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North of downtown Marietta, 600 homes set for groundbreaking Josh Green Fri, 11/15/2024 - 14:02 One of the nation’s largest homebuilders is set to move forward with its biggest land development to date in metro Atlanta, promising a mix of housing that’s exceptionally green.

Officials with Atlanta-based Beazer Homes have scheduled a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday morning at a site nearly the size of Piedmont Park, situated north of downtown Marietta, for a 591-home project called GreenHouse.

The 150 Laura Lake Road project will take shape just east of the Interstate 75 and I-575 split, south of Barrett Parkway near the Town Center at Cobb shopping center.

According to site plans, a lake and cemetery border the property today and will be preserved.

Lakeside site plan for Beazer’s 591-home GreenHouse in the City of Marietta. Beazer Homes

GreenHouse plans call for a mix of townhomes, ranch-style, and two-story homes, all of them certified under the U.S. Department of Energy as a Zero Energy Ready Home. That certification indicates a level of construction that exceeds all local construction and energy codes, according to Beazer officials.

GreenHouse amenities are expected to include miles of nature trails (sample name: "The Long and Winding Road"), pocket parks (one called "Poets Corner"), and gardens, with a goal of creating a relaxed atmosphere, per Beazer officials.

The first GreenHouse homes are scheduled to be released for sale in fall 2025.

GreenHouse's 150 Laura Lake Road location north of downtown Marietta off Interstate 75. Google Maps

Beazer announced in May it had acquired the 174-acre property in the City of Marietta, marking the company’s largest land acquisition in the metro to date.

Elsewhere, Beazer counts 12 other communities around the metro in various stages of development, spanning from Powder Springs and Kennesaw to Cumming, Atlanta, and Decatur.  

We’ve asked Beazer reps for more visuals, including home renderings, and pricing details. This story will be updated with any additional information that comes.

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GreenHouse's 150 Laura Lake Road location north of downtown Marietta off Interstate 75. Google Maps

Lakeside site plan for Beazer’s 591-home GreenHouse in the City of Marietta. Beazer Homes

Subtitle GreenHouse project marks largest metro Atlanta land acquisition for national builder Beazer

Neighborhood Marietta

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Officials: Juniper Street overhaul complicated but progressing Josh Green Fri, 11/15/2024 - 08:11 With the recent news that Midtown’s 1.1-mile, northbound Piedmont Avenue Complete Street Project is gearing up to move forward after nearly a decade of planning, Atlantans couldn’t help but wonder about the status of its under-construction, southbound counterpart.

The short answer: It’s complicated, but happening.

Midtown Alliance officials describe the process of constructing the Juniper Complete Street Project—now a year and ½ after groundbreaking—as a complex, Tetris-like puzzle of disruption, pauses, and progress in a bustling part of town. Readers have recently worried that construction had been shut down altogether.

That’s not the case, according to Midtown Alliance spokesperson Brian Carr, but demand for access to Juniper Street from other entities with priority utility, construction, or filming permits has required the project’s contractor to temporarily pause work on certain blocks lately.

Changes to Juniper Street will cover 12 blocks, implementing a one-way cycletrack that starts at 14th Street near Colony Square and travels down to Ponce de Leon Avenue.

Vehicle lanes will be reduced to two, and dedicated parallel parking will be installed within a new buffer lane in places. Other additions will include bioswales, LED lighting, and street furniture. The goal—as first proposed 14 years ago—is to create a more inviting, safer corridor for multiple forms of urban mobility.

According to Carr, the majority of curb work is finished along the corridor. Crews have been installing new traffic signal poles in recent weeks, which is expected to continue through Nov. 23, per a Midtown Alliance summary.

Depiction of the southbound, barrier-separated Juniper Street bike lanes, wider sidewalks, and more. Courtesy of TSW

The project remains on budget (estimated cost: $8.7 million), but construction will extend into sometime next year, Carr said. It broke ground in May 2023 and was considered a 20-month job from the outset.

“This is a busy corridor, and ongoing construction must be sequenced to allow for continued vehicular access,” noted Carr via email. “Like the rest of the community, our team is eager to have all the upgraded features on this corridor operational. We appreciate the community's patience as work continues.”

The Juniper Street project was funded with a mix of city transportation impact fees, federal and state grants, and Midtown Improvement District funds. The idea was first hatched way back in 2010, when a TSW design team was hired.

