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Developer hits pause on planned condos near Eastside Trail Josh Green Tue, 08/22/2023 - 08:13 A planned condo and townhome development expected to add a dose of more affordable homeownership opportunities within whistling distance of the Atlanta BeltLine is heading for the back burner, at least for now.  

A year after national homebuilding giant Toll Brothers christened a Reynoldstown project “Camber Crossing” and lent a preview of expected pricing, the developer has decided to postpone the project as details are finalized, officials tell Urbanize Atlanta.

Camber Crossing was envisioned as an infill mix of townhomes alongside a multifamily building with for-sale condos, which remain relatively rare, even in red-hot BeltLine locales. The L-shaped, roughly 2-acre site in question is a block west of the BeltLine’s Eastside Trail at 195 Chester Avenue.

Toll Brothers said last summer the Reynoldstown condos would start in the mid-$400,000s, with sales expected to launch last November. (Foot-in-the-door pricing has since bumped up to the high $400,000s, according to marketing materials.)

According to an update from Toll Brothers officials this week, Camber Crossing is being removed from the company’s website as project leaders work through land development and permitting processes.

“The decision to delay was made because Toll Brothers wants to ensure that necessary progress had been made by the time we open for sale,” reads the announcement. “We are committed to offering an excellent homebuying experience and we feel this is the right step to ensure we meet that commitment.”

 

Planned layout of townhomes and condos on the L-shaped, formerly industrial site, according to plans filed in 2020. City of Atlanta Office of Zoning and Development

The 2.09-acre site, as seen three years ago, prior to demolition. The BeltLine's Eastside Trail is pictured at bottom left.Google Maps

Quick site history: Thrive Residential bought the Reynoldstown property four years ago from AT&T, which had operated a work center there but opted to sell and move operations. Toll Brothers then acquired Thrive in 2021 as its push to create more infill communities around Atlanta gained steam. A one-story warehouse building was previously demolished on site, while the western portion of the property consisted of asphalt surface parking.

The property has been rezoned from an industrial land use designation to one that supports high-density residential development, and building permits for land development were issued back in August 2021, per city records.

According to city filings, the national homebuilder with active construction sites dotted from Midtown to Edgewood and Decatur planned to bring a total of 85 new housing units to Reynoldstown. Those would be broken down into a row of 33 townhomes (identified as “triplexes” by the developer), along with a separate five-story condo building at the site’s western edge.  

Camber Crossing plans consisted of 33 condos, all with two bedrooms, according to initial plans. Sizes were expected to range between 1,136 and 1,556 square feet in either one or two-story floorplans. Features called for nine-foot ceilings, wide-plank hardwood floors, and kitchens described as “gourmet” and cabinetry as “high-end.”  

We asked Toll Brothers reps if the project’s scope could change, and when a revised construction timeline might be available. Eric White, Toll Brothers division president in Atlanta, responded via email: “We are still finalizing our plans for Camber Crossing. It is sure to be an exciting new community, and we look forward to sharing more details in the future.”

Site clearing at the property in question in winter 2021. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

One planned facade of the 195 Chester Avenue project's condo building.Lessard Design/Toll Brothers, via NPU-N

Camber Crossing was expected to join a mini boom of residential options in that part of Reynoldstown.

On a mattress factory property immediately to the west, Cleveland-based NRP Group is planning to build 211 new apartments. Meanwhile, just to the east, developers Metzger & Co. presented plans to the neighborhood last year for a stair-stepped, Z-shaped residential building that would directly front the BeltLine.

Within a few blocks of all projects above, the BeltLine and Rea Ventures Group have partnered to build a 116-unit affordable housing apartment complex, now well into vertical construction.

In other BeltLine-related residential news this week, Maple Multifamily Land SE, a subsidiary of Trammell Crow Residential, is expected to come before the Development Authority of Fulton County today to request a $4.3 million tax break for an apartment build where Ammazza pizzeria and Thumbs Up Diner stand on Edgewood Avenue.

Plans for the Alexan-branded apartment building call for roughly 230 rentals and a parking deck with 337 spaces. According to the AJC, the developer believes the tax abatement is warranted because the project would preserve the two historic restaurant buildings on site today and supply the required 23 apartments at more affordable rates for residents earning 60 percent of the area median income. But not everyone’s convinced the incentives are necessary at a site within a couple of minutes’ walk of the Eastside Trail.  

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195 Chester Avenue SE Camber Crossing Toll Brothers Apartment Living Toll Brothers Dennis Taylor and Company Lessard Design Thrive Residential Kimley-Horn Kimley-Horn & Associates Beltline Atlanta Condos Atlanta Townhomes Atlanta BeltLine Atlanta Development Atlanta Construction For Sale Homes

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The 2.09-acre site, as seen three years ago, prior to demolition. The BeltLine's Eastside Trail is pictured at bottom left.Google Maps

Planned layout of townhomes and condos on the L-shaped, formerly industrial site, according to plans filed in 2020. City of Atlanta Office of Zoning and Development

One planned facade of the 195 Chester Avenue project's condo building.Lessard Design/Toll Brothers, via NPU-N

Site clearing at the property in question in winter 2021. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Example of Toll Brothers interiors provided with Camber Crossing marketing materials. Toll Brothers/Camber Crossing

Toll Brothers/Camber Crossing

Toll Brothers/Camber Crossing

Subtitle Camber Crossing project called for 85 housing units in Reynoldstown

Neighborhood Reynoldstown

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BeltLine connection to The Works district to begin construction soon Josh Green Mon, 08/21/2023 - 14:16 As the summer swelter starts giving way to crisper autumn temps in coming weeks (hopefully), the forecast calls for multi-use trail construction to ramp up in northwest Atlanta, with more projects on the 2024 horizon.

