Society Atlanta's lower floors. Courtesy of PMG

More than 8,500 units are planned nationally as part of Society Living developments, including Society Las Olas in downtown Fort Lauderdale that opened in 2020. Others in Miami, Orlando, Brooklyn, Denver, and Nashville are either under construction or in planning.  

Ryan Shear, PMG managing partner at PMG, said in today’s announcement the Atlanta project is bringing “impeccably designed residences to a growing community” alongside “highly anticipated office spaces and stunning ground-floor retail to greet residents and further invigorate the neighborhood.”

The Society Atlanta tower seen from the southwest, next to 36-story neighbor Viewpoint condos. Photo by Juneau Construction Company; courtesy of PMG

In the gallery above, find recent photography showing Society Atlanta’s construction progress from street level and high above.

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811 Peachtree Street NE Society Atlanta PMG The Integral Group Eviva Toronto New York City Society Living Greybrook Realty Partners Mark Lindenbaum JLL Jones Lang LaSalle Property Markets Group Midtown Development Atlanta Development High-Rise Construction Cooper Carry Atlanta Construction Juneau Construction Company Bridger Properties Cushman & Wakefield

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Construction progress on the 31-story Society Atlanta tower as seen Sunday from the corner of Peachtree and 6th streets. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

How the Society Atlanta building meets Peachtree Street today. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The new building's eastern facade toward the Midtown Garden District. Photo by Juneau Construction Company; courtesy of PMG

The Society Atlanta tower seen from the southwest, next to 36-story neighbor Viewpoint condos. Photo by Juneau Construction Company; courtesy of PMG

Photo by Juneau Construction Company; courtesy of PMG

Photo by Juneau Construction Company; courtesy of PMG

Photo by Juneau Construction Company; courtesy of PMG

The 811 Peachtree Street site, as seen prior to Society Atlanta breaking ground. Google Maps

As seen in 2021, the site in question at the southeast corner of Peachtree and 6th streets, where The Integral Group's Eviva tower was planned until 2018. Google Maps

Retail space fronting Peachtree. Courtesy of PMG; designs, Cooper Carry

Rendering of the 31-story Society Atlanta project from the south. Courtesy of PMG; designs, Cooper Carry

Society Atlanta's north facade. Courtesy of PMG; designs, Cooper Carry

A new rendering showing planned activation of Society Atlanta's lower floors. Courtesy of PMG

Subtitle Project includes 460 more apartments, offices, retail along Peachtree Street

Neighborhood Midtown

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Society Atlanta - 811 Peachtree Street NE

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Motel conversion to affordable housing moving 'full bore' ahead Josh Green Sun, 12/03/2023 - 23:57 A motel conversion that project leaders say will provide a needed injection of eastside affordable housing while continuing a residential rebirth along Moreland Avenue is fully under construction, according to developers.

Stryant Construction is converting the Atlanta Motel at 277 Moreland Avenue, a 1960s low-rise property, into 54 affordable housing apartments with some of the lowest rent caps for tenants—30 percent of the area median income—for new construction in recent memory. It’s located where Moreland Avenue meets Interstate 20.

Stan Sugarman, Stryant managing partner, tells Urbanize Atlanta the project is moving “full bore” ahead with demolition finished and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems now being installed in the former motel.

An official groundbreaking and press conference led by Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is scheduled for Tuesday morning, according to Sugarman.

The Atlanta Motel property in Reynoldstown, as seen in March 2022.Google Maps

Terminus Design Group

As designed by Terminus Design Group, the project will be called Ralph David House. It’s unique in that it calls for remaking the budget motel into fully affordable housing in one of intown Atlanta’s hottest BeltLine neighborhoods.

Each of the 54 apartments will be reserved people who’ve been unhoused and are making less than 30 percent AMI. Rents and utility costs combined will be capped at 30 percent of each renter’s income, Stryant officials have said.

Another Reynoldstown affordable housing initiative from Stryant farther north on Moreland Avenue has faced more neighborhood pushback but scored financial backing from Atlanta Housing earlier this year.  

