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Fresh renderings: 'Creative village' a go in Southwest Atlanta Josh Green Fri, 07/28/2023 - 11:17 Creative redevelopment plans are gaining momentum for an Atlanta Public Schools property that’s been shuttered for nearly two decades.

RYSE Interactive has landed financing to move forward with the first phase of a mixed-use transformation of the former Preston Arkwright Elementary School that aims to tap into Georgia’s booming entertainment industry, project reps tell Urbanize Atlanta.

The APS facility in Southwest Atlanta’s Venetian Hills has been vacant since its closure in 2004.

The Black-owned media and communications company plans to invest $25 million over two phases to create RYSE Creative Village, described as a “pioneering” mix of studios, incubator space, and affordable housing that will aim to uplift historically Black communities a short drive from Tyler Perry Studios.

RYSE Creative Village's proposed location in Southwest Atlanta's Venetian Hills. Google Maps

The former Preston Arkwright Elementary building, as seen in March 2020.Google Maps

RYSE (pronounced “rise”) has scheduled a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday morning at the campus with a number of elected officials expected to attend, according to project reps.

RYSE purchased the school property for $485,000 in 2020, according to property records. Company reps have said several adjacent parcels are included in the deal for a total of more than 4 acres. The village’s $10-million first phase is expected to create roughly 85 jobs in Southwest Atlanta, officials said in 2021, as the project was in predevelopment phases.

Planned amenities onsite will include a screening theater, editing suites, a café and coworking space, a virtual reality and gaming center, podcast studio, and spaces for meetings and lectures.

The later phase calls for building a 100-unit apartment complex with relatively affordable rents, where a diverse pool of creatives might live while growing careers next door in film and television production, photography, music, gaming, or other fields, officials have said. Jay Jackson, RYSE Interactive founder, foresees the project “being part of a much larger ecosystem of resources for local creatives, similar to what accelerator programs have done in fostering the development of tech start-up founders,” as he relayed two years ago.

Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

Scope of the full proposed village at 1261 Lockwood Drive SW. Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

The project would join long-dormant Atlanta Public Schools properties that have been revived in recent years for more standard uses—classrooms and housing, that is—in places like Old Fourth Ward and Adair Park.

Below is a first look at planned interior facets of RYSE Creative Village with explainers provided by developers to Urbanize Atlanta. Find many more visuals in the gallery above.

Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

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RYSE Creative Village's proposed location in Southwest Atlanta's Venetian Hills. Google Maps

The former Preston Arkwright Elementary building, as seen in March 2020.Google Maps

Set on a sloping street, the SW Atlanta school has been vacant for 18 years.Google Maps

Scope of the full proposed village at 1261 Lockwood Drive SW. Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

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Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

Subtitle RYSE Interactive’s $25M vision calls for transforming dormant Atlanta Public Schools property

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First look: Mondo townhomes near golf courses full speed ahead Josh Green Thu, 07/27/2023 - 14:36 Site work has begun for a modern-style, infill townhome community within a chip shot of eastside links.

Called The Henderson at East Lake (alternately, Henderson Commons), the project by Atlanta-based PLH Homes is replacing a vacant ranch-style house on a deep residential property at 1936 Glenwood Avenue.

The Parkview site is located between Interstate 20 to the west and East Lake Golf Club, overlooking the fifth hole at Charlie Yates Golf Course.

Renderings indicate 13 units are in the pipeline, each topped with roof decks. PLH Homes is marketing the townhomes, as drawn up by AD Designs, as “designer” and “stunning.”

Prices will start in the mid-$900,000s, according to the homebuilder.  

The Henderson at East Lake project's 1936 Glenwood Avenue location in Parkview, near neighborhoods such as East Atlanta, Kirkwood, and East Lake. Google Maps

Floorplans call for four bedrooms with each unit, plus three full bathrooms and two half-bathrooms in 2,790 square feet—relatively large, as newer eastside townhome product goes. Each will have a single-car parking garage at its base.

All Henderson units will stand four stories, from ground-floor guest bedrooms and flex spaces next to garages to the rooftop party zones.

According to the builder, perks will include sustainable landscapes, low-maintenance living, kitchen islands, private rooftops (so long as your neighbors aren’t home), and designer fixtures and finishes.

Site work ongoing today where a single home will become more than a dozen. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

How the 13 units will be arranged off Glenwood Avenue, overlooking Charlie Yates Golf Course. PLH Homes/AD Designs

PLH Homes’ tentative, ambitious timeline calls for finishing some units by the end of this year or early 2024.

Head up to the gallery for more context, renderings, and floorplans.

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The Henderson at East Lake project's 1936 Glenwood Avenue location in Parkview, near neighborhoods such as East Atlanta, Kirkwood, and East Lake. Google Maps

The Glenwood Avenue property in question, at left, in 2022. Google Maps

Site work ongoing today where a single home will become more than a dozen. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

How the 13 units will be arranged off Glenwood Avenue, overlooking Charlie Yates Golf Course. PLH Homes/AD Designs

PLH Homes/AD Designs

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How floorplans call for living spaces to be arranged around base-floor garages. PLH Homes/AD Designs

Main living areas depicted in floorplans. PLH Homes/AD Designs

Third-floor plans. PLH Homes/AD Designs

Rooftop layouts. PLH Homes/AD Designs

Subtitle Construction underway on infill project called The Henderson at East Lake

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MARTA pushes forward three transit projects around Atlanta, DeKalb Josh Green Thu, 07/27/2023 - 13:14 MARTA is moving forward with designs for three transit projects in disparate parts of town and a high-dollar contract with a transportation company that will provide vehicles to make those projects a reality, officials said today.