Forthcoming trail projects include long-awaited sections of the Atlanta BeltLine, spur trails to help link residents to downtown, and crucial sections of a connector between Centennial Olympic Park and the Silver Comet Trail—and Alabama beyond that.

Here’s a quick rundown, starting with the project that will break ground first, according to the PATH Foundation.

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BeltLine link to The Works

PATH expects a section of its regional connection of the Silver Comet to downtown—the Silver Comet Connector/Woodall Trail—to begin construction in September, according to the agency’s August newsletter.

That piece will connect a section of the BeltLine’s future Northwest Trail to The Works, a growing adaptive-reuse district being developed by Selig.

Three planned segments of the BeltLine's Northwest Trail linking the Westside to Buckhead. Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

PATH officials say the connection will meet The Works at Chattahoochee Avenue. We’ve asked for clarification on the exact route it will take between the BeltLine and that point, and we’ll update this story with any further information that comes.

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Northwest Trail is coming

Good news for BeltLine enthusiasts: PATH officials report the first section of the Northwest Trail connecting the Westside to Buckhead is expected to break ground this fall.

As finalized a year ago, Atlanta BeltLine Inc. and PATH have decided it best to build the Northwest Trail in five phases, beginning with what’s known as Segment 5.

According to 2022 blueprints, that section will travel .7 miles, beginning where the Westside Trail currently ends at Huff Road and Marietta Boulevard. From there, it will travel through Blandtown to a point at English Street and Culpepper Street.

Permits are being finalized now, according to the PATH Foundation.

The full, official Northwest Trail route that will link the Lindbergh/Uptown area with Atlanta's Westside. Courtesy of Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

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Spur trail link to downtown

As Rough Draft Atlanta reports, construction is scheduled to begin early next year on a long-awaited spur trail that will link the Westside BeltLine Connector with points north, passing two major new developments on the way.

The .75-mile long “The Spur” will branch off the Westside BeltLine Connector at Jefferson Street and then wend up to West Marietta Street, where a future cycle track is planned.

En route, it will pass the new Westside Paper district and a massive QTS data center where a residential component is planned.

The $2.9 million project, a collaboration between the Upper Westside Community Improvement District and PATH Foundation, is being funded by the city’s $750 million Moving Atlanta Forward infrastructure package.

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Another Silver Comet connecting piece

Last but not least, PATH officials report they’ve started planning and designing another Silver Comet connecting piece called the MacArthur Trail.

It will serve as an extension of the 3.2-mile Whetstone Creek Trail near Crest Lawn Memorial Park and the Chattahoochee River.

The current Whetstone Creek Trail and planned extensions toward Cobb County and downtown Atlanta. PATH Foundation

The next leg will take the Whetstone Creek Trail to Chattahoochee Avenue near Scofflaw Brewing Co.’s original location on MacArthur Boulevard. No ETA on construction was provided.

A rails-to-trails project, the Whetstone Creek Trail was built on a former rail spur, connecting Marietta Road to Bolton Road, with a trail link to Adams Street near Bolton Academy. Plans in coming years call for it to be part of the connection between the Silver Comet Trail and Centennial Olympic Park. 

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1295 Chattahoochee Avenue NW Westbound at The Works The Works ATL Blandtown Selig Development The Works Topgolf Atlanta Smith Dalia Architects Andrew Zimmern Adaptive-Reuse The 3rd Sport Eatertainment 400 Chattahoochee Row AMP Up1 Selig Enterprises Selig High Street Windsor Interlock GID Atlanta Development Upper Westside Food Halls RJTR Brasfield and Gorrie The Camp Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio Atlanta apartments RangeWater Real Estate aerial tours Flippo Civil Design PATH Foundation Atlanta BeltLine Beltline Northwest Trail Alternate Transportation Alternative Transportation Silver Comet Trail

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The current Whetstone Creek Trail and planned extensions toward Cobb County and downtown Atlanta. PATH Foundation

The full, official Northwest Trail route that will link the Lindbergh/Uptown area with Atlanta's Westside. Courtesy of Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

Three planned segments of the BeltLine's Northwest Trail linking the Westside to Buckhead. Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

Plans for building facades along Chattahoochee Avenue, with the rest of the 80-acre Works project at right. Courtesy of Selig Development; designs, Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio

Subtitle It's shaping up to be a busy fall—and 2024—for new trail construction in NW Atlanta

Neighborhood Underwood Hills

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The Works - 1295 Chattahoochee Avenue NW

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Science Square project tops out largest tower, announces first tenant Josh Green Mon, 08/21/2023 - 12:39 A year after breaking ground, the towering lab portion of Georgia Tech’s westward march has officially topped out.

The master-planned Science Square district—an initiative by Georgia Tech and its development partners that’s been in the works for more than a decade—will eventually cover 18 acres on the Westside, offering a blend of uses project leaders say is unlike anything else in Atlanta.

The university picked national developer Trammell Crow Company and its multifamily subsidiary, High Street Residential, to build Science Square in 2021. Georgia Tech affiliate Georgia Advance Technology Ventures is another partner in the project’s two-building initial phase.

The Science Square district’s first phase, which broke ground in August 2022, is rising a total of 27 stories between Georgia Tech’s campus and Westside neighborhoods such as English Avenue, where another multifaceted district, Echo Street West, began opening last year. Its goal is to fuse biomedical research and technology space with more traditional mixed-use components—commercial spaces and apartments.

Phase one’s 13-story Class A lab and office tower called Science Square Labs, a 368,000-square-foot spec project designed by Perkins + Will and developed by TCC, has recently topped out and made its first lease officially official. 

