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Could $1.3K rents in snazzy new complex entice you to Norcross? Josh Green Fri, 11/10/2023 - 16:16 Halloween may have passed, but horrifying tales of bloodcurdling rental rates in places like Midtown remain.

Gasp—$1,670 monthly for 382 square feet! Or $1,700 for a 343-square-foot studio—shriek!

A few minutes’ drive Outside The Perimeter (screech!), a 160-unit project billed as the gateway to several thriving submarkets has finished construction and is offering a highly amenitized alternative. It’s just not in Atlanta. Or Fulton County.

Replacing an empty field next to a Zaxby’s and sprawling RaceTrac gas station, The Perry is a gated, garden-style property by FIDES Development that adds a residential component to a larger redevelopment of offices, shopping, and restaurants.

The complex is located in southwestern Gwinnett where Peachtree Industrial Boulevard meets Jimmy Carter Boulevard, about four miles OTP.

Norcross’ historic downtown—a contestant in this year’s Best OTP Downtown tournament on these pages—is located about two miles to the east.

The Perry lobby. Photos by Brian Robbins; courtesy of Ware Malcomb

The Perry apartments in relation to Interstate 285 and historic downtown Norcross. Google Maps

According to the project’s interior and amenity designers, international firm Ware Malcomb, The Perry emphasizes “nature, livability, durability and softness,” by use of unique wall coverings, art, and photography, among other facets. The Pate Design Group served as project architects.

So what’s it cost?

The least expensive option listed at The Perry right now rents for $1,370 monthly. That gets a studio with one bathroom in 533 square feet.

Rents for the largest option in the new complex—three bedrooms and two bathrooms in 1,353 square feet—aren’t public on the project’s website.

The Perry; courtesy of Ware Malcomb

Photos by Brian Robbins; courtesy of Ware Malcomb

Beyond accessibility to PIB and Kickin’ Chicken Sandwiches, perks at The Perry include a lounge for hosting guests near the centralized pool and lobby, a bike room, coworking spaces, pet spa, gym, and separate office work rooms.

So maybe it’s not the new Whistler tower, but it could be a more accessible foot-in-the-door for metro Atlantans right now. Swing up to the gallery for a closer look.

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6885 Jimmy Carter Boulevard The Perry Pate Design Group Ware Malcomb FIDES Fortune-Johnson Multifamily Multifamily Development Gwinnett County Atlanta Construction OTP

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The Perry project's 6885 Jimmy Carter Boulevard location in the grand scheme of metro Atlanta. Google Maps

The Perry apartments in relation to Interstate 285 and historic downtown Norcross. Google Maps

The Perry lobby. Photos by Brian Robbins; courtesy of Ware Malcomb

The Perry; courtesy of Ware Malcomb

The Perry; courtesy of Ware Malcomb

Photos by Brian Robbins; courtesy of Ware Malcomb

Photos by Brian Robbins; courtesy of Ware Malcomb

Photos by Brian Robbins; courtesy of Ware Malcomb

Photos by Brian Robbins; courtesy of Ware Malcomb

Photos by Brian Robbins; courtesy of Ware Malcomb

The smallest, least expensive floorplan offered in the building at the moment: a studio with 533 square feet. The Perry; courtesy of Ware Malcomb

The largest Perry floorplan (1,353 square feet) available at the moment. The Perry; courtesy of Ware Malcomb

Subtitle Project near historic downtown called The Perry hopes so

Neighborhood Norcross

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MARTA makes push to tackle accessibility, ‘crumbling infrastructure’ Josh Green Fri, 11/10/2023 - 13:51 MARTA has green-lighted an infrastructure project backed by federal dollars that agency leaders say will have a positive and far-reaching impact around Atlanta.

MARTA’s Board of Directors today voted to move forward with an initiative called the Safe Routes to Transit Project that aims to ensure pedestrian infrastructure at thousands of locations across the city is accessible and up-to-snuff from a safety standpoint, according to agency officials.

For fiscal year 2024, the safety project budget will be $6.7 million. Three Congresspeople from Georgia—U.S. Reps David Scott (GA-13), Hank Johnson (GA-04), and Nikema Williams (GA-05)—secured $1 million each for the initiative, which will span across three U.S. Congressional Districts.

MARTA’s Capital Programs budget will supply 20 percent of funding, with the remainder sourced from a Transportation Improvement Program Surface Transportation Block Grant, per the transit agency.

The next step involves site selection across the city and preliminary permitting coordination phases.

MARTA will then focus on pedestrian safety at high-ridership bus stops, with a goal of installing high-visibility crosswalks, ADA-compliant ramps, medians and “refuge islands,” curb extensions, pedestrian beacons, and other measures meant to spare riders from vehicle impacts and allow easier access to transit.

One of Atlanta’s first all-electric transit buses, as revealed by MARTA on Earth Day. Courtesy of Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority

MARTA officials say safety enhancements will be extended to the agency’s Bus Network Redesign, an effort to improve efficiency that’s entered design phases but has been recently scrutinized in terms of its financial accounting. 

In a project update today, MARTA general manager and CEO Collie Greenwood noted that almost every passenger trip on MARTA begins along Atlanta roadsides at one of 9,000 bus stops.