MARTA’s board of directors agreed to advance the City of Atlanta and DeKalb County bus transit initiatives toward final designs. A $226 million contract with New Flyer, a company that bills itself as North America’s bus leader, was also awarded for buses that will run rapid transit and fixed routes, according to the transit agency.

Expected to deliver first are two projects in different parts of DeKalb.

The first involves a Buford Highway arterial rapid transit route—also known as ART—that’s currently served by MARTA’s busiest route in terms of ridership, Route 39. It’s a 10-mile section of bus transit that links MARTA's Lindbergh Center Station to Doraville Station via Buford Highway.

Plans advanced today by MARTA call for the ART line to begin operations in 2026. According to MARTA, changes will include “traffic signal priority for faster, more reliable service, and distinct shelters that include seating and real-time service information screens.”

On the flipside of DeKalb, MARTA moved its plans for the South DeKalb Transit Hub a step closer to final designs, agreeing to begin the process of seeking firms capable of designing the system. MARTA expects the project to cost $37 million and open sometime in 2026.

The transit hub for bus-to-bus transfers calls for a covered waiting area for customers with real-time bus arrival info, seating, restrooms, and a customer service kiosk. Another component would be an area for MARTA Police Department personnel, according to the transit agency.

Meanwhile, near the western fringes of Atlanta, the board approved what’s called an “amended locally preferred alternative,” or LPA, for the controversial Campbellton Corridor bus-rapid transit project.

MARTA says a center-running BRT system is recommended for the Campbellton Road corridor "based on the results of [an] alternatives analysis and feedback received from the community."MARTA 2040

Route changes will take the BRT alignment south of Greenbriar Mall to a flyover ramp bridging over Interstate 285 from Greenbriar Parkway to the Barge Road Park & Ride.

According to MARTA officials, the flyover will create more direct and faster access between a planned Greenbriar Mall Station and Barge Road Station, roughly cutting travel time in half compare to current bus services. The LPA includes bridges over I-285 and Highway 154 with 10-foot-wide multi-use paths, bus-only lanes, and ramps to BRT stations.

MARTA expects the flyover to cost between $15 and $25 million. It’s projected to open in 2028 as part of Tier 1 projects on MARTA’s scaled-back outlook for More MARTA sales tax-funded expansions.

As for the $226 million contract pertaining to new buses, MARTA says the five-year deal with New Flyer will provide the agency with 198 vehicles. Sixty-three of those will be electric buses, with the remaining 135 buses powered by compressed natural gas.  

MARTA’s first six, 60-foot articulated electric buses are scheduled to arrive in 2024. They’ll be deployed in Peoplestown, Summerhill, and downtown for the metro’s first BRT line when it opens in 2025, according to MARTA.

Twelve more of the 60-foot buses will be used on BRT routes on Campbellton Road and Clayton Southlake, per MARTA officials.

MARTA’s full board is expected to vote on the projects and bus contract at its next monthly meeting August 10.

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Subtitle $226M contract also approved for adding nearly 200 buses to MARTA fleet

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Newport is pulling out of South Downtown. Now what? Josh Green Thu, 07/27/2023 - 08:09 Newport RE’s vision of South Downtown as a utopian urban district with revived historic buildings, lively plazas, new towers with affordable housing components, and shop-lined streets is no more.  

Instead, an Atlanta-based firm known for renovating neglected homes and ailing, older commercial properties around the city is stepping in, placing all of Newport’s holdings under contract.

The German real estate firm spent the better part of a decade amassing a huge portfolio of property—more than 50 buildings and 6 acres of parking lots across some 10 blocks—in the disinvested area south of Underground Atlanta and Five Points, just east of Atlanta’s Gulch. Newport’s initial renderings depicting what those blocks could become surfaced in 2017, and as recently as this past January, the company was still adding buildings to its South Downtown holdings, some of them inimitably historic.

Newport officials stated in a press release supplied to Urbanize Atlanta that Historic Hotel Row—the only component of the South Downtown vision that’s finished—will continue to see retail signings and openings throughout this year, including a Spiller Park Coffee outpost that’s aiming to open in the fourth quarter. Thai concept TydeTate Kitchen, which debuted in April, has quickly established itself as a neighborhood staple, per Newport reps, but it’s the only active business where a full slate of retail was projected in 2022 to be humming by now.

Newport made a splash—and boosted optimism for downtown—by announcing these two residential towers last year that would have stood over Forsyth Street (left) and Broad/Mitchell Street (right).Courtesy of Newport RE; designs, Studios

Signs of trouble with Newport’s development efforts came to light across the street from Hotel Row earlier this summer, where construction work appeared to have stopped on the conversion of the 222 Mitchell building, envisioned as an office-meets-retail cornerstone of the new South Downtown. Newport officials declined comment when pressed for updates by Urbanize Atlanta earlier this month.