Stryant is partnering on the motel conversion with Atlanta Housing, Invest Atlanta, Partners for Home, and Atlanta Affordable Housing Fund. City and BeltLine officials, Reynoldstown neighborhood leadership, and three different Neighborhood Planning Units voiced support for the project in pre-development phases. 

The Invest Atlanta Board agreed last year to provide $556,000 to the motel conversion project as part of a series of grants from the BeltLine and Eastside Tax Allocation Districts, or TADs.

Sugarman says the goal is to start moving in tenants to Ralph David House in fall 2024.

Terminus Design Group

The project's location at the northwest quadrant of the Moreland Avenue/Interstate 20 intersection. Google Maps

Plans also call for installing a social worker’s office onsite and configuring at least six of the units to be ADA compliant, with the rest designed to meet Fair Housing Guidelines, according to Terminus Design Group, the project’s architect of record.  

Interiors will be renovated to the bones and outfitted with modern, multifamily finishes consistent with market-rate deals in the area, per the architecture firm.

The exterior of the motel building will receive a facelift—fresh paint, windows, doors, amenity areas, and more—with a goal of improving its visibility from both Moreland Avenue and I-20.

Prior to Stryant’s involvement, city records indicate the .75-acre property last sold in 1997 for $1.06 million. As a motel, the property’s rooms were said to go for $50 per night, and most reviews were unflattering, to say the least.

Planned look of interiors at the former Atlanta Motel. Terminus Design Group

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277 Moreland Avenue SE Ralph David House Stryant Construction Stryant Stan Sugarman City of Atlanta Partners for Home Atlanta Housing Invest Atlanta Atlanta BeltLine Atlanta Affordable Housing Fund Atlanta Motel Moreland Avenue AMI Affordable Housing Terminus Design Group Atlanta Architecture

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The project's location at the northwest quadrant of the Moreland Avenue/Interstate 20 intersection. Google Maps

The Atlanta Motel property in Reynoldstown, as seen in March 2022.Google Maps

Terminus Design Group

Terminus Design Group

Planned look of interiors at the former Atlanta Motel. Terminus Design Group

Subtitle Ralph David House project in Reynoldstown includes 54 apartments for previously unhoused tenants

Neighborhood Reynoldstown

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Atlanta Motel redevelopment

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Refined vision emerges for prominent Buckhead corner Josh Green Fri, 12/01/2023 - 14:34 Changes to the planned overhaul of a tired, high-profile Buckhead corner go deeper than the addition of a vintage Porsche and Hummer in renderings.

It’s been a year since initial plans emerged for modernizing and reviving two ailing buildings on a popular Buckhead restaurant strip—a former restaurant/residential structure and low-rise offices—in the 3100 block of Piedmont Road, roughly a block south of Peachtree Road in central Buckhead.

Located where Piedmont Road meets Martina Drive, both buildings are damaged and currently share the same parking lot, according to ownership group Partina Land LLC, which bought the property for $3.75 million in August 2020.

Renovation and expansion plans call for a trendy hub of retail, restaurant, and offices melding several architectural styles called The Buckhead Collection. 

Refined exterior designs for The Buckhead Collection proposal scheduled to go before the Buckhead SPI-9 Development Review Committee next week. Partina Land LLC; designs, r*development

The initial three-story plans for properties at 3121 and 3125 Piedmont Road, a block south of Peachtree Road. Partina Land LLC; designs, r*development

As of last summer, designs called for the office building to be converted to three stories of retail with a restaurant and large patio on the roof.

But plans submitted by architect Robb McKerrow of the r*development firm to Buckhead’s SPI-9 Development Review Committee ahead of a scheduled monthly meeting Wednesday indicate that portion of the property has been scaled back.

The latest renderings show two stories of retail above a new underground parking section—and generally sleeker designs overall.

The 3125 Piedmont building—a former home, constructed of brick, that’s suffered fire damage—housed popular Persian restaurant Divan for 16 years, before it uprooted to Midtown’s historic Castle building. McKerrow’s plans call for demolishing the kitchen, constructing a two-story addition where the current kitchen is, and adding upstairs dining rooms along with a two-story entrance for restaurant uses.