"Missing sidewalks or unsafe crossings can create real barriers to mobility for our customers,” Greenwood said in a prepared statement. “Safe Routes to Transit helps us remove, repair, and replace crumbling infrastructure so riders can get to and from the bus and other MARTA services safely.”

Added Congressman Johnson: “My constituents—particularly those with disabilities—who rely on transit to get to work, grocery shop, visit their doctor, or enjoy local entertainment must have a safe and reliable way to connect.”

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Safe Routes to Transit Project MARTA Public Transit Alternate Transportation Alternative Transportation Transit Oriented Development Congressman David Scott Collie Greenwood David Scott U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams Hank Johnson MARTA Buses

Subtitle $6.7M committed toward Safe Routes to Transit Project across Atlanta

Neighborhood Citywide

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Fresh renderings, first restaurant unveiled for Portman Midtown build Josh Green Fri, 11/10/2023 - 08:06 Exactly how Portman’s latest, three-pronged Midtown development might look and function next year—and what visitors might eat there—is coming into clearer focus.

Portman officials on Thursday released fresh renderings for various facets of Spring Quarter and announced that Chef Fuyuhiko Ito, of Buckhead’s MF Sushi and Umi fame, will operate two concepts there, including a flagship restaurant, come this time next year.

Expected to “push the boundaries of contemporary Japanese cuisine,” Sozuo will mark the first in a series of chef-driven restaurants that Portman officials say will help transform a full city block the company is redeveloping along Spring Street, just north of 10th Street near the downtown Connector.

Sozou will take ground-level space at the base of 1020 Spring, the project’s Class-A office tower rising now over the westernmost portion of the site. Expect a robata grill and sushi counter in addition to the main kitchen, with fresh fish sourced from markets around the world.

Ground floor of Spring Quarter's office building where Sozou is planned. Courtesy of Portman

Chef Lisa Ito is also on board for desserts, and the space is being designed by Noriyoshi Muramatsu from Tokyo’s Studio Glitt.

Above the main dining room, on an eighth-floor rooftop space of the office building facing north across Midtown, the same team is planning a concept called Omakase by Ito for a personalized experience catering to private guests.

“Over the last 20 years, I have had the pleasure of following [Ito’s] career and watching him become one of the most incredible sushi chefs in the country,” Dotan Zuckerman, Portman’s head of retail development, said in a prepared statement. “We’re proud to bring him back to Atlanta to open his very own flagship restaurant.”

The 1020 Spring building's eighth-floor terrace where an omakase concept is planned. Courtesy of Portman

Some aspects of Spring Quarter have already delivered.

At the corner of Spring and 10th streets, Portman Residential’s 30-story luxury apartment tower, Sora at Spring Quarter, topped out in April and has since started leasing. That building will include 370 apartments—all of them designated as “luxury” grade—and roughly 11,000 square feet of retail. The retail will be arranged in spaces at street level and in a public paseo (a European-style, pedestrian alleyway, that is) linking Sora with the historic H.M. Patterson & Sons-Spring Hill Chapel next door. 

The former mortuary is being converted into a chef-driven restaurant with a single operator, along with offshoot lounges and an events space, officials said earlier this year. Mum is still the word on who that operator is, but a Portman rep said Thursday an unveiling may come before year’s end.

The old funeral home’s “lush gardens will spring to life with street-level energy and ground-floor retail,” per this week’s announcement.

As viewed from Spring Street, the retail paseo between Spring Quarter's apartment tower, left, and renovated mortuary. Courtesy of Portman

The back paseo portion of the project. Courtesy of Portman

A third new-construction component is planned for the northernmost section of Portman’s Spring Street site—initially planned as a hotel, but now more likely residential, officials have told Urbanize Atlanta. Plans to demolish low-rise buildings on that section of the property were put in motion last month.

Portman officials say all facets of Spring Quarter currently under construction are on pace to open in the third quarter of 2024, with Ito’s food concepts debuting in November. Find more fresh glimpses of what’s to come in the gallery above.

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1000 Spring Street NW Portman Chapel Sora at Spring Quarter 1000 Spring Spring Quarter 1020 Spring Philip Trammell Shutze Portman Holdings Portman Residential National Real Estate Advisors 10th Street Fogarty Finger Cooper Carry JE Dunn H.M. Patterson House Midtown Alliance Connector Atlanta Development Atlanta Construction Spring Hill Chapel H.M. Patterson & Sons-Spring Hill Chapel Atlanta Restaurants Atlanta History Adaptive-Reuse Development Adaptive-Reuse Historical Preservation Historic Atlanta Kimley-Horn Kimley-Horn & Associates Sozou Chef Fuyuhiko Ito Noriyoshi Muramatsu Studio Glitt

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Looking south toward downtown, an overview of Spring Quarter's first three components, from left: the Sora apartment tower, repurposed funeral home, and 1020 Spring office building. Courtesy of Portman

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

Ground floor of Spring Quarter's office building where Sozou is planned. Courtesy of Portman

As viewed from Spring Street, the retail paseo between Spring Quarter's apartment tower, left, and renovated mortuary. Courtesy of Portman

Plans for the retail paseo facing Spring Street. Courtesy of Portman

The back paseo portion of the project. Courtesy of Portman

The 1020 Spring building's eighth-floor terrace where an omakase concept is planned. Courtesy of Portman

Subtitle Chef behind Buckhead’s Umi to operate two concepts at Spring Quarter

Neighborhood Midtown

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Photos: Where boutique condo build near Ponce City Market stands now Josh Green Thu, 11/09/2023 - 13:04 Four and ½ years after initial marketing efforts launched for a rare, for-sale condo complex on one of Atlanta’s most well-known commercial corridors, the end of construction is in sight—it just won’t come as soon as previously predicted.