Development firm Braden Fellman Group is under contract for an undisclosed price on all Atlanta properties in Newport’s portfolio, with expectations to close in the fourth quarter of this year.

Founded in 1981, the company has earned a reputation for thoughtfully converting industrial buildings and other properties into residences and offices. Recent Braden Fellman projects include downtown’s Revival Lofts—previously an abandoned eyesore for nearly two decades—and the adaptive-reuse of Adair Park’s Abrams Fixture Corporation complex.

Newport’s CEO Olaf Kunkat, who has extolled the virtues of Atlanta’s oldest blocks in numerous media interviews over the years, called the decision to pull out of the city “incredibly hard and difficult.” He said the South Downtown vision should continue with a developer based in the U.S. and called Braden Fellman “a uniquely qualified team.” We’ve reached out to Braden Fellman reps for comment and will update this story with any additional input that comes.

“We believe in this neighborhood wholeheartedly; our vision was right but our timing was off, and we have the highest hopes that South Downtown will continue becoming a cool, historic, downtown neighborhood that Atlanta deserves,” Kunkat said in a prepared statement.

“Simply put, the market changes coming out of COVID, prolonged war in Europe, and recent rise in interest rates [left] Newport and our South Downtown investors needing to reprioritize capital investments," Kunkat continued. "As a result, Newport will only be focused on investment and development opportunities in our primary market of Germany.”

Planned patio spaces at the 222 Mitchell building and storefronts across the street at Hotel Row. Courtesy of Newport

April Stammel, Newport’s senior vice president of marketing, leasing, and community, said Newport’s groundwork over the past six years has set the stage for successful redevelopment. “We’ve assembled an amazing portfolio of contiguous historic buildings and vacant land,” said Stammel in the media release, “and I am fully confident this next chapter with Braden Fellman will inject the stability needed to continue pushing the neighborhood forward.”

The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports Newport had invested at least $155 million in its South Downtown holdings but was informed by German investors in March the spigot for more capital was being turned off. Braden Fellman heads told the newspaper they’re open to partnering with other downtown players such as Centennial Yards developers CIM Group to bring the area fully to life. The company owns about 2,500 apartments in Atlanta with 1,000 more in development, plus 550 units in Charleston.

According to Newport, Braden Fellman plans to resume construction but change tactics at the 222 Mitchel building, converting its former offices to residential units while delivering “a similar robust retail experience” to Newport’s original plans. Other immediate plans call for seeing through Hotel Row’s retail and restaurant openings.

Braden Fellman principal Andrew Braden said in a statement his company’s vision for South Downtown will echo Newport’s.

“It’s early in the process, but we’re excited about the opportunity to leverage our track record in historic preservation,” said Fellman, “and [we’re] inspired by the work Newport started to maintain the rich history of the buildings in South Downtown.”

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Subtitle German firm backs away from vision for 10 blocks, 50+ buildings, parking lots hyped for years

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City: $40M federal grant to transform long-abandoned Westside site Josh Green Wed, 07/26/2023 - 16:59 In the early 1960s, Bowen Homes was built as a model multifamily community in what was then considered Atlanta’s western suburbs, counting its own library, school, and eventually some 4,000 residents.

By 2008, the 650 apartments spread across 102 buildings had devolved into a sore spot of crime and a magnet for the drug trade—typifying the ills of the American public housing experiment. According to Atlanta Housing, Bowen Homes experienced 168 violent crimes in just a six-month period that year, including five murders.

In 2009, bulldozers moved in, and Bowen Homes became the last of Atlanta’s major family housing projects to be razed.

The site has been abandoned ever since. But that could change.

TheU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development this week announced a $40 million federal grant that aims to kickstart Atlanta’s Bowen Choice Neighborhood program, a revitalization effort for the former Bowen Homes and surrounding Westside properties.

The 74 acres in question are located just inside the Interstate 285 Perimeter, near the intersection of James Jackson Parkway and Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway.

The acreage in question in relation to Interstate 285, at left, and Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway. Google Maps

The HUD grant aims to help the City of Atlanta transform the bones of Bowen Homes into more than 2,000 housing units for renters and homebuyers.

Other aspects of the redevelopment call for a Community Resources Center and Innovation Hub that will offer Bowen Homes’ residents job-training opportunities and affordable commercial space, according to city officials.

Last fall, Atlanta Housing selected a redevelopment team dubbed Bowen District Developers—led by The Benoit Group and McCormack Baron Salazar real estate companies—to bring the area back to life, as Atlanta Civic Circle relayed.

Backed by U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock and Congresswoman Nikema Williams (GA-05), Atlanta Housing and officials with Mayor Andre Dickens administration formally applied in January for HUD’s Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant.

The 74-acre site's proximity to Westside neighborhoods. Atlanta Housing

The project’s scope calls for rebuilding the Bowen Homes site and next-door neighborhood Carey Park, along with a section of Almond Park.

According to an Atlanta Housing presentation compiled in 2021, Bowen Homes’ decline coincided with broader disinvestment in the city’s northwest side, beginning in the late 1960s and ramping up with the scourge of inner-city poverty and crime in the 1970s and ’80s. “This area would eventually become the music industry’s shorthand for troubled neighborhoods plagued by gangs, a common theme of hip-hop artists, several of whom grew up in Bowen Homes,” the presentation notes.