View toward downtown across the multi-building site. Aerial Innovations Southeast; courtesy of Trammell Crow Company

Chicago-based Portal Innovations, a venture capital firm that aims to help life sciences companies grow with lab space, seed capital, and management support, has leased the full 10th floor of the labs building, taking 33,136 square feet, TCC reps announced today.

Katherine Lynch, a TCC Atlanta principal, said Atlanta marks the fourth market where Portal will establish "a biotech and medtech ecosystem, further advancing Atlanta’s strong position in the life science industry,” according to a prepared statement. Portal’s space at Science Square will include private offices, wet and dry labs, and collaborative space, alongside an outdoor terrace.

A recent aerial showing Science Square construction progress, with the apartment portion in the foreground. Aerial Innovations Southeast; courtesy of Trammell Crow Company

Plans call for the Science Square Labs building to also offer two food-and-beverage spaces.

Tenant amenities in the works include a fitness center, an indoor-outdoor lounge with a catering kitchen, a large conference center, and an amenity deck with skyline views. The building will also feature a 38,000-square-foot solar panel array atop its parking garage, installed by Cherry Street Energy, in its quest to achieve LEED Gold and WELL Certifications, according to TCC.

The building is designed to support Atlanta’s life science community with incubator, flexible lab and office, and graduator space for organizations of any stage and size, according to Georgia Tech.

Next door, the 280-unit, Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio-designed apartment building will mark High Street’s first residential project in Atlanta. It’s planned to stand 14 stories with apartments ranging from one to three bedrooms.

Exterior of phase one's largest component, Science Square Labs, a spec 368,000-square-foot Class A lab and office tower. Courtesy of TCC/Georgia Tech; designs, Perkins + Will

Communal outdoor spaces at Science Square with green elements and skyline views. Courtesy of TCC/Georgia Tech; designs, Perkins + Will

With Science Square (formerly Technology Enterprise Park), five phases of development will eventually be located where North Avenue meets Northside Drive, just southwest of the institute’s main campus. Plans call for 1.8 million square feet of commercial lab space, roughly 500 apartments, and 25,000 square feet of retail in the district overall.

Neighbors include Georgia Tech’s North Avenue Research Area, MetLife’s Northyards office park, and what used to be Herndon Homes public housing. Ángel Cabrera, Georgia Tech president, has said Science Square’s overarching goal is to attract—and retain—top talent in medical research and innovation fields from around the world, keeping innovations that begin in Atlanta rooted in the city.

To Science Square’s immediate south, Atlanta Housing is redeveloping the former Herndon Homes property into a 12-acre mixed-use venture called Herndon Square. A couple of blocks west, the 1.7-mile Westside BeltLine Connector opened two years ago as a multi-use trail link between downtown and the area around Westside Park.

Science Square officials say the first apartments, labs, and offices will start delivering in the first quarter of next year. That’s expected to be followed by four more phases. Find a closer look at what’s to come in the gallery above.

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The Science Square location between Midtown and English Avenue. Google Maps

A recent aerial showing Science Square construction progress, with the apartment portion in the foreground. Aerial Innovations Southeast; courtesy of Trammell Crow Company

View toward downtown across the multi-building site. Aerial Innovations Southeast; courtesy of Trammell Crow Company

The 13-story Class A lab and office tower, Science Square Labs, planned for phase one. Courtesy of Georgia Tech; designs, Perkins + Will

The Science Square Labs lobby. Courtesy of TCC/Georgia Tech; designs, Perkins + Will

Communal outdoor spaces at Science Square with green elements and skyline views. Courtesy of TCC/Georgia Tech; designs, Perkins + Will

Exterior of phase one's largest component, Science Square Labs, a spec 368,000-square-foot Class A lab and office tower. Courtesy of TCC/Georgia Tech; designs, Perkins + Will

Science Square Labs from neighboring apartments, to be developed by High Street Residential.Courtesy of TCC/Georgia Tech; designs, Perkins + Will

Planned look and functionality of lab space in the 13-story building. Courtesy of TCC/Georgia Tech; designs, Perkins + Will

Science Square Labs entry. Courtesy of TCC/Georgia Tech; designs, Perkins + Will

Courtesy of TCC/Georgia Tech; designs, Perkins + Will

Courtesy of TCC/Georgia Tech; designs, Perkins + Will

Courtesy of TCC/Georgia Tech; designs, Perkins + Will

Courtesy of TCC/Georgia Tech; designs, Perkins + Will

Courtesy of TCC/Georgia Tech; designs, Perkins + Will

Plans for the phase one residential component. Courtesy of Georgia Tech; designs, RJTR

Breakdown of planned Science Square phases, with Georgia Tech's campus at top right. Courtesy of Georgia Tech

Subtitle First phase of 18-acre, master-planned district quickly takes shape off Northside Drive

Neighborhood Georgia Tech

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Georgia Tech - Science Square

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Businesspeople push back against ‘Rapid Housing’ homeless project Josh Green Mon, 08/21/2023 - 08:04 Atlanta businesspeople who’ve worked to improve downtown are formally pushing back against a $4 million proposal to erect temporary housing for homeless relief.

Led by Susana Chavez, Park Place Operations executive vice president and a member of the Central Atlanta Progress board, the opponents say they’ll attend today’s Atlanta City Council meeting to air concerns about Mayor Andre Dickens' proposed “Rapid Housing” initiative in downtown’s southernmost blocks.

Earlier this month, Dickens’ office issued an executive order to begin development of a new program that aims to help Atlanta’s homeless at 184 Forsyth Street. Plans call for using shipping containers—many of them donated by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, or GEMA—as a relatively cheap and quick means of delivering housing as part of the city’s first phase of Rapid Housing efforts.

Chavez submitted a letter to Dickens on Friday that said, in part, the proposed village of shipping-container housing “will be detrimental to the individuals and the area which we have worked so hard to improve,” according to the group’s PR representatives.   