The Leon on Ponce condo project has completed vertical construction in the 500 block of Ponce de Leon Avenue in Old Fourth Ward, with five stories of living levels including rooftop spaces now stacked atop a parking podium.

The Leon’s development team said a year ago the building was on pace to deliver in the fourth quarter of 2023, following delays caused by construction material sourcing. Prices at the time were expected to range from the high-$300,000s to the $600,000s—similar to original price points floated in 2019.

Pauline Miller, managing director for new development with Compass, tells Urbanize Atlanta the project is now scheduled to deliver next spring. The official sales push has yet to launch, and no updated info on pricing was available.

Construction progress this week at the topped-out The Leon condos in the 500 block of Ponce de Leon Avenue. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The Leon’s website says the unit count is 74, with the location being “your elite opportunity to experience the electrifying pulse of urban convenience, community, and culinary flare your way, each and every day.”

The Leon was first marketed in May 2019 as the replacement for a cleared site that had served as surface parking. The .9-acre property sits between Mister Carwash and a new boutique hotel, less than a block west of Ponce City Market.

Atlanta-based Urban Eco Group is leading the development, with designs by another local company, Place Maker Design. The architecture firm’s previous work includes designs at The Beacon in Grant Park, Alpharetta City Center, and Atlantic Station’s Atlantic Stacks condos.

Condos will range from one-bedrooms with 610 square feet up to two-bedroom options with 1,100 square feet.

Prior to The Leon breaking ground, a “Coming Soon” sign for the project stood at the property for more than two years.

The Leon on Ponce's site, at right, as surface parking in October 2019. Google Maps

Ponce frontages as seen during sunrise this week. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

With the exception of a few shipping containers, the site’s last occupant was the controversial Phoenix bar, which the city shut down in 2005. An LLC called 567 Ponce de Leon Partners PL1 scooped up the property in April 2019 for $2.14 million, property records show.

The Leon joins thousands of apartments developed in the area over the past decade but only a handful of condo offerings. Those include Capital City Real Estate’s 29-unit Flats at the Indie condo project (formerly priced from the mid-$300,000s, but now sold out). The same developer is selling a BeltLine-fronting condo venture a few blocks from The Leon called The Roycraft, with remaining units priced from the low $300,000s in Virginia-Highland right now.

Looking west at the condo project today, over Mister Carwash. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

A rendering illustrating the project's vehicle entry point and balconies over Ponce de Leon Avenue—and proximity to Ponce City Market. Urban Eco Group/Compass; designs, Place Maker Design

Beyond The Leon condos, investment has poured into this formerly scruffy section of Ponce in recent years, most notably with Ponce City Market’s topped-out, two-building, phase-two growth spurt at the corner of Glen Iris Drive.

Elsewhere, on the property immediately west of the condos, the 111-room Wylie Hotel opened in 2021, reviving a landmark building from the 1920s. And less than two blocks away, on the same side of Ponce, Chick-fil-A bulldozed a gas station and opened a brick-clad, drive-thru restaurant this year at the corner of Boulevard.  

In the gallery above, find more context and a closer look at where The Leon literally stands right now.

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567 Ponce De Leon Avenue NE The Leon on Ponce Place Maker Design Atlanta Condos Dave Radlmann Mister Carwash Urban Eco Group O4W Atlanta Development Ponce de Leon Avenue Ponce Mrs. P’s Bar & Kitchen Wylie Hotel Atlanta Homes for Sale Atlanta Construction C4 Developers

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The Leon on Ponce's site, at right, as surface parking in October 2019. Google Maps

Construction progress this week at the topped-out The Leon condos in the 500 block of Ponce de Leon Avenue. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Ponce frontages as seen during sunrise this week. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The condo building's relationship to the adaptive-reuse Wylie hotel next door. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Looking west at the condo project today, over Mister Carwash. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

A rendering illustrating the project's vehicle entry point and balconies over Ponce de Leon Avenue—and proximity to Ponce City Market. Urban Eco Group/Compass; designs, Place Maker Design

Courtesy of Urban Eco Group/Compass; designs, Place Maker Design

Subtitle After four years in pipeline, The Leon on Ponce pushes back expected delivery

Neighborhood Old Fourth Ward

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The Leon on Ponce - 567 Ponce De Leon Ave

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Atlanta’s first Chattahoochee River public access point is underway Josh Green Thu, 11/09/2023 - 11:09 There’s good news afoot for Atlantans who’d like to slip into the Chattahoochee River—or trek beside it—in their own backyards.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens led a groundbreaking ceremony Nov. 2 alongside Trust for Public Land officials and other dignitaries for what’s being called—believe it not—the City of Atlanta’s first public access point to the Chattahoochee River. (Prior to years of award-winning cleanup efforts, after all, the river was considered a health hazard.)