How the current structures meet a parking lot at Piedmont Road and Martina Drive. r*development; via Buckhead DRC

Tweaked, two-story plans for the retail building. Partina Land LLC; designs, r*development

Adjacent to the former restaurant, the 3121 Piedmont Road structure was formerly called the HRS building but has been abandoned for many years. It’s suffering from water intrusion from both the roof and foundation and has also been stripped of its copper, according to the development team.

The proposed renovation of 3121 Piedmont Road calls for fully reconstructing that building and expanding it, while excavating the basement for 12 underground parking spaces. Plans call for converting the building to a multi-tenant space geared toward professional services and boutique retail, according to an earlier presentation.            

Renovations of the site beyond the buildings will include reconfigured parking, new curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and landscaping, per the applicants.

Other landmarks in the area include Greek restaurant Kyma and the newer location of Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steak House to the south, and Red Pepper Taqueria just to the north.

In November, DRC staff recommended that off-street parking be screened from adjacent streets and sidewalks by a berm, landscaping, or a decorative fence, as code requires. Committee members also aired concerns about restaurant parking—valet parking in particular—and advised McKerrow and company to ensure it doesn’t push traffic farther into the neighborhood or negatively impact Piedmont Road.

The applicants have said that a broader future vision for the Piedmont Road corner calls for more buildings that would be brought up to the road, with townhomes and a boutique hotel sharing a pool deck.

Find a deeper dive into plans for this Piedmont Road corner in the gallery above.

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3121 Piedmont Road NE Partina Land r*development Atlanta Restaurants Fogo de Chão Kyma Red Pepper Taqueria Buckhead Development Review Committee Piedmont Road Divan Divan Restaurant Persian Restaurants HRS Buildings Peachtree Park Civic Association

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Refined exterior designs for The Buckhead Collection proposal scheduled to go before the Buckhead SPI-9 Development Review Committee next week. Partina Land LLC; designs, r*development

Breakdown of the current Piedmont Road layout and proposed additions.Partina Land LLC; designs, r*development

A more detailed look at plans for 12 new parking spaces excavated from the basement of the current retail building. Partina Land LLC; designs, r*development

Plans for the first level above the underground parking and the restaurant next door. Partina Land LLC; designs, r*development

The arrangement of retail spaces planned for the second story. Partina Land LLC; designs, r*development

Tweaked, two-story plans for the retail building. Partina Land LLC; designs, r*development

Partina Land LLC; designs, r*development

Partina Land LLC; designs, r*development

Partina Land LLC; designs, r*development

The initial three-story plans for properties at 3121 and 3125 Piedmont Road, a block south of Peachtree Road. Partina Land LLC; designs, r*development

Previous plans that called for a restaurant atop the retail building. Partina Land LLC; designs, r*development

The location of the two properties in question, just south of Peachtree Road in central Buckhead. Google Maps

Piedmont Road frontage of the former retail building, at right, and Divan Restaurant today. Google Maps

How the current structures meet a parking lot at Piedmont Road and Martina Drive. r*development; via Buckhead DRC

Frontages along Martina Drive today. r*development; via Buckhead DRC

Subtitle Adaptive-reuse proposal The Buckhead Collection went back to drawing board

Neighborhood Buckhead

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Petitioners demand GDOT, mayor, others make Decatur streets safer Josh Green Fri, 12/01/2023 - 08:54 Citing specific pedestrian-car collisions, two cases in which crossing guards were struck by vehicles in recent years, and a traffic fatality last month where East College Avenue meets Commerce Drive, a grassroots movement is calling on city and state officials to immediately implement better safety measures in the City of Decatur—and to provide longterm fixes as soon as possible.

Leaders of a new organization called Calm Decatur formally presented a Change.org petition to the Decatur City Commission this week, outlining five changes they feel would help curb “automobile violence.”

The petition was created Nov. 7 and has garnered more than 700 signatures, as of this writing. It’s addressed to Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurray, Decatur Mayor Patti Garrett, and other city officials, including several commissioners.