Midtown Alliance officials were once optimistic the project would be fully under construction by late 2016. Behind the scenes, however, a web of delays, dysfunction, and other messes involving the city’s procurement system under previous mayoral administrations was a significant hurdle.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens appointed a new procurement chief in 2022, and Midtown Alliance CEO and president Kevin Green has applauded the city’s revised procurement process as being more streamlined and sensible.

Courtesy of TSW

The complete-street overhaul will see non-drivers flowing south alongside car traffic in six to seven-foot bike lanes, protected by a system of raised planters and barriers at intersections. Trees and landscaping will be implemented as seasons and weather allow, and fresh asphalt will be laid near the end of construction, officials have said.

Early phases of construction removed and preserved historic Juniper Street trolley tracks that had been submerged through the area.

One block east, the 1.1-mile system of northbound bike lanes will similarly update Piedmont Avenue, stretching from Ponce de Leon Avenue up to 15th Street at Piedmont Park.

Here's a closer look at precisely the section of Midtown the Juniper Street bike lanes and other changes will cover: 

Scope of the one-way, southbound cycle track. Midtown Alliance

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Depiction of the southbound, barrier-separated Juniper Street bike lanes, wider sidewalks, and more. Courtesy of TSW

Courtesy of TSW

Courtesy of TSW

Courtesy of TSW

Courtesy of TSW

Courtesy of TSW

Midtown Alliance

Scope of the one-way, southbound cycle track. Midtown Alliance

Subtitle Midtown project implementing cycletrack across a dozen blocks between Peachtree, Piedmont Park

Neighborhood Midtown

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Fresh visuals: How Ansley Mall plans to meet the Atlanta Beltline Josh Green Thu, 11/14/2024 - 15:41 Plans are coming into clearer focus for how a popular 1960s intown mall plans to adapt and capitalize on its new Atlanta Beltline proximity like numerous trailside properties before it.

Site plans and visuals recently filed with the City of Atlanta Office of Zoning and Development show in detail how the third location of celebrated restaurant Lewis Barbecue will transform the backside of Ansley Mall and face the Beltline’s Northeast Trail, alongside ancillary retail spaces and a new pedestrian bridge.

Following a ribbon-cutting this week, all Northeast Trail segments are now finished between southern Buckhead and Monroe Drive, opening easier, off-street access to the Ansley Mall area for a multitude of neighborhoods in both directions.

Ansley Mall renovation plans compiled by Terminus Design Group architects are scheduled to come before NPU-F next week and the city’s Zoning Review Board on Dec. 5. 

According to a Special Use Permit application, the smokehouse will stand two stories adjacent to other retail spaces that were previously a laundromat and bar. All the Beltline-facing spaces will total 11,000 square feet, according to retail leasing agents Bridger Properties.

Full scope of renovation plans for the backside of Ansley Mall, as served by the pedestrian bridge installed in 2023. Terminus Design Group

Plans for an exterior walkway between new retail spaces facing the Beltline. Terminus Design Group

For Lewis Barbecue, the Ansley Mall outpost will mark the concept’s third location, following others in Charleston and Greenville. Some 3,000 weekly patrons are expected, with a substantial portion of them arriving from the Beltline. Another 100 to 150 vehicles per day are expected at the mall, per the SUP application.  

We’ve asked reps with Ansley Mall owner and landlord Selig Enterprises for an update on when the restaurant, other retail spaces, and the pedestrian bridge might open. We’ll update this story with any additional information that comes.

Selig, which has owned the 16-acre mall property for a half-century, completed the 105-foot pedestrian bridge project a year ago. It's meant to serve as a welcome mat for Beltline patrons—and an easier connection to the Beltline for residents in nearby neighborhoods such as Piedmont Heights. 

Planned layout for the barbecue restaurant and adjacent retail, at left. Terminus Design Group

Officials have said the bridge project doesn’t impact surrounding nature, which includes wooded areas and a small waterway called Clear Creek. It remains fenced-off and closed to the public for now.

Ansley Mall’s tenants today include The Cook’s Warehouse, Ansley Wine Merchants, Phidippides, Brooklyn Bagel, and Intaglia Home Collection, among others.