The ceremony took place at Standing Peachtree Greenspace, where upcoming construction projects will add a kayak launch, an accessible path to the river, woodland restoration, and upgrades to the site’s access road.

The greenspace is located where Buckhead, North Atlanta, and so-called Upper Westside converge on Ridgewood Road, just west of Interstate 75 and north of the Moores Mill Road mixed-use development anchored by Publix.  

That gateway to the river will mark the northernmost point of the Chattahoochee Camp+Paddle Trail, a 48-mile pathway that will snake beside the river from North Atlanta down to McIntosh Reserve in Carroll County. Its purpose is to allow visitors to journey three days and four nights for a nature-escape itinerary unlike any other so close to the city.

The route is expected to be ready for patronage sometime next year, officials say.

Scope of the five sites considered destinations along the Camp+Paddle Trail between North Atlanta (top) and Carroll County. Courtesy of TPL

As extensive as it may seem, the Camp+Paddle Trail will be just one section of the planned Chattahoochee RiverLands, a vast outdoor recreation destination that will span across 100 miles of parks, stretching from Buford Dam to Chattahoochee Bend State Park.

At Thursday’s groundbreaking in North Atlanta, Dickens said the Standing Peachtree access point will help deliver on a promise made during his first State of the City address to open the river to the general public.

“With this acquisition, we’re providing the vibrant parkland that Atlanta deserves,” said Dickens in a prepared statement. “We’ve come a long way from a river that used to be a public health threat to recognizing the Chattahoochee River as a special gift that has been given to us.”

Added George Dusenbury, TPL’s Georgia state director: “This [groundbreaking] marks a huge step forward in the city’s commitment to providing connectivity to one of the region’s most popular and significant natural spaces.”

Eventually, the Chattahoochee RiverLands project is expected to link about 1 million nearby residents and visitors to activities such as swimming, bicycling, kayaking, picnicking, walking, and camping along the river. 

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2630 Ridgewood Road NW Standing Peachtree Greenspace Chattahoochee RiverLands Upper Westside Chattahoochee River Camp+Paddle Trail Mayor Andre Dickens McIntosh Reserve Carroll County Trust for Public Land Atlanta Hikes George Dusenbury

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Scope of the five sites considered destinations along the Camp+Paddle Trail between North Atlanta (top) and Carroll County. Courtesy of TPL

Subtitle Camp+Paddle Trail to provide unique nature trek between North Atlanta, Carroll County soon

Neighborhood Bolton

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Athens' new $126M arena gears up for topping out Josh Green Thu, 11/09/2023 - 08:37 A year and ½ after breaking ground, a downtown Athens project with ambitions of becoming a versatile, regional destination is about to reach a significant milestone.

Project officials tell Urbanize Atlanta a topping-out ceremony is scheduled the morning of Nov. 28 for the new Classic Center Arena, a $126-million coliseum described as nothing less than “Northeast Georgia’s premier event facility.” 

Throughout this year, the arena has taken shape on N. Thomas Street near UGA’s North Campus and other landmarks, including the Athens Banner-Herald building and several downtown hotels. Project heads have described it as an anchor for that part of Athens’ vibrant downtown.

Progress on upper-lever seating and roof infrastructure at the Classic Center Arena project last week. JE Dunn Construction

At the ceremony later this month, officials with the arena, a new Black History Museum, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, and UGA’s club hockey team, Ice Hockey Dawgs, are scheduled to speak.

According to project reps, the arena is now on pace to open in summer 2024.

Designed by Perkins + Will and Smallwood, the arena will host music, sports, entertainment, and other events, with 5,500 permanent seats and the ability to host up to 8,500 people for in-the-round shows, or 9,000 for basketball. It’s being built by JE Dunn Construction, whose recent work in Atlanta includes Midtown’s Whistler building and Portman Holding’s 712 West Peachtree.

Courtesy of The Classic Center

Courtesy of The Classic Center

The venue will provide a new option for downtown concerts, conventions, tournaments, and other events, plus a larger arena for the university’s hockey team. (An ECHL hockey team has also signed on to call the arena home.)

Of the project’s estimated $126 million cost, $33 million is being funded via SPLOST. It’ll join the multi-use Classic Center next door, a complex that includes a performing arts theater, conference center, and outdoor pavilion for weddings, concerts, and sports.

Project backers have predicted The Classic Center Arena will create 600 jobs and generate 90,000 more hotel room nights annually, with an overall impact of $30 million per year.

The Classic Center's 300 N. Thomas Street location in downtown Athens, a couple of blocks from University of Georgia's campus. Google Maps

The 192,000-square-foot project joins million-dollar condos (now under construction) and transformative mixed-use development as projects of significant scale in downtown Athens’ pipeline right now. 

Initial projections called for the arena to finish construction this month.

For a preview of this forthcoming Classic City landmark, see the gallery above.