Decatur crash data between 2018 and 2022, according to the Change.org petition. Calm Decatur/Change.org

Calm Decatur feels that several key arteries in or near downtown Decatur are particularly problematic and dangerous: Scott Boulevard, Clairemont Road, College Avenue, Columbia Drive, and South Candler Street.

Four pedestrians were hit in the city in a single day last month—Nov. 6—including the aforementioned fatality, according to Calm Decatur.

The group applauds city leaders for building multi-use pathways, adding sidewalks, and improving crosswalks in recent years but contends issues with drivers speeding or blowing through crosswalks and traffic lights remain disconcerting.

“We shouldn’t have to live in fear in our city, on our own streets, in our own houses,” reads the petition. “[City and state leaders need to] prioritize safety and take concrete steps towards achieving a safer Decatur for people on foot, on bikes, in wheelchairs, and in or on motor vehicles… No more business as usual.” 

Specifically, Calm Decatur is asking that a citywide speed limit of 25 mph be implemented on every street that isn’t a state route. They ask city leaders to demand that GDOT lowers speed limits on “dangerous arterials,” too—and then changes its “outdated” methodology for setting speed limits in the first place.

Downtown Decatur has long prized its walkability. Shutterstock

Other requests involve installing red-light cameras and building more substantial sidewalks, multi-use paths, and crosswalks. Calm Decatur is also pulling for the city to adopt Vision Zero initiatives that state no deaths involving vehicles will be tolerated in the city.

“There is no time to waste,” reads the petition. “Nearly every day, another crash on our roadways makes clear the urgency. How many more people need to be wheeled away on stretchers?”

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Calm Decatur Georgia Department of Transportation GDOT City of Decatur Complete Streets Alternate Transportation Alternative Transportation Atlanta Bicycling Pedestrian Safety Change.org

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Decatur crash data between 2018 and 2022, according to the Change.org petition. Calm Decatur/Change.org

Downtown Decatur has long prized its walkability. Shutterstock

Subtitle Group called Calm Decatur says "automobile violence," pedestrian collisions unchecked on key roadways

Neighborhood Decatur

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What a million-dollar new BeltLine condo looks like, in the flesh Josh Green Thu, 11/30/2023 - 16:44 A rare, for-sale condo project that’s been in Virginia-Highland’s development pipeline for nearly five years has reached the finishing-touches stage, offering glimpses of what the BeltLine-adjacent property actually is, in the flesh.

Hard to believe, but boutique venture The Roycraft marks the first condominium building to rise directly on the BeltLine’s Eastside Trail corridor since the Great Recession.

The Roycraft's marketing team reported in August the building is more than 60 percent sold, and one-bedroom units with 884 square feet currently start in the $460,000s. The six-story building counts 42 condos overall.

On the opposite end of the pricing spectrum, Unit No. 302 is the priciest of the remaining bunch, priced at $1,212,900 and listed with Ansley Developer Services.

The kitchen and living area as shown in listing photos for The Roycraft's $1.2-million Unit 302. Ansley Developer Services/Christie's International

That buys three bedrooms and two and ½ bathrooms in 1,712 square feet, with perks that include a “gracious balcony,” features and finishes described as “designer-appointed,” and two parking spaces. The $880 monthly HOA fee, it should be noted, is nothing to sneeze at.

Listings also show how the building’s arts-and-crafts-influenced clubhouse and lounge turned out, with its BeltLine balcony and kitchen for events.

Located just up the BeltLine from Ponce City Market, on a lot behind Midtown’s Home Depot, The Roycraft endured neighborhood pushback and eventually broke ground in spring 2021, clearing away a single-story, formerly industrial building with live-work space and some retail on the .4-acre lot. The project’s name nods to Virginia-Highland’s Craftsman-style architecture and the location’s former name, Roy Street.

Beyond the clubroom, Roycraft amenities include a pet spa, bike storage, and remote concierge services. Like many boutique buildings, the Roycraft lacks a pool, but the location’s 91 Walk Score could help atone for that, in terms of weekend leisure options.