An Atlanta Housing presentation from 2021 showing the former Bowen Homes site in relation to housing deemed in good condition (green) and poor condition (red), with color-coded variations between. Atlanta Housing

Dickens predicted the $40 million HUD grant will be “transformative for Northwest Atlanta, bringing affordable homes and a vibrant neighborhood back to the community,” according to a prepared statement.

Dustin Hillis, an Atlanta City Councilmember whose District 9 covers the area in question, called the grant “the culmination of years of hard work by our Northwest Atlanta community members, business owners, clergy, former Bowen Homes residents, Atlanta Housing, and many others.”

It’s an important step, said Hillis, in reactivating the Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway corridor and surrounding neighborhoods.

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The 74-acre site's proximity to Westside neighborhoods. Atlanta Housing

An Atlanta Housing presentation from 2021 showing the former Bowen Homes site in relation to housing deemed in good condition (green) and poor condition (red), with color-coded variations between. Atlanta Housing

The acreage in question in relation to Interstate 285, at left, and Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway. Google Maps

Subtitle 74 acres were once home to Bowen Homes public housing

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Fresh images, details emerge for Atlanta's tallest construction project Josh Green Wed, 07/26/2023 - 12:15 New York City developers shed light today on financing sources and other details of a skyscraper venture—now officially under construction—they say will reshape Midtown’s skyline and elevate intown living.

Alongside City of Atlanta officials and project partners, Rockefeller Group hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking this morning for 1072 West Peachtree, a sky-piercing mixed-use venture slated to be Atlanta’s tallest new building in more than 30 years.  

The ceremony also served to mark the closing of construction financing for the 60-story high-rise. That funding is partially being sourced from overseas, and all parties involved sounded bullish on Atlanta’s prospects as an economic engine in the South.

“A development of this scale and prominence underscores the importance of the Southeast, and in particular, Atlanta as the economic epicenter of the region,” said Mario Barraza, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank’s senior director and head of real estate, in a prepared statement.

A new perspective on how Rockefeller expects the tower to meet West Peachtree Street. Courtesy of Rockefeller Group

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, a New Jersey-based subsidiary of one of Japan’s major trust banks, has signed on to provide a senior loan to fund 1072 West Peachtree’s construction financing.

A joint venture between Rockefeller Group, Japan-based Taisei USA, and Mitsubishi Estate New York is providing the project’s equity, officials said today.

Set on the southwest corner of West Peachtree and 12th streets, the project’s height will alter Midtown’s skyline, especially when viewed from the west. Rockefeller officials confirmed today the tower will climb more than 730 feet—making it Atlanta’s fifth tallest high-rise, supplanting Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel for the No. 5 spot.

It will also achieve two more benchmarks as Atlanta’s tallest residential building and tallest mixed-use tower.  

A previously unreleased rendering showing the 1072 West Peachtree project's eastern facade, toward Peachtree Street and Piedmont Park. Courtesy of Rockefeller Group

Plans call for 224,000 square feet of Class A office space and 6,300 square feet of retail at the street.

Rockefeller reps said the building will be topped with more than 350 “generous upscale residences,” all for rent, alongside amenities described as world-class.

Another component, as drawn up by Atlanta-based TVS architecture, will be Midtown’s biggest outdoor amenity deck, designed for expansive views of the city.

No timeline for completion has been specified, but the site has seen heavy demolition and infrastructure work ongoing since March.

“The development of this mixed-use project will meaningfully elevate the experience of living and working here,” said John Petricola, Rockefeller’s senior managing director of the Southeast region. “[It also] highlights [Rockefeller’s] perspective on new development and our commitment to the continued growth of Atlanta.”

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A previously unreleased rendering showing the 1072 West Peachtree project's eastern facade, toward Peachtree Street and Piedmont Park. Courtesy of Rockefeller Group

A new perspective on how Rockefeller expects the tower to meet West Peachtree Street. Courtesy of Rockefeller Group

Subtitle Financing closes, construction officially starts for city's largest skyscraper in more than 30 years

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Analysis: Construction slowing across U.S., but Atlanta bucks trend Josh Green Wed, 07/26/2023 - 10:11 Faced with higher interest rates, tighter lending, slowing demand, and societal shifts such as the WFH zeitgeist, construction trends are pointed downward in metros across the U.S. But Atlanta is one market bucking that trend and experiencing continued growth.

That’s one takeaway from a somewhat dire report released today by Dodge Construction Network, a New Jersey-based construction industry analytics company.

So far in 2023, the firm found the sheer amount of commercial and multifamily construction starts in the top 10 U.S. metros has dipped by 10 percent—and 14 percent overall—relative to the first half of 2022.

The slowdown has been most pronounced in the Washington D.C. area, where construction starts have cratered by 43 percent this year versus 2022, according to Dodge’s findings.

Conversely, metro Atlanta has experienced an 18 percent gain in construction starts over last year’s numbers, notching about $5.4 billion in new projects breaking ground. (Consider: That’s more than twice the value of metro-wide construction starts in the first half of 2021, which felt like boomtimes as pandemic doldrums began to ebb.)

Metro Atlanta’s sheer amount of new commercial and multifamily construction this year ranks third across the country so far, trailing only greater New York ($10.8 billion) and the Dallas metro ($6.7 billion), both of which have experienced double-digit declines, per Dodge’s analysis.