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300 N. Thomas Street Athens The Classic Center Arena Downtown Athens Impact Construction Management J.E. Dunn Perkins & Will Perkins&Will Smallwood JE Dunn Construction Georgia Bulldogs UGA Georgia Sports

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Progress on upper-lever seating and roof infrastructure at the Classic Center Arena project last week. JE Dunn Construction

The Classic Center's 300 N. Thomas Street location in downtown Athens, a couple of blocks from University of Georgia's campus. Google Maps

Courtesy of The Classic Center

Courtesy of The Classic Center

Courtesy of The Classic Center

Courtesy of The Classic Center

Courtesy of The Classic Center

Subtitle With up to 9,000 seats, project aims to be regional destination for music, sports, and entertainment

Neighborhood Athens

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Development likened to another Avalon officially enters pipeline Josh Green Wed, 11/08/2023 - 15:02 Some 47 miles from downtown Atlanta, a mixed-use proposal with a larger footprint than Avalon and nearly three times the number of housing units as The Battery Atlanta has entered the pipeline as the next potential made-from-scratch OTP mini city.

Having drawn comparisons to Alpharetta’s Avalon and Forsyth County’s Halcyon and Vickery Village, the Thompson Mill Village project would span some 100 acres and straddle the Gwinnett and Hall county line, according to a Developments of Regional Impact filing made Friday with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.

Described as a mixed-use lifestyle community, the VDC Development project would take shape at 6150 Thompson Mill Road, next to Chateau Elan’s resort and winery and a Northeast Georgia Medical Center campus, a jobs hub for the Braselton area. It would be situated on a new state road spanning between interstates 85 and 285.

The site in question spans more than 100 acres where previous development efforts were shelved during the Great Recession. Google Maps

Overview of planned uses across 110 acres straddling Gwinnett and Hall counties. VCD Development

The scope for Thompson Mill Village, expected to come together over the next five years, is staggering: Up to 1,549 residential units (a mix of condos, townhomes, apartments, and senior-living units), a 200-room hotel, and more than 783,000 square feet of commercial space.

For comparison, Avalon spans 86 acres today with much less retail (570,000 square feet) and a 330-room hotel.

According to the DRI filing—a requirement given Thompson Mill Village’s scope and potential regional impact—the project is targeting 2028 for completion.

VDC Development’s Aaron Fampton told The Gainesville Times in September that vertical construction could commence in nine to 18 months given “the great interest we’ve received from prospective builders.”

The bulk of the project—about 70 acres—would be located in Gwinnett, with the remainder in Hall.

Thompson Mill Village's proposed location in Atlanta's far northeastern suburbs. Google Maps

Thompson Mill Village was initially approved by Hall County officials some 15 years ago, before the Great Recession put plans on ice. As The Times reports, VDC’s goal is capitalize on recent growth stemming from both the Gainesville and metro Atlanta areas.

Other significant developments in the area include a sprawling, under-construction venture called Reveille, which is expected to bring housing and commercial uses to a 512-acre site in South Hall County.

As the Atlanta Business Chronicle relays, the population for the U.S. Census tract that includes Chateau Elan swelled by 46 percent between 2010 and 2021—but still included just 6,100 people.

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6150 Thompson Mill Road Thompson Mill Village VCD Development Gwinnett County Hall County Interstate 85 Interstate 285 Braselton Village at Deaton Creek Mixed-Use Development Atlanta Hotels Chateau Elan Northeast Georgia Medical Center Developments of Regional Impact DRI Avalon Rochester DCCM Halcyon Vickery Village

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Thompson Mill Village's proposed location in Atlanta's far northeastern suburbs. Google Maps

Overview of planned uses across 110 acres straddling Gwinnett and Hall counties. VCD Development

The site in question spans more than 100 acres where previous development efforts were shelved during the Great Recession. Google Maps

Subtitle Can far northeastern Atlanta suburbs support mixed-use injection of this size?

Neighborhood Gwinnett County

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Images: Grove Park's historic theater dreams take step forward Josh Green Wed, 11/08/2023 - 12:52 A historic preservation project that Grove Park leaders hope will reenergize the Westside neighborhood’s commercial core is showing fresh signs of life.

Six years ago, the Grove Park Foundation acquired the former Grove Theatre—a shuttered, circa-1941 Westside landmark at 1576 Donald Lee Hollowell that had fallen into disrepair—in hopes of rebirthing the space into a local marketplace and center for education programming and multigenerational cultural arts.

According to Invest Atlanta, the city’s economic development arm, another $830,000 has been identified to help make that happen.

The funding for what’s officially called the Grove Park Performing and Cultural Arts Center would be sourced from the Perry Bolton Tax Allocation District Resurgens Fund, according to an Invest Atlanta project fact sheet.

That follows $2 million in private financial commitments in April from Bank of America and Chick-fil-A—$1 million from each company—toward making the project a reality.

The 1576 Donald Lee Hollowell NW property's condition today. via Invest Atlanta

Grove Park Performing and Cultural Arts Center; via Invest Atlanta

The theater is located about three miles directly west of Georgia Tech, just south of Westside Park, the city’s largest greenspace. Across the street is the KIPP Woodson Park Academy, a K-8 school founded in 2019 in partnership with Atlanta Public Schools.

Beyond a throwback façade, renovation plans call for adding a second-floor mezzanine to the former theater and boosting the total leasable space to 10,400 square feet. Around the interior will be flexible performance and studio spaces for arts and culture partners, along with office space and a slot for a café or other retail, project officials have said.