The cheapest condos—539-square-foot studios priced at $329,900—have long been claimed. Ditto for the priciest unit of the bunch: a two-story penthouse with three bedrooms in 1,780 square feet, previously listed for $1.22 million, according to Roycraft marketing materials.

The Roycraft's communal clubroom space. Ansley Developer Services/Christie's International

Communal seating outside the clubroom interiors. Ansley Developer Services/Christie's International

The Capital City Real Estate venture joins an apartment tsunami along the BeltLine’s most patronized section. But with all 42 of its units being for sale, The Roycraft remains an anomaly, especially after another project by the same developer—the 13-story Indie in Old Fourth Ward—changed course from condos to rentals earlier this year. (Another boutique condo building, The Leon on Ponce, has topped out in O4W, but it’s located a block off the BeltLine.)

Bullish on the BeltLine, the Washington D.C.-based developer also built the Flats at the Indie condo complex, situated just off the trail in Old Fourth Ward. Not since the circa-2008 Grinnell Lofts building in Inman Park have for-sale condos taken shape directly on the multi-use trail.

Swing up to the gallery for more visuals and context.  

How The Roycraft's finished western facade meets the Atlanta BeltLine's Eastside Trail today. Ansley Developer Services/Christie's International

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675 Drewry Street The Roycraft Condos Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail Capital City Real Estate Ansley Developer Services Atlanta Development Smith Dalia Architects Beltline Atlanta Condos Atlanta Construction YLH Construction Homes For sale Sandra King Christie's International

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The kitchen and living area as shown in listing photos for The Roycraft's $1.2-million Unit 302. Ansley Developer Services/Christie's International

Balcony views toward Piedmont Park and Midtown. Ansley Developer Services/Christie's International

Ansley Developer Services/Christie's International

Ansley Developer Services/Christie's International

The Roycraft's communal clubroom space. Ansley Developer Services/Christie's International

Clubroom kitchen. Ansley Developer Services/Christie's International

Clubroom balcony space. Ansley Developer Services/Christie's International

Communal seating outside the clubroom interiors. Ansley Developer Services/Christie's International

Ansley Developer Services/Christie's International

How The Roycraft's finished western facade meets the Atlanta BeltLine's Eastside Trail today. Ansley Developer Services/Christie's International

Subtitle Roycraft condo project nears completion over Eastside Trail

Neighborhood Virginia-Highland

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The Roycraft - 675 Drewry Street NE The Roycroft - 675 Drewry Street

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Rapper T.I.'s affordable housing project has officially arrived Josh Green Thu, 11/30/2023 - 14:29 In the works for several years and under construction for two, a Westside affordable housing initiative built in partnership with Grammy-winning Atlanta rapper T.I. has officially arrived in Grove Park.  

Located between the Center Hill neighborhood where T.I. grew up and Bankhead, the Intrada Westside apartments have replaced a shuttered shopping center once home to Kmart and Giant Food, which was closed about seven years ago.

The 2176 Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway location is just west of sprawling Westside Park—Atlanta’s largest greenspace—and across the street from Center Hill Park, a large neighborhood greenspace. 

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens attended the official Intrada ribbon-cutting with T.I. (born Clifford Harris) earlier this month, calling the project part of 3,200 affordable homes that have delivered across the city in the past two years, with another 5,000 under construction, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. 

The shuttered grocery and shopping center site as it appeared in 2016. Google Maps

The former shopping center remade as Intrada Westside apartments, as seen under construction earlier this year. Google Maps

T.I. has previously said the Intrada development includes 143 affordable housing units as part of the Buy Back The Block initiative he started in 2017 in partnership with the city and Dynasty Real Estate Development.

T.I. bought the shuttered shopping center in 2019—he joked during this month’s ribbon-cutting he was once caught shoplifting at the former Kmart and helped lead the development to make amends—and later sold it to Missouri-based Vecino Group, which started construction in 2021.

According to property management firm Wingate Companies, Intrada Westside features one, two, and three-bedroom rentals furnished with washers and dryers and energy-efficient appliances. The property includes a community room, fitness center, and computer center for internet access. Not quite "Whatever You Like"-level amenities seen these days in places like Midtown, but that's apples and oranges. 