Ranking of top U.S. metros for commercial and multifamily construction starts in the first half of 2023. Dodge Construction Network

Only metro Houston and Chicago have logged a bigger 2023 boost in construction starts, in terms of percentage growth through June, but the value of metro Atlanta’s new development eclipses both of those markets, according to the study.

Dodge cites specific new projects in Atlanta that have helped set the metro apart. (Metro-wide multifamily starts have dropped 23 percent since this time last year, the study notes, but a 61-percent explosion in commercial made up for that.)

Atlanta’s tallest new building in three decades—Rockefeller’s 1072 West Peachtree tower in Midtown—is noted as the biggest multifamily project to break ground in the metro this year, with an assigned value of $500 million.

In second place, per Dodge analysts, is Middle Street Partners’ two-tower, $245-million venture on Juniper Street.

On the commercial front, the $642-million first phase of Facebook’s Stanton Springs data center and another $171 million data center are cited as metro Atlanta’s largest projects to move forward this year so far.  

Here’s a snapshot of where things are heading through the first half of 2023, per Dodge’s findings. These metros have produced 39 percent of all commercial and multifamily starts across the U.S. so far this year:

Dodge Construction Network

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Ranking of top U.S. metros for commercial and multifamily construction starts in the first half of 2023. Dodge Construction Network

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Subtitle Metro ATL commercial, multifamily construction up 18 percent over last year, per analytics firm's findings

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Effort to rehab historic building with MLK ties moves forward Josh Green Tue, 07/25/2023 - 14:07 Years in the making, a facelift and interior conversion for a landmark Sweet Auburn building that once housed Martin Luther King Jr.’s office is moving forward.

Known for its corner neon sign and distinctive façade, the Prince Hall Masonic Lodge on Auburn Avenue is being prepped for a rehab that would broaden its uses, open more affordable spaces for local businesses and nonprofits, and create more of a tourist attraction.

The three-story structure with a basement level stands where Auburn Avenue meets Hilliard Street, lording over the Atlanta Streetcar loop through downtown. The lodge was built in 1937 and, among other notable uses, was once home to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s first offices.

The historic Prince Hall Masonic Lodge at Auburn Avenue and Hilliard Street, as seen in 2017. Google Maps

Invest Atlanta

The lodge’s ownership group, Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge, is working to finalize financial commitments by year’s end in hopes of beginning construction in the second quarter of 2024, according to Invest Atlanta, the city’s economic development authority.

As part of that process, owners have asked Invest Atlanta for a $250,000 predevelopment loan sourced from Eastside Tax Allocation District funding that would cover renovation aspects such as engineering and architectural design.

In 2021, the project received $1.5 million in grant funding from the same source. Plans have called for that money to be combined with federal tax credits for historic preservation and private donations to fund what was expected to be a $10.2-million project.

Increasing costs and changes in funding availability have complicated matters since then, according to Invest Atlanta.

Invest Atlanta

Nonetheless, the lodge owners’ plans call for reopening the historic building as a 16,000-square-foot multipurpose space by the first quarter of 2025.

Prince Hall Masons, who still use part of the property as meeting space, intend to continue to line up permanent funding sources as predevelopment work takes place, according to an Invest Atlanta project summary. Another small section of the property spanning about 1,300 square feet is being divided between two tenants, the Madam C.J. Walker Beauty School Museum and a barbershop.

Plans call for converting the basement and first floor into an educational and interpretive exhibit featuring King’s former office, leased and operated by the National Park Service. The AJC has reported that memorabilia and documents stored at the lodge pertaining to King and the civil rights movement will be preserved.

Elsewhere, plans call for converting the second floor and storefronts along Hilliard Street into spaces for local businesses totaling about 5,000 square feet.  

The Prince Hall Masons, meanwhile, will continue to lease the third floor and a section of the second floor for meetings and other activities.

Breakdown of proposed uses across four levels. Invest Atlanta

Invest Atlanta

Invest Atlanta notes that ownership has vowed to increase square footage dedicated to affordable lease rates to roughly 30 percent of the building, or 4,800 square feet, for 25 years.

After opening in 1937, the building was expanded four years later. Atlanta civic leader and businessman John Wesley Dobbs spearheaded the project, and the building initially served as homebase for the Prince Hall Freemasons, a predominantly Black branch of the North American Freemasons, according to the Atlanta History Center.

In addition to King’s personal SCLC office, the building also housed historical organizations such as WERD Radio Station.

Invest Atlanta officials note that preserving the building would activate a historic asset, improve economic mobility, and feed into the revitalization of the Historic Sweet Auburn District.

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Invest Atlanta

The historic Prince Hall Masonic Lodge at Auburn Avenue and Hilliard Street, as seen in 2017. Google Maps

Invest Atlanta

Breakdown of proposed uses across four levels. Invest Atlanta

Invest Atlanta

Subtitle Conversion of Sweet Auburn's Prince Hall Masonic Lodge eyes 2024 start date

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Sculptural BeltLine performance area targets ribbon-cutting soon Josh Green Tue, 07/25/2023 - 12:53 A project Atlanta BeltLine leaders envision as a communal amenity and trailside landmark is expected to open in coming weeks.