Grove Park Foundation has partnered with local nonprofit Urban Perform Wellness and Atlanta’s Resource for Entertainment and Arts to provide dance, health, and fitness programs, per Invest Atlanta.

via Invest Atlanta

The renovation project is expected to cost $4.5 million overall and take 12 months to complete, according to Invest Atlanta, though no construction timeline was provided. Building permit records show no recent activity at the site.

Roughly a block west of the theater site, Atlanta rappers Killer Mike and T.I. have partnered to bring back legendary seafood restaurant Bankhead Seafood, which closed in 2018. Killer Mike shared construction progress photos on social media this week of the restaurant venture, with a “coming soon” banner now fluttering on the upstairs rooftop.  

Plans for the performing arts center's ground level. Grove Park Performing and Cultural Arts Center; via Invest Atlanta

Blueprint planned for the upstairs mezzanine level. Grove Park Performing and Cultural Arts Center; via Invest Atlanta

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1576 Donald Lee Hollowell NW Grove Theatre Grove Park Performing Arts Center Grove Park Foundation Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway Bank of America Invest Atlanta Perry Bolton TAD Resurgens Fund Atlanta Development Authority KIPP Woodson Park Academy Atlanta Historic Historic Preservation Atlanta Movie Theatres Atlanta Theaters Atlanta History Grove Park Performing and Cultural Arts Center Bankhead Seafood Killer Mike T.I.

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via Invest Atlanta

Proximity to the KIPP Academy (center) and forthcoming Bankhead Seafood (at left). via Invest Atlanta

The 1576 Donald Lee Hollowell NW property's condition today. via Invest Atlanta

Grove Park Performing and Cultural Arts Center; via Invest Atlanta

Plans for the performing arts center's ground level. Grove Park Performing and Cultural Arts Center; via Invest Atlanta

Blueprint planned for the upstairs mezzanine level. Grove Park Performing and Cultural Arts Center; via Invest Atlanta

Subtitle Invest Atlanta pinpoints another $830K to aid in Grove Park Performing Arts Center development

Neighborhood Grove Park

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Project leaders: 6 months later, Thrive Sweet Auburn is working Josh Green Wed, 11/08/2023 - 08:33 Six months after its grand opening, a multifaceted Sweet Auburn complex with homeless support services that’s been called a first for Atlanta is notching one success story after the next, with an eye on scaling up the concept elsewhere, project officials report this week.

Having replaced a one-story commercial building at 302 Decatur Street where Project Community Connections Inc. operated for decades, Thrive Sweet Auburn is a mix of relatively affordable housing and a “one-stop shop” for Atlanta’s homeless community in need of services and expert help. There’s also an onsite coffee shop called Spreading the Health Café.

Thrive Sweet Auburn reps say, six months since its ribbon-cutting, “one of Atlanta’s most ambitious developments to support homeless services” has vetted and placed nearly 200 families and individuals as building residents. Waitlist applications are still being accepted. 

Thrive Sweet Auburn's location just east of downtown at 302 Decatur Street SE. Google Maps

Thrive Sweet Auburn's Bell Street facade, with a vacant parcel beside the Connector next door. Courtesy of Thrive Sweet Auburn

With an iconic, Connector-facing Coca-Cola sign sprouting up from the middle of it, the building offers three residential floors with 117 apartments, ranging from studios to three-bedroom units.

According to project heads, 114 of those apartments have been filled to date, with 29 of them going to households with children for a total of 170 residents so far (and 25 military veterans among them).

All but two of 23 Permanent Supportive Housing units have been filled for people working their way out of homelessness, according to Thrive officials.

Beyond the apartments, Thrive Sweet Auburn features about 12,000 square feet of commercial space for organizations offering homeless support services, including help for job-seekers, a medical clinic, and the coffeehouse.

PCCI has operated on the corner since 1999 and has kept its headquarters on the first floor, alongside First Step Staffing offices and a community kitchen.

As of this week, more than 1,200 people have completed orientation at First Step’s offices, with nearly half having received a paycheck in the operation’s first six months.

Of those individuals, according to Thrive officials, 456 had recently experienced homelessness, while 484 were military veterans and/or previously incarcerated.

Inside Spreading the Health Cafe today. Courtesy of Thrive Sweet Auburn

Courtesy of Thrive Sweet Auburn

Mercy Housing Southeast, the project's developer, and PCCI opened the mid-rise facility in April on the eastern fringes of downtown, located about a block from MARTA’s King Memorial Station. Grady Memorial Hospital is down the street in the other direction.

Officials have told Urbanize Atlanta the Thrive Sweet Auburn facility falls under the category of “service-enriched housing,” offering not just a place to stay but medical services, onsite staffing, and the coffeeshop for socializing. Most units are reserved for residents earning 30, 50, or 80 percent of the area’s median income.

Other points of interest nearby include the Martin Luther King Natatorium, Selena S. Butler Park, Georgia State University, and Mercy Care’s expanded healthcare and housing complex on Gartrell Street.

Find more context and a closer look at Thrive Sweet Auburn today in the gallery above.