Wingate Companies/Vecino Group

We’ve reached out to Wingate for information on Intrada Westside apartment availability and monthly rents, and we’ll update this story with additional details that come. Information on applying to live there can be found on Intrada’s website.  

According to Apartments.com, Intrada rentals range from 459-square-foot studios up to 1,180-square-foot units with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Rents prices aren’t specified there, either. 

Intrada Westside's 2176 Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway location along what used to be called Bankhead Highway. Google Maps

Intrada isn’t T.I.’s only investment in Westside real estate. He also operates the Trap Music Museum in English Avenue and more recently has partnered with Killer Mike to bring back legendary seafood restaurant Bankhead Seafood, which closed in 2018.

Killer Mike recently shared construction progress photos on social media of the restaurant venture, with a “coming soon” banner on the upstairs rooftop.  

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2176 Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway Intrada Westside Bankhead Highway Center Hill Westside Park Affordable Housing T.I. Killer Mike Briarhouse Holdings Vecino Group Wingate Companies Buy Back The Block Dynasty Real Estate Development Giant Food Kmart

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Intrada Westside's 2176 Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway location along what used to be called Bankhead Highway. Google Maps

Wingate Companies/Vecino Group

The shuttered grocery and shopping center site as it appeared in 2016. Google Maps

The former shopping center remade as Intrada Westside apartments, as seen under construction earlier this year. Google Maps

Wingate Companies/Vecino Group

Intrada entry as seen in January. Google Maps

Southwest view across the project from Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway. Google Maps

Subtitle Intrada Westside community replaces shuttered shopping center in Grove Park

Neighborhood Grove Park

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Four-pack of modern dwellings hits market on ATL’s Westside Josh Green Thu, 11/30/2023 - 08:23 Located about five miles due west of downtown Atlanta, the Dixie Hills neighborhood is no stranger to interesting, infill residential projects. And this certainly qualifies.

Entering the final stages of construction is a four-home project of standalone houses that’s consumed a deep, empty lot at 1996 Joseph E. Boone Boulevard, about a mile and ½ directly north of Westview Cemetery.

All four units have listed this month for $353,700. That’s hardly a fire sale for the area, but it represents an increasingly rare option to own a newly constructed, single-family home ITP for less than a half-million bucks.

A parking area shown behind the four Dixie Hills dwellings, away from the main street. MCE Residential, via Destiny Realty

The builder is East Point-based MCE Residential, a remodeling and construction firm, and the homes are described as being “priced to sell” in what “will be… one of the hottest areas in Atlanta,” according to the Destiny Realty LLC listing. 

The mid-$300,000s price, in this case, buys two bedrooms and two and ½ bathrooms in 1,142 square feet across two stories, for a breakdown of $310 per square foot.

Perks include elevated porches, a parking pad behind the homes, and according to listings, fiberglass roofs. Proximity to shopping, schools, highways and transit (both the West Lake MARTA station and Interstate 20 are about a mile away) are also called plusses.

The four-home project's location at 1996 Joseph E. Boone Boulevard, directly west of the Georgia Aquarium. Google Maps

MCE Residential, via Destiny Realty

Property records indicate the .16-acre lot itself sold in April for just $38,000.

Move-in dates for the Dixie Hills project are expected to start in mid-February, per the listing. Have a closer look at what’s coming—inside and out—in the gallery above.

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The four-home project's location at 1996 Joseph E. Boone Boulevard, directly west of the Georgia Aquarium. Google Maps

A parking area shown behind the four Dixie Hills dwellings, away from the main street. MCE Residential, via Destiny Realty

MCE Residential, via Destiny Realty

MCE Residential, via Destiny Realty

MCE Residential, via Destiny Realty

MCE Residential, via Destiny Realty

MCE Residential, via Destiny Realty

MCE Residential, via Destiny Realty

MCE Residential, via Destiny Realty

MCE Residential, via Destiny Realty

MCE Residential, via Destiny Realty

MCE Residential, via Destiny Realty

MCE Residential, via Destiny Realty

MCE Residential, via Destiny Realty

Subtitle Proof that not every standalone new house in Atlanta costs a half-million bucks or more

Neighborhood Dixie Hills

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Fresh visuals, details emerge for Atlanta Botanical Garden expansion Josh Green Wed, 11/29/2023 - 16:15 A year after Atlanta Botanical Garden announced its first substantial expansion since its founding nearly 50 years ago, visuals have emerged showing in the greatest detail to date what the Garden’s BeltLine-adjacent growth spurt could entail.