Located just north of Memorial Drive, an Eastside Trail feature called the Reynoldstown Community Space is on pace to host a ribbon-cutting in August, though a specific date hasn’t been finalized, according to BeltLine spokesperson Jenny Odom.

Plans call for the Reynoldstown space to be eye-catching and multifunctional—but still a scaled-down version of the performance area with an architectural stage once dreamed up for the site.

According to a recent BeltLine construction update, the Reynoldstown Community Space will serve as a “longterm cultural landmark and community amenity” with “monumental sculptural forms that serve as both public art and seating.”

Expected layout of the Reynoldstown Community Space. Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

Construction is ongoing near Muchacho restaurant’s expanded patios, across the BeltLine from the Madison at Reynoldstown, an affordable-housing apartment project that’s going vertical now.

As designed by Boston-based Make/Do Studio, the project includes wiring for performances that need electricity.

BeltLine officials have said the dune-like sculptures will be striped in Reynoldstown’s official color, yellow, and designed to frame outdoor performances. They’re being built to playground standards for kiddos to climb—or for tired exercisers to lean on—creating the illusion of change as BeltLine patrons pass by.

The latest project design. Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

Plans for transforming one grassy nook of land in the area—tucked between the BeltLine corridor and a tree-topped cliff—have been kicked around since at least 2014. That year, the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs secured a $100,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to help fund the project’s design, in conjunction with Georgia Tech.

What eventually came of that was a dramatic concept with tiered seating and a stage called “Bifurcations,” as led by Tristan al-Haddad and Formations Studio, which was later cancelled, to the dismay of Reynoldstown residents.

BeltLine leadership, for their part, responded in 2018 that designs were merely an exercise to see what might be possible at the trailside location.

Tiered seating at the concept compiled several years ago, which BeltLine officials have called merely an experiment to determine what was possible at the site. Formations Studio

The project continues the BeltLine’s push to activate trailside spaces in neighborhoods around the city. Those efforts since last year have included a pop-up DJ and radio station, now housed in a shipping container in Old Fourth Ward, and a BeltLine Marketplace concept that aims to support Black-owned businesses with pop-up shops around the Eastside and Westside trails.

Hoof up to the gallery for more renderings and background for the forthcoming Reynoldstown Community Space.

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Reynoldstown Community Space Bifurcations Beltline Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail Cabbagetown Memorial Drive Muchacho Formations Studio Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs Make/Do Studio Georgia Tech National Endowment for the Arts BeltLine News Parks and Recreation

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Expected layout of the Reynoldstown Community Space. Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

The latest project design. Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

The proposed layout on either side of the Eastside Trail, facing south toward Memorial Drive. Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

One grassy space in question used for a communal gathering. Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

Early rendering for an outdoor performance venue concept called Bifurcations along the Eastside Trail. Formations Studio

Tiered seating at the concept compiled several years ago, which BeltLine officials have called merely an experiment to determine what was possible at the site. Formations Studio

Subtitle Scaled-back Reynoldstown Community Space taking shape north of Memorial Drive

Neighborhood Reynoldstown

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Images: 'Luxurious' shipping-container village pitched near Atlanta Josh Green Tue, 07/25/2023 - 08:08 “Relaxing… peaceful… serene… captivating… beautiful… and luxurious… welcome home!”  

So begins the enthusiastic fly-through video for a housing concept that bills itself as a blend of luxury living, affordability, and sustainability like metro Atlanta’s never seen.

The proposal—called Alexis Luxury Living, or A.L.L., which is also the name of the real estate firm behind it—calls for a full community of homes built from recycled shipping containers between 20 and 40 feet long.

That alone isn’t groundbreaking, but what would surround the proposed micro-home village could be, in that it would set a glittery new bar for amenities.

Planned design for the clubhouse bar. Alexis Luxury Living

It’s not every day, after all, a subdivision of houses between roughly 500 and 700 feet includes opulent gates. Or a 24-hour security guard. Or a shipping-container clubhouse with a bar, near the shipping-container gym and laundromat. Or a pool, spa, and outdoor kitchen area that project leaders say is fit for a resort.

Sophonie Alexis, the company’s CEO and founder, says the goal with A.L.L. is to help tackle a void of available housing for Georgia’s middle class. The concept is described as the first of its kind, with an eye toward quality and high-end finishes other micro communities lack.

“Our goal,” said Alexis in a project announcement, “is to bridge the affordability gap and make homeownership achievable and attractive for a wider segment of the population.”

Overview of the planned A.L.L. community. Location: TBD. Alexis Luxury Living

A.L.L. heads tell Urbanize Atlanta home prices will range from the mid-$100,000s to the high-$300,000s, with a “diverse selection” in between. Beyond the pool digs and guards, features will include a community garden, dedicated parking, an onsite leasing center, and overall aesthetics described as “exquisite.”

So where will it be? That’s TBD, but A.L.L. is targeting somewhere near downtown Fayetteville, located about 24 miles south of downtown Atlanta. (A project rep says land in the area was recently under contract, but that deal fell through.)

“We are working diligently to finalize the details for groundbreaking and delivery,” A.L.L. reps wrote in response to questions regarding location. “While we don't have an exact ETA at this moment, we are committed to keeping our supporters updated as we move forward with the project."