The Forsyth Street property in question, at right, with downtown's main business district ahead. Google Maps

Chavez noted she’s a “strong supporter” of the mayor, but she and other detractors feel the Forsyth Street location is unsuitable for temporary housing, with seven nightclubs and no food stores within a four-block radius,  

“We believe that creating temporary housing [at 184 Forsyth Street] will negatively impact what has been accomplished, including new investment in this area,” Chavez continued.  

According to an agenda, the city council is expected to consider ratifying Dickens’ executive order for the homeless housing initiative at today’s 1 p.m. meeting. That order directed the city’s chief financial officer to allocate up to $4 million to obtain GEMA shipping containers (formerly used as temporary COVID-19 hospital facilities) and begin relocating and converting them to residential units as the housing program’s first phase. City officials have called the need for such housing “pressing” in Atlanta.

The 1.01-acre Forsyth Street property's location (in red) in relation to downtown landmarks such as Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the Georgia State Capitol. Invest Atlanta

Today, the city-owned site in question is an underused parking lot next to the Garnett MARTA station.

According to Chavez’s LinkedIn page, her work with Park Place Operations includes “extensive experience in all aspects of planning and management of parking assets,” including developing, owning, and managing parking facilities in five cities.  

The housing initiative would be a partnership with the city’s Continuum of Care—Partners for HOME, a HUD program. In announcing it in early August, Dickens’ office called the containers “a cost-effective and innovative housing option [that will] set a new architectural standard for future groundbreaking projects.”

The site, proponents noted, is located near supportive services and key amenities for people experiencing homelessness, in addition to mass transit. Plans call for Rapid Housing participants to receive wraparound assistance, including mental health and substance abuse treatment, along with help finding jobs and education opportunities, obtaining documents such as Georgia IDs, and transferring to permanent housing.

It’s not the first time the Forsyth Street property has recently made headlines.

Invest Atlanta

Earlier this year, the city’s economic development arm, Invest Atlanta, received no responses from developers to a request for proposals involving the 1-acre site.

Invest Atlanta had asked in January for ideas from development firms capable of turning the underused parking lot and a small plaza next to the MARTA station into a dense mix of both affordable and market-rate apartments (at least 200 units total), in an area where few residential options currently exist—but nobody came forward. Invest Atlanta officials have told Urbanize Atlanta their eventual goals for the property are unchanged and that a revised RFP will be issued in the future.

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184 Forsyth Street SW MARTA Garnett MARTA station Downtown Atlanta Atlanta Homeless Homelessness MARTA Stations homeless Mayor Andre Dickens Shipping Container Homes Shipping Containers Central Atlanta Progress Rapid Housing Park Place Operations Susana Chavez

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The Forsyth Street property in question, at right, with downtown's main business district ahead. Google Maps

The 1.01-acre Forsyth Street property's location (in red) in relation to downtown landmarks such as Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the Georgia State Capitol. Invest Atlanta

Invest Atlanta

Subtitle Shipping-container village on Forsyth Street would set area back, opponents say

Neighborhood Downtown

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Dugan's building bites dust for another intown Chick-fil-A Josh Green Fri, 08/18/2023 - 17:35 What’s a God-fearing, quick-service chicken franchise that’s closed on Sundays and Atlanta’s most gloriously bottom-shelf strip club have in common?

Not much, but by all indications, they’ll soon be neighbors.

City of Atlanta Office of Building records indicate Chick-fil-A is moving plans forward for another intown franchise—two months after opening a controversial drive-thru location just four blocks away.

In preparation for the 777 Ponce de Leon Avenue project, the longtime home of Dugan’s restaurant and lounge has been razed next to the Hotel Clermont and its basement lounge, setting the stage for another franchise in the chicken-sandwich empire that neighborhood groups initially fought.

The former Dugan's location at 777 Ponce de Leon Avenue, as seen Friday from the parking lot of Clermont Lounge. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Chick-fil-A has had the Dugan’s location in its crosshairs since at least 2016. (Dugan’s closed last year and relocated to Northlake). But building there hasn’t been without speed bumps.

A few years ago, the neighborhood in question, Poncey-Highland, created the Poncey-Highland Historic District as means of safeguarding about 260 irreplaceable buildings and establishing guidelines for new development that inevitably would come. Chick-fil-A’s initial plans for the Dugan’s site ran afoul (a fowl?) of the new rules in several ways.  

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Plans Chick-fil-A brought before neighborhood groups for its next Ponce location in 2021. Chick-fil-A/Bowman

The new historic district, for starters, allows for only a “commercial block” to be built in the area in question. That means a building at least two stories tall with pedestrian-oriented retail or service on the ground floor, and topped by either office, residential, or hospitality uses. Chick-fil-A’s plans for a single-tenant building type—a “shopfront”—were no longer permitted. Ditto for the 41 proposed parking spaces on the site, which would exceed the max of 2.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet of floor space.

Also, as neighborhood board leaders have told Urbanize Atlanta, Chick-fil-A’s plans for a sidewalk and amenity zone weren't up to snuff for what’s required in PHHD regulations that aim to enhance the pedestrian experience along Ponce.

Permitting records indicate Chick-fil-A’s plans for the second new Ponce location are still under review at the city level. A demolition permit for Dugan’s former two-story, stucco building was issued in December.

We’ve reached out to Chick-fil-A’s media department for information on the project’s construction timeline and design, if the plans have changed. We’ll update this story with any additional information that comes.

This much is clear: As with a standalone Chick-fil-A in the pipeline on Peachtree Road in Buckhead, the Poncey-Highland location would not include a drive-thru.