The renderings were compiled by Hoerr Schaudt, a Chicago-based landscape architecture firm hired by the Garden last year to lead designs of the 8.8-acre, master-planned expansion, alongside other firms that include Atlanta-based Smith Dalia Architects.

According to designers, the Garden expansion is on pace to open sometime in 2026, becoming the city’s first cultural institution with a direct Atlanta BeltLine connection. Garden leaders have previously said their goal is to wrap up before Atlanta’s World Cup matches that year. 

Overview of the planned Botanical Garden expansion, with the BeltLine's newest Northeast Trail segment depicted at right. Hoerr Schaudt landscape architects

Hoerr Schaudt officials say “iconic experiences” in the Garden expansion will include a series of terraced waterfalls, a cavern space, a 14-foot ring waterfall, an amphitheater embedded in a sunken garden, and a large lower garden area with integrated bridges, planted islands, and other features.

Along the BeltLine edge, plans call for a beer garden and restaurant, entry plaza for events and programming, a hub for bikes and pedestrians, display gardens, and a visitors center.

On the flipside, positioned up a hill, would be a statement fountain and jewel-box orangerie, or a greenhouse for growing oranges.

“The new garden envisions creating dramatic and unique water expressions and horticultural experiences as a series of grand garden rooms that are terraced into the landscape,” write the designers. “These iconic spaces aim to embrace the substantial topography on site and... create innovative water experiences that celebrate the botanical garden character.”

Plans calls for some of the Garden’s famed mosaiculture sculptures being visible to BeltLine passersby. One such sculpture would be a 20-foot-tall phoenix, symbolizing the city’s endurance, officials have said.Hoerr Schaudt landscape architects

Last November, project leaders announced plans for what’s essentially a second Garden front door. A $25-million donation from the James M. Cox Foundation, long a financial supporter of the Garden and BeltLine, is expected to cover about half of costs.

The new section would grow the Garden’s current 30-acre footprint toward the north, marking its first major expansion since opening in 1976.

The expansion requires a controversial land swap and demolition of a Public Storage facility tucked off Piedmont Avenue that’s still standing.

Plans for a fountain garden near the orangerie, positioned away from the BeltLine. Hoerr Schaudt landscape architects

The Cox Foundation gift is being combined with $5 million each from The UPS Foundation and Carol Tomé, a former Garden trustee, to help with land acquisition costs. Garden officials have previously said the fundraising goal to cover all other costs is $17 million.  

Next door, the BeltLine officially opened another section of the Northeast Trail earlier this month, providing a paved link between Piedmont Park and southern Buckhead.

Just beyond that BeltLine segment, the City of Atlanta spent $20.4 million in 2018 to buy retail and mixed-use property to eventually grow Piedmont Park along Monroe Drive, too.

North of the Garden, Ansley Mall owners Selig Enterprises announced plans last year for a bridge behind the shopping center that would tap into the same BeltLine trail extension; that bridge is fully under construction now.

In the gallery above, find more visuals depicting what Atlanta Botanical Garden hopes to become within three years.

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Overview of the planned Botanical Garden expansion, with the BeltLine's newest Northeast Trail segment depicted at right. Hoerr Schaudt landscape architects

Plans for a fountain garden near the orangerie, positioned away from the BeltLine. Hoerr Schaudt landscape architects

Hoerr Schaudt landscape architects

Plans calls for some of the Garden’s famed mosaiculture sculptures being visible to BeltLine passersby. One such sculpture would be a 20-foot-tall phoenix, symbolizing the city’s endurance, officials have said.Hoerr Schaudt landscape architects

Hoerr Schaudt landscape architects

Subtitle The most detailed glimpses to date at 9-acre section bordering fresh BeltLine segment

Neighborhood Midtown

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Restauranteur unveiled for historic, converted Midtown funeral home Josh Green Wed, 11/29/2023 - 13:11 Portman officials have said for months a single food-and-beverage operator will lease the entirety of a converted, landmark mortuary that’s the centerpiece of the firm’s massive and multifaceted Spring Quarter project.