Sample facade for a proposed two-bedroom, one-bathroom option in what's called Community A. The floorplan calls for roughly 550 square feet. Alexis Luxury Living

Example of a marble-clad bathroom. Alexis Luxury Living

In recent years, metro Atlanta has seen villages of micro cottages pop up in College Park and Clarkston, while full subdivisions of shipping-container housing have been floated elsewhere. But the perks of living at those projects focused more on affordability and community—and less on accoutrements like bathroom marble and tanning ledges at the palm-treed pool.

In the gallery above, take a tour of a hypothetical community that would be like nothing else in metro Atlanta, should it come to fruition as planned.

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Alexis Luxury Living Tiny Homes Shipping Container Homes Shipping Containers Micro housing Southside Micro Units Affordability Affordable Housing Fayette County

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Plans for the gated entry with a security guard at Alexis Luxury Living. Alexis Luxury Living; via YouTube

Sample facade for a proposed two-bedroom, one-bathroom option in what's called Community A. The floorplan calls for roughly 550 square feet. Alexis Luxury Living

Example of a marble-clad bathroom. Alexis Luxury Living

Plans for the A.L.L. leasing office. Alexis Luxury Living

The communal laundry space proposed for one section of A.L.L. where units wouldn't come with in-home spaces for washers and dryers. Alexis Luxury Living

Alexis Luxury Living

Alexis Luxury Living

Alexis Luxury Living

Alexis Luxury Living

Alexis Luxury Living

Alexis Luxury Living

Into the communal clubhouse. Alexis Luxury Living

Planned design for the clubhouse bar. Alexis Luxury Living

Plans call for a frequently sanitized yoga space and communal gym in one shipping container, per marketing materials. Alexis Luxury Living

Tanning ledge at the resort-style pool, which would also include an outdoor kitchen, per A.L.L. marketing materials. Alexis Luxury Living

Alexis Luxury Living

Alexis Luxury Living

Alexis Luxury Living

Overview of the planned A.L.L. community. Location: TBD. Alexis Luxury Living

Subtitle Gated concept with resort pool aims to find "intersection of luxury and affordability"

Neighborhood Fayetteville

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Ansley Park project aims for mountain-modern feel in middle of ATL Josh Green Mon, 07/24/2023 - 14:36 The phrase “mountain modern” is tossed around too often in metro Atlanta real estate, but a fresh, unique listing in leafy Ansley Park could have legitimate claims to it.

Just completing the home, according to project leaders, was an architectural feat.

The 454 Beverly Road location is marketed as Ansley Park’s “quietest spot,” despite its proximity to Ansley Mall (practically next door), the BeltLine's growing Northeast Trail, and all things Midtown. The formerly overgrown, vacant lot does seem remote—the last one on a private drive branching off the end of a quiet cul-de-sac.

“I had to submit map revisions so navigation could find the property,” listing agent Chad Polazzo, of Re/Max Metro Atlanta Cityside, wrote to Urbanize Atlanta via email. “A very challenging project and one that we are proud of.”

Adding to the mountain feel (and hurdles), construction crews discovered the site was largely stone bedrock beneath the soil, which complicated residential requirements but “yielded the most solid foundation and plenty of boulders” for landscaping around the steep topography, according to the property listing.

Cypress and fieldstone make for a relatively rustic exterior. Courtesy of Chad Polazzo, Re/Max Metro Atlanta Cityside

454 Beverly Road's location in relation to Midtown and other landmarks. Courtesy of Chad Polazzo, Re/Max Metro Atlanta Cityside

Listed last week, the three-level dwelling is asking $3.24 million—for a breakdown of $722 per square foot. That buys five bedrooms and five and ½ bathrooms in 4,500 square feet.

Clad in cypress siding and fieldstone with distinctive German-smear mortaring, the home was designed as geometric layers with linked courtyards at the base and treetop and city views from the highest living spaces.

Marketed as “truly a work of art,” the home was designed by DNK Architecture and Development, whose previous work includes a node of modern townhomes in East Lake. CleverHouse constructed the home.

At the current price, it would join more than a dozen Ansley Park properties that have traded for north of $3 million the past couple of years, topping out with a 1920s English vernacular revival-style residence that fetched an even $4 million in April 2022.

This upper-level loggia extension off the primary suite "offers year-round views of the Midtown skyline and seasonal golf course and Buckhead views," per the listing. Courtesy of Chad Polazzo, Re/Max Metro Atlanta Cityside

Floating stairs in the atrium stairwell. Courtesy of Chad Polazzo, Re/Max Metro Atlanta Cityside

Another interesting and mountain-esque aspect of the Beverly Road listing: builders opted to drill a well during construction to tap into a fresh water source in rock layering, deep below the area’s water table.

“This private water supply eliminates the hazards and inconsistencies (and the costs) of municipal water and is supported by simple, yet state-of-the-art technology,” notes the listing. “It was these very challenges that energized the design/build team to craft a home that takes full advantage of and constantly engages with the site.”

Find a closer look around this unique intown property in the gallery above.