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777 Ponce de Leon Avenue NE Bowman Atlanta Development Clermont Hotel Chick-fil-A Dugan’s Infill Development Liberty Tattoo Ponce Poncey-Highland Neighborhood Association PHNA Historic District Subcommittee Urban Design Commission BZA NPU-N

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The former Dugan's location at 777 Ponce de Leon Avenue, as seen Friday from the parking lot of Clermont Lounge. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The Dugan's franchise location in question, next to the Hotel Clermont and its famous strip club dive. Google Maps

Plans Chick-fil-A brought before neighborhood groups for its next Ponce location in 2021. Chick-fil-A/Bowman

The proposed Ponce facade, as of plans filed two years ago. Chick-fil-A/Bowman

Chick-fil-A/Bowman

According to documents dated September 20 this year, Chick-fil-A's plans called for 41 parking spaces where Somerset Terrace meets Ponce de Leon Avenue. Chick-fil-A/Bowman

Subtitle Clermont Lounge is getting a new deep-fried neighbor

Neighborhood Poncey-Highland

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Apartment, townhome project with rents from $800s has arrived Josh Green Fri, 08/18/2023 - 13:31 A year and ½ after breaking ground, a Westside project billed as a beacon of more affordable rents is accepting leasing applications at the doorstep of the Southeast’s largest cemetery.

Residences at Westview, a mix of apartments and rental townhomes, has taken shape at 1991 Martin Luther King Junior Drive, a location project leaders describe as within walking distance to shopping and dining, with the BeltLine’s Westside Trail a few blocks east.

Leasing began last month at the 60-unit community, with rents starting in the high $800-range per month, according to a promotional website.

The site overlooks Interstate 20 to the north, and to the south, the sprawling greens of historic Westview Cemetery, where neighborhoods Westview, Florida Heights, and Penelope Neighbors meet. The project replaces an abandoned, low-rise apartment complex had been razed a decade ago.

Construction on the 60-unit project last winter, with Interstate 20 shown at right. via Invest Atlanta

Residences at Westview's proximity to I-20 and Westview Cemetery. Google Maps

Leading the project is Gorman and Company, a Wisconsin-based developer founded in 1984 with affordable-housing initiatives dotted around the country developed through public-private partnerships. It marks Gorman’s first development in Atlanta.

At the project’s groundbreaking in early 2022, Gorman officials said Residences at Westview would offer just six units at market rate, with the rest reserved for tenants earning 50 to 60 percent of the area’s median income.

Today, those rents range between $894 and $1,250 for one-bedroom, one-bathroom options, and $1,074 to $1,550 for apartments with two bedrooms and one bathroom.

The largest options—three bedrooms, two bathrooms—range between $1,236 and $1,700, according to the Residences at Westview website. Square footages have yet to be released.

An example of interiors provided on Residences at Westview's leasing page. Residences at Westview

The Martin Luther King Jr. Drive facade. Gorman & Co./Affordable Housing Finance

Onsite amenities include a playground, game room, EV charging stations, a business center, community room, resident gardens, and garages with townhomes.  

The nonprofit Atlanta Catholic Charities also plans to provide families residing at the apartments with after-school programs, “offering a variety of academic and social and emotional learning opportunities for students and parents,” according to a City of Atlanta announcement last year.

Invest Atlanta recently announced it has closed two transactions—an investment of $700,000 in Housing Opportunity Bonds funds and more than $755,000 from the Hollowell/MLK tax allocation district—to help finance Residences at Westview.

The project is located a few blocks from where a 124-unit affordable housing complex for seniors called True Light Haven was completed in the Penelope Neighbors neighborhood in 2021.Gorman also opened an office in Sweet Auburn last year to serve as a base for its Southeast team of developers and architects.

Swing up to the gallery for more Residences at Westview images.

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Construction on the 60-unit project last winter, with Interstate 20 shown at right. via Invest Atlanta

An example of interiors provided on Residences at Westview's leasing page. Residences at Westview

An example of a bedroom provided on Residences at Westview's leasing page. Residences at Westview

Residences at Westview's proximity to I-20 and Westview Cemetery. Google Maps

The site in question, at right, early last year, with the historic cemetery at left. Google Maps

The Martin Luther King Jr. Drive facade. Gorman & Co./Affordable Housing Finance

Subtitle 60-unit development overlooks historic Westview Cemetery

Neighborhood Westview

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Residences at Westview

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Atlanta BeltLine snags 14 trail-side acres for development Josh Green Fri, 08/18/2023 - 09:08 The Atlanta BeltLine’s role as landholder and development suitor is continuing in a major way on the city’s southside.

BeltLine officials announced today they’ve purchased 13.7 acres of vacant land along the BeltLine’s Southside Trail at 356 University Avenue. The expanse of overgrown embankments and concrete is located immediately west of Pittsburgh Yards, an adaptive-reuse jobs hub that began coming online during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BeltLine leaders say the land will be used for development that continues its quest to build affordable housing, jobs centers, and more affordable commercial opportunities at sites along the eventual 22-mile, multipurpose loop. The land was purchased from AECF Atlanta Realty LLC—a subsidiary of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a philanthropic organization that manages Pittsburgh Yards.The deal was financed with a loan from SouthState Bank, per the BeltLine.

After purchasing the Pittsburgh property, which is visible from the downtown Connector, the BeltLine says it has tripled its landholdings around the loop in the past three years. Other sites with tall redevelopment ambitions include nearby Murphy Crossing, two properties in Grove Park, and a 2.6-acre site near Lindbergh.  

Courtesy of Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

So what’s next in Pittsburgh? BeltLine leaders say a community engagement process will be held to determine the best and most equitable uses for the nearly 14-acre site, with a goal of creating housing, jobs, and business spaces for locals. Casey Foundation officials are expected to take part in that process by serving on a stakeholder advisory committee, alongside nearby residents.