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302 Decatur Street SE Thrive Sweet Auburn Mercy Housing PCCI Downtown Atlanta Affordable Housing Atlanta Development Atlanta Construction Homelessness Selena S. Butler Park Grady Hospital First Step Staffing Spreading the Health Café Atlanta Homelessness

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Thrive Sweet Auburn's location just east of downtown at 302 Decatur Street SE. Google Maps

Thrive Sweet Auburn's Bell Street facade, with a vacant parcel beside the Connector next door. Courtesy of Thrive Sweet Auburn

The famed Coca-Cola sign between flanks of Thrive Sweet Auburn overlooks the downtown Connector. Courtesy of Thrive Sweet Auburn

Inside Spreading the Health Cafe today. Courtesy of Thrive Sweet Auburn

Courtesy of Thrive Sweet Auburn

Courtesy of Thrive Sweet Auburn

Courtesy of Thrive Sweet Auburn

Interior corridor between offices. Courtesy of Thrive Sweet Auburn

Subtitle Decatur Street concept billed as "one-stop shop" for Atlanta's homeless

Neighborhood Sweet Auburn

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Clearer picture emerges for mixed-use build near Southside BeltLine Josh Green Tue, 11/07/2023 - 15:16 The first component of a sweeping affordable housing project near the Atlanta BeltLine’s Southside Trail is coming into clearer focus, poised to continue a wave of residential development and other investment in Chosewood Park.

Invest Atlanta, the city’s economic development arm, has approved a $32.5-million, tax-exempt loan to help fund construction of apartments and retail space where public housing had stood for decades south of downtown.  

Overall, the 30-acre Englewood project is expected to see more than 900 housing units and “neighborhood-serving” retail sprout in five multifamily buildings and other, smaller components along Boulevard, just south of the BeltLine’s Southside Trail, according to Atlanta Housing.

The mixed-use project’s initial phase is considered a joint venture between The Benoit Group and Atlanta Housing. It calls for 160 independent senior apartments and more than 11,000 square feet of commercial space. Renderings indicate a corner grocery could eventually be in the cards. 

The tiered northern facade that would look toward the BeltLine's Southside Trail and downtown. via Invest Atlanta

From an affordability standpoint, plans call for 21 units with rents capped at 30 percent of the area median income level or below. In such cases, rents for two-bedroom apartments with 950 square feet are expected to be $1,261 monthly, or $200 cheaper for one-bedroom options. But residents receiving Atlanta Housing HomeFlex vouchers won’t be required to pay more than 30 percent of their income, meaning monthly costs would be less, according to Invest Atlanta.

The remaining 139 apartments would be capped at 60 percent AMI.

We’ve reached out to Invest Atlanta for information on when this component of the Englewood project could break ground, and we’ll update this story with any additional information that comes.

A recent bond resolution fact sheet states the project will take 26 months to build, with an estimated completion sometime in 2026.

Project amenities are listed as a green roof deck, fitness center, business and computer center, and a clubhouse with community and meeting rooms, among other perks.

Where the Englewood senior component would fit into the broader plan. via Invest Atlanta

The project's eastern flank. via Invest Atlanta

Atlanta Housing plans to ground lease the land for up to 75 years, while The Benoit Group provides residents with its Social Expression Program. According to the developer’s website, that program is offered within its affordable and low-income communities to provide life skills by way of financial literacy workshops, supplemental education services, and summer learning camps.

The community that formerly stood on site, Englewood Manor, was built in 1970, eventually housing 324 families. It was demolished in 2009, according to Invest Atlanta.

Atlanta Housing—one of the nation’s largest housing authorities—has described Englewood as being among the biggest planned developments on its docket. About 76 percent of the community will be reserved as affordable for people earning 80 percent of the area median income or less, agency officials said last year.

via Invest Atlanta

The project will border the Chosewood Park greenspace and athletic fields, with the first phase of the BeltLine’s Boulevard Crossing Park across the street to the north.

Several sizable Chosewood Park residential projects are well underway within a few blocks of the Englewood site.

Those include the 396-apartment Upton complex, 128 townhomes called Maguire at Skylark, and one of the largest southside private developments to date, the 34-acre Empire Zephyr project.

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413 Englewood Avenue SE 1271 Gault Street SE Englewood Englewood Development Housing Program Atlanta Housing Englewood Manor Beltline Atlanta BeltLine Southside Trail Peoplestown Chosewood Park Grant Park Boulevard The Michaels Organization The Benoit Group Affordable Housing Atlanta Development senior housing Englewood Senior

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The Chosewood Park development site in question, just west of Boulevard and south of a BeltLine greenspace eventually targeted for an expansion that would make it five times larger. Google Maps

via Invest Atlanta

How the planned site layout would meet Englewood Avenue to the north and an existing baseball park. Atlanta Housing

Englewood plans include a stormwater pond that would serve the 30-acre site and neighboring parcels in Chosewood Park. Atlanta Housing

Where the Englewood senior component would fit into the broader plan. via Invest Atlanta

The tiered northern facade that would look toward the BeltLine's Southside Trail and downtown. via Invest Atlanta

The project's eastern flank. via Invest Atlanta

via Invest Atlanta

via Invest Atlanta

Subtitle First component of Englewood project to bring senior housing, commercial space in Chosewood Park

Neighborhood Chosewood Park

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Study: 25 percent (gasp!) of downtown is devoted to parking Josh Green Tue, 11/07/2023 - 12:40 As an eagle-eyed reader recently pointed out, a national analysis by a nonprofit organization pushing for more vibrant U.S. cities has found the percentage of downtown Atlanta’s land devoted to parking remains abnormally high.