Selig bought Ansley Mall in 1972 and still considers it a jewel-box asset in a 4-million-square-foot portfolio of retail properties across the Southeast. In Atlanta, those include adaptive-reuse district The Works in Underwood Hills, The Shops of Buckhead, Brookwood Place, Peachtree Plaza, and Buckhead Square I and II, among other holdings.

The repositioning of eastside properties to better interface with Beltline trails has been a trend for years.

Notable early adopters included the Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall space and Murder Kroger (RIP), where a connecting trail and jovial mural were installed in 2014 to help siphon customers from the Beltline.

A more recent example is the Midtown Promenade redo near Piedmont Park, where the back alley was converted into a more welcoming plaza entrance with new shops and eats, including an Athlete’s Foot flagship. The Painted Park concept in Inman Park—now open—is another case of backdoors becoming Beltline welcoming mats.

Sections of the current mall (in red) slated for demolition. Terminus Design Group

Terminus Design Group

Head up to the gallery for more context and a closer look at planned changes behind Ansley Mall.  

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Overview of the 1960s mall property layout today, in relation to the BeltLine's Northeast Trail corridor at bottom, as seen while under construction. Google Maps

As seen in December, the pedestrian bridge and a new plaza area off the Beltline's Northeast Trail segment. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Plans for an exterior walkway between new retail spaces facing the Beltline. Terminus Design Group

Full scope of renovation plans for the backside of Ansley Mall, as served by the pedestrian bridge installed in 2023. Terminus Design Group

Ansley Mall's current layout along Clear Creek and the Northeast Trail. Terminus Design Group

Sections of the current mall (in red) slated for demolition. Terminus Design Group

Planned layout for the barbecue restaurant and adjacent retail, at left. Terminus Design Group

Terminus Design Group

Terminus Design Group

Terminus Design Group

Terminus Design Group

Terminus Design Group

Terminus Design Group

Terminus Design Group

Terminus Design Group

The creek-spanning bridge as viewed from the north. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Where a new Northeast Trail bridge also spans Clear Creek. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Subtitle Lewis Barbecue location, other retail will utilize new pedestrian bridge off Northeast Trail

Neighborhood Piedmont Heights

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Analysis: Atlanta is the worst U.S. city for driving in 2024 Josh Green Thu, 11/14/2024 - 13:57 Nobody needs a data guru to tell them driving for any considerable distance in Atlanta can be, well, a challenge these days. Even on weekends. But the worst driving experience in the USA?

A national analysis released this week set out to determine the top 10 U.S. cities where residents shouldn’t drive a car, based on traffic snarls, cost of vehicle ownership, and fatality rates.

And yes the ATL—unfortunately but not surprisingly—landed at No. 1.

The study, compiled by Chicago-based Conboy Law Injury & Medical Malpractice Lawyers, analyzed 36 major U.S. cities based on three primary factors to calculate a Driving Risk Score. Those were traffic delay times, vehicle ownership rates, and traffic-related fatalities in urban areas per 100,000 people. (The study applied to the city proper and not metro areas, it should be noted.)  

The City of Atlanta’s composite score of 100—as bad as it gets, basically—crowned/befouled it as the most challenging urban area for drivers this year. That’s one slot ahead of/below Los Angeles.

Conboy analysts found that almost 95 percent of Atlanta’s adult population owns a car. That translates to crowded roads and long commutes, with an average delay of 61 minutes, per the study.

Atlanta finished first/last in the 10 Worst U.S. Cities for Driving list this year. Courtesy of Conboy

On the surface, Atlanta’s 90 traffic fatalities per year on average looks strong among the top 10—but the city proper also counts the smallest population on the list.

The findings continue a dismal recent track record for Atlanta when it comes to expensive, time-consuming, and generally hellacious commutes.

Clever, a real estate data company, ranked Atlanta the second worst U.S. commuter city in 2022 and third worst last year, based on rankings that took into account public transit scores, insurance premiums, annual fuel costs, and other factors. 

Which, hey, is improvement, right?

Connector on-ramp traffic in 2019. Shutterstock

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Atlanta finished first/last in the 10 Worst U.S. Cities for Driving list this year. Courtesy of Conboy

Subtitle "That's shocking!" — nobody

Neighborhood Citywide

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MARTA's $230M Five Points transformation is officially back on Josh Green Thu, 11/14/2024 - 08:18 After a summer of friction between transit leaders and city officials that prompted a four-and-½-month pause, MARTA’s long-planned overhaul of its largest and busiest station is gearing up to plow forward again.