“After incorporating the desires and vision of adjacent residents and local businesses into the plans,” reads the BeltLine’s announcement today, “the BeltLine will issue a Request for Proposals to invite developers to submit proposals to redevelop the site.”

The timeline for the community meetings is TBD.  

Rough depiction of the 13.7 acres in question, with Pittsburgh Yards and its grassy James Bridges Field in the foreground. The Southside Trail is at left. Photo by LoKnows Drones

Clyde Higgs, Atlanta BeltLine president and CEO, called the land purchase a “catalytic opportunity” for bringing equitable development to neighborhoods that have historically been disinvested.

“Purchasing this parcel,” Higgs said in a prepared statement, “is another step [the BeltLine] is taking in our focus on righting historic wrongs that have left residents and communities behind in the face of city-wide growth.”   

As reported on these pages in February, Pittsburgh Yards is also aiming to redevelop 5 acres of “plug and play” sites next to its current buildings. The goal is to attract organizations capable of creating up to 1,000 more jobs at Pittsburgh Yards on those parcels.

The 31-acre Pittsburgh Yards, a project led by the Casey Foundation, is unique among BeltLine-bordering developments in that it’s geared toward benefiting the surrounding communities with jobs and programming. Pittsburgh Yards’ Nia Building, a former trucking terminal, includes 101 office suites today, plus an amphitheater, apartments, conference spaces, and other facets. A new onsite food and retail component called the Container Courtyard was expected to open beside the BeltLine last spring but has yet to materialize.

BeltLine officials reiterated their stated goal today that, by the end of 2024, 80 percent of the trail loop with be either finished or under construction.

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356 University Avenue Pittsburgh Yards LoKnows Drones James Bridges Field Affordable Housing Atlanta Land Beltline Atlanta BeltLine Southside Trail AECF Atlanta Realty LLC Annie E. Casey Foundation SouthState Bank The Nia Building

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Courtesy of Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

Rough depiction of the 13.7 acres in question, with Pittsburgh Yards and its grassy James Bridges Field in the foreground. The Southside Trail is at left. Photo by LoKnows Drones

Subtitle Next to Pittsburgh Yards and Southside Trail, focus will be on affordable housing, job creation, BeltLine says

Neighborhood Pittsburgh

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Images: Stack of rare, for-sale condos takes shape in Blandtown Josh Green Thu, 08/17/2023 - 15:27 Here and there, examples of for-sale condominium products have popped up across Atlanta in recent years, ranging from ritzy (Graydon Buckhead) and glassy (Seven88 West Midtown) high-rises, to BeltLine-adjacent boutiques (The Roycraft) and throwback mid-rises (Kirkwood’s Pullman Flats).

But still, new condos remain a relatively rare bird.   

A project spanning three city blocks and five and ½ previously vacant acres in West Midtown’s historic Blandtown neighborhood is helping to change that, introducing condos in a section of Atlanta where new housing is more dominated by townhomes and single-family builds.

In recent weeks, stacked condo options at Empire Communities’ Longreen project have started coming to market en masse.

One facade of Longreen's stacked condo portion. Courtesy of Empire Communities

Longreen amenities and communal green. Courtesy of Empire Communities

Project officials tell Urbanize Atlanta options include both one and two-story units, with between one and three bedrooms and prices from the low $300,000s to $600,000s.

The newest options include rooftop terraces and views of the changing skyline near Howell Mill Road, according to Empire officials.    

The least expensive option—priced at $319,115 for 640 square feet—is under contract, along with a handful of other Longreen condos. 

The largest Longreen floorplan, the Executive, includes three bedrooms and two and 1/2 bathrooms across two stories. Listing services peg square footages for these units around 1,850.

Inside Longreen's Pioneer floorplan, the smallest in the community with one bedroom and one bathroom across a single story. Courtesy of Empire Communities

The project’s name is a nod to a .4-acre public greenspace along Booth Avenue that’s part of the development. It’s situated less than a block from the Northwest Trail route the BeltLine picked last year to snake through the area.

As with Empire’s Stein Steel project in Reynoldstown, Longreen has incorporated condos alongside townhomes, which were priced from the low $500,000s. We’re told that all townhomes in Longreen’s first phase have sold out.

Once finished, Longreen will include 179 condos and townhomes in the 900 block of Huff Road, where a recent Atlanta Regional Commission grant has lent hope that multimodal roadway improvements could come, allowing alternate means of travel on a corridor increasingly known for traffic congestion.

The largest Longreen floorplan, the Executive, includes three bedrooms and two and 1/2 bathrooms across two stories. Listing services peg square footages for these units around 1,850. Courtesy of Empire Communities

The Longreen breakdown will be 152 condos and 27 townhomes, ranging from the 600-square-foot one-bedrooms to more standard three-bedroom plans of about 1,800 square feet. Empire closed on the property in late 2020 and broke ground the following year.

Head to the gallery for glimpses at how the first condo options and other aspects of the project have turned out.