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454 Beverly Road's location in relation to Midtown and other landmarks. Courtesy of Chad Polazzo, Re/Max Metro Atlanta Cityside

Entry to the relatively secluded site. Courtesy of Chad Polazzo, Re/Max Metro Atlanta Cityside

Courtesy of Chad Polazzo, Re/Max Metro Atlanta Cityside

How the 4,500-square-foot dwelling was sited on the formerly overgrown lot. Shown here is a three-car motorcourt for guests. Courtesy of Chad Polazzo, Re/Max Metro Atlanta Cityside

Cypress and fieldstone make for a relatively rustic exterior. Courtesy of Chad Polazzo, Re/Max Metro Atlanta Cityside

Courtesy of Chad Polazzo, Re/Max Metro Atlanta Cityside

Courtesy of Chad Polazzo, Re/Max Metro Atlanta Cityside

Indoor spaces are described as "generous" with understated, custom finishes. Courtesy of Chad Polazzo, Re/Max Metro Atlanta Cityside

Floating stairs in the atrium stairwell. Courtesy of Chad Polazzo, Re/Max Metro Atlanta Cityside

Courtesy of Chad Polazzo, Re/Max Metro Atlanta Cityside

Screened porch off the home's main living area. Courtesy of Chad Polazzo, Re/Max Metro Atlanta Cityside

Into the primary suite, with its vaulted ceilings and treetop views. Courtesy of Chad Polazzo, Re/Max Metro Atlanta Cityside

The primary bathroom includes two walk-in closets. Courtesy of Chad Polazzo, Re/Max Metro Atlanta Cityside

This upper-level loggia extension off the primary suite "offers year-round views of the Midtown skyline and seasonal golf course and Buckhead views," per the listing. Courtesy of Chad Polazzo, Re/Max Metro Atlanta Cityside

Flex space at the basement level. Courtesy of Chad Polazzo, Re/Max Metro Atlanta Cityside

Wood-clad passageway between courtyards. Courtesy of Chad Polazzo, Re/Max Metro Atlanta Cityside

Boulders incorporated into the landscape during construction. Courtesy of Chad Polazzo, Re/Max Metro Atlanta Cityside

Four covered parking spaces are included—two in the garage, and two under the carport feature. Courtesy of Chad Polazzo, Re/Max Metro Atlanta Cityside

Courtesy of Chad Polazzo, Re/Max Metro Atlanta Cityside

Courtesy of Chad Polazzo, Re/Max Metro Atlanta Cityside

Subtitle Clad in stone and cypress near Atlanta BeltLine, roomy build by DNK architecture firm targets $3.25M

Neighborhood Ansley Park

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Mixed-income project green-lighted at Atlanta University Center Josh Green Mon, 07/24/2023 - 12:20 Hundreds of new housing units are bound for the doorstep of some of Atlanta’s most storied colleges and universities.

Officials with Atlanta-based developer Integral Group recently announced they’ve closed on financing to build the second phase of Ashley Scholars Landing, a mixed-income venture at Atlanta University Center, just west of Castleberry Hill.

The project will rise on Atlanta Student Movement Boulevard and feature 212 units for rent, according to Integral. Other aspects will include two fitness rooms, a club room, activity center, and 240 parking spaces.

Integral previously developed Ashley Scholars Landing’s 135-unit initial phase across the street, consisting of two buildings and amenities such as a swimming pool.

HBCUs Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University, and Spelman College are all located within a few blocks.

Location of the project's first phase along Atlanta Student Movement Boulevard, just west of Castleberry Hill. Google Maps

Ashley Scholars Landing's mixed-income, 135-unit first phase. McShane Construction Company

With the latest Ashley build, families living in 90 units are expected to receive rental assistance through Atlanta Housing’s Homeflex Program, which that agency credits with increasing access to quality affordable housing for low-income tenants across the city.

The Ashley project is considered part of the Choice Neighborhood Initiative and revitalization of University Homes, the nation’s first public housing development for Black residents. The redeveloped Roosevelt Hall—the last remaining piece of University Homes—stands across the street.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. is providing more than $30 million in construction financing for Ashley Scholars Landing’s second phase, alongside funding partners that include Atlanta Housing and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.  

We’re reached out to Integral for more images and details on a construction timeline, and we’ll update this story with any additional information that comes.

Plans for the second Ashley Scholars Landing phase at AUC. via JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Ashley Scholars Landing's initial phase, as seen earlier this year. Google Maps

Other projects under Integral’s Ashley brand include the 304-unit Ashley Auburn Point near MARTA’s King Memorial station, plus other communities in Midtown, West End, and elsewhere.

The developer describes Ashley complexes as combinations of “affordable and workforce housing units within a harmonious mixed-income community,” where residents can “experience the perfect blend of comfort, convenience, and luxury.”

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669 Atlanta Student Movement Boulevard Ashley Scholars Landing II Integral Group Mixed-Income Development Atlanta Housing Authority Atlanta University Center HomeFlex Program University Homes McShane Construction Company Ashley Apartments Clark Atlanta University Spelman College Morehouse Morehouse College Morris Brown College JPMorgan Chase

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Location of the project's first phase along Atlanta Student Movement Boulevard, just west of Castleberry Hill. Google Maps

Ashley Scholars Landing's mixed-income, 135-unit first phase. McShane Construction Company

Ashley Scholars Landing's initial phase, as seen earlier this year. Google Maps

Google Maps

Plans for the second Ashley Scholars Landing phase at AUC. via JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Subtitle It's the second phase of Ashley Scholars Landing community between downtown, HBCUs

Neighborhood Downtown

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