Today that restauranteur was unveiled as Steve Palmer, an Atlanta native and founder of The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, the Charleston-based company behind local concepts such as West Midtown’s O-KU, Avalon’s Oak Steakhouse, and Colony Square’s Sukoshi.  

Palmer plans to transform all 24,000 square feet of the historic H.M. Patterson Home and Gardens into what’s being described vaguely as a “morning-to-night F&B destination,” serving as Spring Quarter's adaptive-reuse centerpiece amidst two new high-rise towers, with a third potentially to follow.

Portman officials said in an announcement today more details on Palmer’s concept will be shared soon.

“When we first saw The Patterson, I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create something truly special in my hometown,” said Palmer in a prepared statement. “Midtown has become such a well-established dining destination that we’re proud to join.”

A new rendering illustrating how the H.M. Patterson Home and Gardens is being slotted next to Sora apartments (left) and the project's rising office tower. Courtesy of Portman

The mortuary's Spring Street facade, as seen in early 2023. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Spread across two stories at Midtown’s highest natural point, the elegant 1928 landmark has hosted the funerals of countless Atlanta notables, including Pulitzer Prize-winning author Margaret Mitchell and mayors Ivan Allen Jr. and William B. Hartsfield.

Historically protected, it was designed by famed architect Philip T. Shutze, whose portfolio also includes the Joseph Rhodes House (1926) and Buckhead’s Swan House (1928). Inside, the beautifully preserved chapel hosted its final funeral about four years ago. (Find our photo tour of the property here, published as restoration work ramped up earlier this year.)

Outside the century-old mortuary, situated just to the north, a large circular valet area is planned in the shadow of new towers, amidst gardens that are also historically protected.

The Patterson “is being thoughtfully reimagined to preserve its historic charm,” Portman reps relayed today.

The repurposed, historic H.M. Patterson Home and Gardens juxtaposed with lower office building floors. Courtesy of Portman

Entering the show-stopping chapel space off the main entry, where light preservation work had begun in spring 2023. Windows throughout the facility are being swapped with more efficient ones. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The Indigo Road Hospitality Group announcement follows news earlier this month that Chef Fuyuhiko Ito—of Buckhead’s MF Sushi and Umi fame—will also open a contemporary Japanese concept called Souzo at the base level of the project’s office tower, 1020 Spring, next year. A private dining space called Omakase by Ito is also in the works for an eighth-floor rooftop space with skyline views at 1020 Spring.

In other Spring Quarter news, Portman officials say the 370-unit residential component, a 30-story tower called Sora, is now open and moving in its first residents.

Two months of free rent are being offered as an incentive at Sora, but after that rents start at $1,807 monthly for studio units with 524 square feet, per the building’s website.

The developer expects to deliver all facets of Spring Quarter by the third quarter of 2024.

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A new rendering illustrating how the H.M. Patterson Home and Gardens is being slotted next to Sora apartments (left) and the project's rising office tower. Courtesy of Portman

The repurposed, historic H.M. Patterson Home and Gardens juxtaposed with lower office building floors. Courtesy of Portman

Entering the show-stopping chapel space off the main entry, where light preservation work had begun in spring 2023. Windows throughout the facility are being swapped with more efficient ones. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The 1928 mortuary, as seen from its historic gardens in the context of Midtown's changing skyline. A large circular valet area is planned here, surrounded by new Portman towers. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The mortuary's Spring Street facade, as seen in early 2023. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Subtitle Centerpiece of Portman’s Spring Quarter to feature “morning-to-night F&B destination”

Neighborhood Midtown

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1000 Spring

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