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981 Huff Road NW Empire Communities Atlanta Development Empire Longreen Atlanta Construction West Midtown Goat Farm Arts Center TriBridge Residential Atlanta Condos Atlanta Townhomes Huff Road

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Inside Longreen's Pioneer floorplan, the smallest in the community with one bedroom and one bathroom across a single story. Courtesy of Empire Communities

Living room in the Pioneer plan. Courtesy of Empire Communities

Courtesy of Empire Communities

Pioneer plan bedroom. Courtesy of Empire Communities

One facade of Longreen's stacked condo portion. Courtesy of Empire Communities

Courtesy of Empire Communities

Courtesy of Empire Communities

How the 152-unit condo portion is expected to look once landscaped. Courtesy of Empire Communities

Courtesy of Empire Communities

Longreen amenities and communal green. Courtesy of Empire Communities

Courtesy of Empire Communities

Example of Longreen's Author floorplan, offering two bedrooms and two bathrooms across one story. Courtesy of Empire Communities

Courtesy of Empire Communities

Courtesy of Empire Communities

The largest Longreen floorplan, the Executive, includes three bedrooms and two and 1/2 bathrooms across two stories. Listing services peg square footages for these units around 1,850. Courtesy of Empire Communities

Courtesy of Empire Communities

Courtesy of Empire Communities

Courtesy of Empire Communities

Courtesy of Empire Communities

Courtesy of Empire Communities

Subtitle Prices start in $300Ks at multifamily portion of Empire Longreen project

Neighborhood Blandtown

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Empire Longreen - 981 Huff Road

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Versatile facility called 'Unity Center' planned for Atlanta's southside Josh Green Thu, 08/17/2023 - 13:49 A renovation project is in the pipeline near East Point’s historic downtown that’s envisioned as basically the Swiss Army knife of events and business spaces.

Billed as a “Creative Space for a Creative Community,” the 1290 Knotts Avenue facility is called Unity Center. It’s positioned near the intersection of Main Street, just west of the Connector freeway, a location that project leaders say is five minutes from Atlanta’s airport and 10 minutes from downtown.  

The facility was previously home to the Cameron Academy private school, which closed at that location last year.

Unity Center is described as a 27,000-square-foot multimedia production and event space, offering both turn-key and white-box spaces.

Construction fencing and promotional signage at the site in January. Google Maps

Planned look of the Unity Center front entry. Unity Center

According to floorplans, interior components will include lounges, a main hall of 7,000 square feet, a performance stage, catering kitchen, business suites, a lecture hall, media suites, and a conference room, among other facets.  

Standing between the main building and Knotts Avenue is a former home structure that’s being repurposed as a 1,500-square-foot satellite business suite, surrounded by a courtyard with seating.

Google maps imagery indicates that outbuilding has been vacant and boarded up for nearly a decade. 

Emails to the Unity Center for construction updates have not been returned this week. The project’s promotional website says it’s expected to open sometime this year.

The site is also advertising Unity Center memberships for access to the facility that begin at $25 per month.

The 1290 Knotts Ave. location in question in East Point. Google Maps

Unity Center

The versatile main building, according to project leaders, is capable of being a TV/film production stage and hosting concerts, screenings, weddings, sporting events, conventions, and other sorts of performances.   

The Unity Center ownership group is comprised of Atlanta and East Point natives with more than a decade's worth of experience in real estate development, entertainment, event hall, and service industry jobs, the project’s website notes.

Find more details and imagery in the gallery above.

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1290 Knotts Avenue East Point Unity Center Event Space Adaptive-Reuse Adaptive-Reuse Development Southside Cameron Academy Production Space Atlanta coworking Coworking spaces Coworking Atlanta Airport

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The 1290 Knotts Ave. location in question in East Point. Google Maps

Closer look at the Unity Center location just west of the Connector. Google Maps

Construction fencing and promotional signage at the site in January. Google Maps

Planned look of the Unity Center front entry. Unity Center

Unity Center

Planned parking arrangement around the facility. Unity Center

The Unity Center exterior site plan. Unity Center

Unity Center

Unity Center

Subtitle Project is claiming former private school off East Point’s Main Street

Neighborhood College Park/East Point

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Warehouse transformation is bound for West End near MARTA Josh Green Thu, 08/17/2023 - 08:19 Just a few blocks from the adaptive-reuse behemoth that is the Lee + White district, another sizable West End warehouse conversion is in the works, according to property listings.

A brick-built, circa-1930 warehouse complex at 715 W. Whitehall St. is set to be converted into commercial spaces called “WestLine Studios” that could benefit from proximity to the Atlanta BeltLine and public transit.

It’s being offered by the Seryus commercial real estate brokerage firm, with construction launching this summer and delivery expected in November, according to a LoopNet listing.

Location of the 715 W. Whitehall St. warehouse property in question. Google Maps

Planned entryway along Whitehall Street at WestLine Studios. Seryus

The 1.1-acre property stands practically in the shadow of MARTA’s West End station. It’s separated from the Met Atlanta complex by Whitehall Street and active railroad tracks, with the Mall West End located about three blocks to the north.

Records indicate building permits were issued for the commercial alterations in May.

The nearly century-old structure will offer 47,867 square feet of leasable space once finished, according to Seryus. It includes two drive-in bays for entry, five exterior dock doors, and 30 parking spaces.

According to the listing, available commercial spaces will range from 980 to more than 7,600 square feet, with rents between $16 and $32.50 per square foot, per year.

Seryus

Scope of the nearly 50,000-square-foot West End property. Seryus/LoopNet

While the property doesn’t exactly front the transit station or BeltLine, its “very walkable” Walk Score (74) and “very bikeable” Bike Score (also 74) could work in its favor.

For more WestLine Studios images and context, head up to the gallery above.  

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715 W. Whitehall Street SW WestLine Studios Seryus LoopNet MARTA West End Station MARTA The Met Met Atlanta Adaptive-Reuse Adaptive-Reuse Development Adaptive Reuse TLZ Architecture

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Location of the 715 W. Whitehall St. warehouse property in question. Google Maps

The WestLine Studios property as seen earlier this year (at left), with the adaptive-reuse Met Atlanta across the tracks. Google Maps

Scope of the nearly 50,000-square-foot West End property. Seryus/LoopNet

Planned entryway along Whitehall Street at WestLine Studios. Seryus

Plans for the Building 200 interior. Seryus

Seryus

Seryus

Subtitle Listing: Commercial property from 1930s to become “WestLine Studios”

Neighborhood West End

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Images: East Atlanta Village project breaks ground with modified design Josh Green Wed, 08/16/2023 - 14:59 An infill project that’s replacing vacant lots in the heart of East Atlanta Village is officially moving forward, albeit a year later than initially expected.