MARTA CEO and general manager Collie Greenwood is expected to formally announce at today’s MARTA Board Work Session and Meeting that plans are advancing for the agency’s original, $230-million Five Points remake.

The agency filed paperwork with the city Tuesday to move forward with commercial demolition for what’s called the Five Points Transformation Project.

According to MARTA spokesperson Stephany Fisher, plans for a revived and opened-up Five Points have not changed, but the process for executing them has received a “slight modification” after MARTA heads reached an agreement with Mayor Andre Dickens and other City of Atlanta officials.

That change calls for keeping one Five Points station entrance open during construction on the Forsyth Street side, allowing for street-level and elevator access, plus bus pick-up and drop-off during the majority of construction. (Walling off access to Five Points train platforms, as previous plans had called for, was a major sticking point between MARTA, city leadership, and other downtown groups.)

The downside for MARTA patrons: That Five Points access from the street will result in a longer construction schedule and early nightly closures. That’s because cranes are forbidden from moving construction materials over active station entrances, according to MARTA.   

A revised construction timeline has yet to be finalized, Fisher tells Urbanize Atlanta.

A refined preview depicting how the opened-up transit hub could look and function. Courtesy of MARTA

Greenwood said in a prepared statement the agreement between MARTA and city leadership is “a win-win for MARTA, the City of Atlanta, and our customers as we move forward together to improve transit across our region.”

MARTA plans to remake Five Points’ plazas and peel off the station’s huge concrete canopy, replacing it with a modernized, brighter covering. The current canopy has been subjected to decades of water intrusion that’s led to damage around the station, including to crucial electric train control equipment, according to MARTA.   

Once the overhaul is finished, MARTA hopes the bunker-like, 1970s transit hub will be more of a vibrant, centralized city center with smoother access to trains and buses.

MARTA’s Five Points redevelopment plans—and the schedule for executing them—had been a source of friction between the transit agency and city leaders, mobility advocates, and powerful downtown boosters who raised concerns about the designs and extended impacts on people who depend on downtown transit access. In June, opponents organized a rally in hopes of persuading MARTA to reconsider its tactics. By early the following month, MARTA had agreed to temporarily slam the brakes.  

Detractors, including several city councilmembers, have publicly come out against MARTA’s redesign plan on the basis, in their view, it would detract from a town-square feel and restrict pedestrian and cycling access in favor of infrastructure for 10 bus routes that connect there.

MARTA officials have stressed the full Five Points renovation is estimated to take four years, but that street-level access wouldn't be impacted for that long.

MARTA

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Subtitle Remake of transit system's largest, busiest hub rolling forward with "slight modification," agency reports

Neighborhood Downtown

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Five Points MARTA station redevelopment

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$107M remake planned for parts of downtown before World Cup Josh Green Wed, 11/13/2024 - 16:13 South Downtown and Centennial Yards aren’t the only sections of downtown aiming to roll out a multi-million-dollar, redevelopment welcome mat for FIFA World Cup visitors in less than 600 days.  

Georgia State University relays in a thorough report this week that $107 million in campus upgrades are set to be designed, constructed, and open to the public in roughly a year and 1/2. Project heads are calling the initiative among the most transformative a Georgia university has ever undertaken.  

The bulk of upgrades spanning eastern blocks of downtown will be funded by an $80 million Woodruff Foundation grant announced Tuesday—the largest in GSU’s 111-year history and the most generous gift the foundation has ever given to a university in Georgia.

Collectively it's being called The Building Pathways for Success Initiative, and it seeks to build upon momentum started with the GSU Blue Line project, in hopes of creating a true college town feel downtown.

A campus Greenway space in the works near Hurt Park. Georgia State University

GSU is contributing $27 million of its own funding to bring the changes to fruition before millions of visitors start arriving downtown ahead of World Cup matches in June and July 2026. Plans were approved this week by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents’ Committee on Real Estate and Facilities.

The bulk of redevelopment will occur around Hurt Park and Woodruff Park, both important downtown respites of greenspace set amidst a concrete jungle of GSU administrative and classroom buildings.