That’s despite an influx of downtown development in recent years, with a wide range of commercial and residential buildings—from the College Football Hall of Fame to the new 32-story Legacy tower, to name just two—having claimed former surface lots.

The study of land use in more than 80 U.S. cities was compiled by the Parking Reform Network, a nonprofit founded in 2019 that aims to educate the public about the impact of parking policy on traffic, housing, equity, and climate change.

The lower a Parking Score, the less amount of land each city devotes to parking in its central neighborhoods, and vice versa.

Parking Reform Network

According to the analysis, Atlanta’s Parking Score metric—a measure of how a city’s parking lot land use compares to other cities of a similar metropolitan area population and city type—lands near the bottom of major U.S. cities.

Downtown Atlanta’s Parking Score clocks in at 79. Only eight other cities have core areas that score lower.

By comparison, these are Parking Scores for the top five, respectively: New York City (score: 5); San Francisco (8); San Juan (11); Washington DC (12), and Chicago (14).

Analysts found that roughly 25 percent of downtown Atlanta's land is dedicated for parking uses. That’s significantly higher than the average—16 percent—for the core of metropolitan areas with 5 million people or more.

We must note the mapping (see: Centennial Yards construction progress) and some statistics (the study’s estimated City of Atlanta population) are a bit outdated. But the graphics paint a generally accurate and compelling portrait of how abundant/rampant land and structures devoted solely to parking or storing vehicles are around some of Atlanta’s oldest and most historic blocks.

Downtown Atlanta’s Parking Score lands at 79, with 100 being worst, per PRN. Parking Reform Network

Researchers found the amount of developable land by taking 75 percent of the entire area of each central city’s boundary (subtracting 25 percent to account for sidewalks and roads).  

“Our research indicates that the percentage of land taken up by parking decreases,” PRN notes, “as the percentage of individuals who opt for public transportation, walking, or biking as their primary commuting methods increases.”

Below is a breakdown of where Atlanta lands on PRN's city Parking Score chart, with NYC at the top and San Bernardino (score: 100) at the opposite end of the spectrum. Note: All cities ranked below count at least 300,000 people in a metro area of 1 million and up.

Parking Reform Network

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Downtown Atlanta’s Parking Score lands at 79, with 100 being worst, per PRN. Parking Reform Network

Parking Reform Network

Subtitle ATL’s Parking Score metric lands near bottom of major U.S. cities analyzed

Neighborhood Downtown

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Redo of 200 affordable dwellings in pipeline near downtown Atlanta Josh Green Tue, 11/07/2023 - 08:18 An affordable housing initiative that’s been in the pipeline for several years is gearing up to kick off soon in the shadow of downtown, Invest Atlanta reports.

The historic GA Factory building—aka GE Towers—in Mechanicsville is set for a complete renovation that will see 201 multifamily housing units rehabilitated at 490 Glen Street.

The apartments are located in a former General Electric plant between Glenn Street and Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard, just southwest of downtown. They’re also a half-mile, or roughly a 10-minute walk, from MARTA’s West End rail station.

As a partner in the initiative, MARTA officials have called the project an effort to preserve and extend the long-term viability of Mechanicsville's affordable housing stock.

The GE Towers location near downtown. Another landmark, Adair Park's The Met complex, is just southwest of the apartments. Google Maps

The Mechanicsville complex today. Invest Atlanta

According to Invest Atlanta, the project will be financed with a $27-million tax exempt loan that’s been approved by the Invest Atlanta Board and will also cover renovations to an adjacent building on the property.

The complex features apartments ranging from one to three bedrooms—and all of them will be rented at rates tenants earning 60 percent of the area median income or less can afford, Invest Atlanta reports.

MARTA, Morgan Stanley, and National Equity Fund launched the initiative in an effort to help keep affordable units in place near Atlanta transit stations.

The building that once housed a General Electric plant at 490 Glenn Street. Courtesy of MARTA

MARTA officials relayed in late 2021 that Lincoln Avenue Capital was planning to acquire the GE complex and rehabilitate the property with help from tax credits.

The company is known for mission-driven affordable housing development, and the GE Towers project will aim to extend the property’s affordable status in Southwest Atlanta, while continuing MARTA’s goal of boosting transit-oriented residential options.

No current residents are expected to be permanently displaced by the buildings' rehabilitation, MARTA officials said in 2021.

Overview of the complex and adjacent parking, next to MARTA rail, with Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard at bottom. Google Maps

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The GE Towers location near downtown. Another landmark, Adair Park's The Met complex, is just southwest of the apartments. Google Maps

Overview of the complex and adjacent parking, next to MARTA rail, with Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard at bottom. Google Maps

The building that once housed a General Electric plant at 490 Glenn Street. Courtesy of MARTA

The Mechanicsville complex today. Invest Atlanta

Subtitle Renovation of historic GE Factory complex to begin soon, Invest Atlanta reports

Neighborhood Mechanicsville

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