Atlanta-based Pellerin Real Estate, a firm best known for the Beacon warehouse redevelopment in Grant Park, has broken ground on a boutique mixed-use venture at a 462 Flat Shoals Avenue site immediately north of Argosy restaurant and bar.

The four-story project marks the sixth in EAV for Pellerin. According to revised renderings, the apartments-over-retail concept has simplified designs versus the more retro, brick-clad building initially planned.

Retooled designs for the mixed-use building's facade over Flat Shoals Avenue. Pellerin Real Estate; designs, TSW architects; via LoopNet

The size of the building, however, appears unchanged. Pellerin’s plans call for 37 apartments, ranging from studios to two-bedrooms, atop roughly 5,000 square feet of retail space along Flat Shoals, all screening a new parking lot in back. The main façade will be bookended by balconies, according to plans drawn up by TSW architects.

Plans initially called for breaking ground in summer 2022. Pellerin’s principal, Philippe Pellerin, told Urbanize Atlanta last year the company was facing “many headwinds” and taking the winter to refine the project’s design, obtain necessary permits, and finalize pricing. Pellerin hasn’t responded to email inquiries for updates this week.

According to a LoopNet listing, the project is actively seeking restaurant and retail tenants and expects to deliver in fall 2024.

The .65-acre site includes 160 feet of frontage along Flat Shoals. An opening in the building’s façade on that street would be the entry point for parking behind it.

Site work along Flat Shoals Avenue today. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The site plan with parking behind the building at 456/462 Flat Shoals Avenue. Pellerin Real Estate; designs, TSW architects

The Flat Shoals project would continue an influx of real estate investment across EAV that’s seen multiple storefronts and lots transformed, as more than 70 townhomes have popped up in three separate projects, claiming mostly underused or vacant properties in recent years.

Pellerin’s projects elsewhere in EAV have remade numerous properties along nearby Glenwood Avenue. Those include Southern Feed Store, a six-stall food hall concept that overhauled longtime EAV destination Graveyard Tavern. The developer also finished construction last year on a three-story, mixed-use project called The Marbut, next to Hippin Hops Brewery and Oyster Bar. It includes 6,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial spaces, topped by 21 one-bedroom apartments.

Other Pellerin projects in EAV include three revitalized storefronts on Glenwood Avenue where OxFit gym, OxWork business club, and a fusion coffee shop concept by The Victorian plant purveyor and Bellwood Coffee have opened.

Swing up to the gallery for more 456/462 Flat Shoals Avenue context and images.

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462 Flat Shoals Avenue SE EAV project LoopNet EAV Gene Kansas Mixed-Use Southern Feed Store The Marbut Gene Kansas Commercial Real Estate Argosy Pellerin Real Estate Urban Infill Atlanta Development Atlanta apartments Commercial Space Mixed-Use Development Economy Paryani Construction

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Overview of the two EAV lots in question with a combined .65 acres. LoopNet

The property in question, at left, in December 2020, with Argosy restaurant and bar just beyond. Google Maps

Site work along Flat Shoals Avenue today. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Retooled designs for the mixed-use building's facade over Flat Shoals Avenue. Pellerin Real Estate; designs, TSW architects; via LoopNet

Pellerin Real Estate; designs, TSW architects

The site plan with parking behind the building at 456/462 Flat Shoals Avenue. Pellerin Real Estate; designs, TSW architects

Subtitle Mixed-use infill development claiming vacant lot on Flat Shoals Avenue

Neighborhood East Atlanta

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In southeast Atlanta, 1950s state-owned facility is biting the dust Josh Green Wed, 08/16/2023 - 13:06 As inquisitive readers have pointed out, a 1950s facility familiar to many southeast Atlanta residents is quickly making its way to the afterlife right now.

Replacing the sprawling 959 United Avenue building will be… well, nothing for now.  

The demolition project is located at the point where three southeast Atlanta neighborhoods—Ormewood Park, Woodland Hills, and Boulevard Heights—converge, between Moreland Avenue and the BeltLine’s Southside Trail corridor. 

The 959 United Avenue SE location between the BeltLine and Moreland Avenue. Google Maps

Demolition progress on site this week along United Avenue. Submitted

What’s being razed now is the former Georgia Department of Public Safety headquarters, which dates to 1956 and is part of a massive state-owned complex the size of several intown blocks.

Capt. Michael Burns, Georgia State Patrol public information officer, tells Urbanize Atlanta the building is being demolished because a new headquarters has recently opened in the same United Avenue complex.

“As of now,” says Burns, “the building is simply being demolished and the area cleared.”

Two years ago this month, state dignitaries including Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Department of Public Safety commissioner Col. Chris Wright attended a groundbreaking ceremony at the new headquarters facility site, which officials predicted “will be modern and incorporate cutting-edge technology that will serve DPS for generations to come.”

At that time, the 1950s HQ was described as "outdated."

The 1950s former DPS headquarters, as seen in January. Google Maps

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959 United Avenue Georgia State Patrol headquarters Georgia State Patrol Appetite for Destruction Boulevard Heights Woodland Hills Atlanta Construction Governor Brian Kemp Department of Public Safety

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The 959 United Avenue SE location between the BeltLine and Moreland Avenue. Google Maps

The 1950s former DPS headquarters, as seen in January. Google Maps

Demolition progress on site this week along United Avenue. Submitted

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Subtitle United Avenue building was longtime home of Georgia Department of Public Safety headquarters

Neighborhood Ormewood Park

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