Plans call for remaking sections of GSU property around the parks into centralized social hubs that bring students together and “create safe, inviting, and comfortable spaces for the community,” according to a GSU announcement.

At Woodruff Park, on the opposite side of Peachtree Street, changes call for moving an Atlanta Streetcar platform to better align with a park entrance, new sidewalks, and plaza and façade improvements at the 25 Park Place building.

A block of Park Place, between Edgewood and Auburn avenues, will be closed to all vehicles except the streetcar, per GSU.  

Plans at the cusp of Woodruff Park call for closing a block of Park Place to vehicle traffic, allowing only the Atlanta Streetcar. Georgia State University

More significant changes are in the pipeline around Hurt Park, which wrapped an extensive renovation two years ago.

GSU’s plans call for removing three-story Sparks Hall so that Hurt Park next door can link with the campus’ existing Greenway. That would be achieved by making Gilmer Street a pedestrian-only zone and adding an elevated plaza, walkways, and green buffers where Sparks Hall currently stands. That area would be known as an expanded “Panther Quad.”

Overview of planned changes near Hurt Park and the 100 Edgewood building, at right. Georgia State University

Other changes around Hurt Park call for adding a glassy, more contemporary façade to the Arts and Humanities Building. Food trucks would congregate near its base along the pedestrianized Gilmer Street.

Across Edgewood Avenue, just north of Hurt Park, big changes are also in store for the 100 Edgewood high-rise building.

According to GSU officials, the 1960s, 18-story structure will see a dining area and gathering space at its base, while the first four floors will be remade into classrooms, “confirming [100 Edgewood’s] presence as a cornerstone of the new campus core.”

Plans for a renovated Arts and Humanities Building and a pedestrianized Gilmer Street. Georgia State University

Blue Line branding and other changes in the Edgewood Avenue pipeline, east of Woodruff Park. Georgia State University

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Overview of planned changes near Hurt Park and the 100 Edgewood building, at right. Georgia State University

Plans for a renovated Arts and Humanities Building and a pedestrianized Gilmer Street. Georgia State University

Plans at the cusp of Woodruff Park call for closing a block of Park Place to vehicle traffic, allowing only the Atlanta Streetcar. Georgia State University

Blue Line branding and other changes in the Edgewood Avenue pipeline, east of Woodruff Park. Georgia State University

A campus Greenway space in the works near Hurt Park. Georgia State University

Subtitle Record $80M grant for Georgia State to fast-track changes to parks, Edgewood Avenue, more

Neighborhood Downtown

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Beltline-adjacent homes from (gasp) high-$300Ks make sales push Josh Green Wed, 11/13/2024 - 13:43 Recent price adjustments on the southside mean that owning new homes adjacent to the Beltline corridor from the $300,000s is a reality again—if barely so, and in a very limited quantity.

New townhomes continue to take shape at a Chosewood Park project called Skylar (formerly Maguire at Skylar) with discounted prices now starting at $399,900, just south of The Beacon mixed-use district.

It joins a groundswell of new residential development in the neighborhood (both for sale and rent) as the area’s Beltline section promises to be built and open within about a year and 1/2. 

Set to eventually include 113 homes, the formerly empty Skylar site is roughly a block south of the under-construction Southside Trail corridor, due west of Boulevard Crossing Park. Chosewood Park’s eponymous greenspace is also a couple of blocks away, to the southeast.

The 113-home project's proximity to the Beltline's under-construction Southside Trail (middle distance) and downtown. Stanley Martin Homes

Skylar units starting from $399,900 right now Photo by James Mauro, courtesy of Stanley Martin Homes

The $399,900 asking price at Skylar buys a four-level floorplan called The Blanche. That gets three bedrooms, three full bathrooms, and two half-baths in 1,898 square feet, between a one-car garage at the base and bedroom plus storage space up top. (By Atlanta standards, the main-level, elevated decks are quite small.)

Prices for the floorplan currently top out at $459,900.

LaTonya D. Stephens, a Stanley Martin senior neighborhood sales manager, tells Urbanize Atlanta two Blanche townhomes are currently finished, with another 13 in the same floorplan scheduled to deliver by early next year.

Overall, the community calls for a total of 81 townhomes and 32 condos. Construction on the condo portion is expected to begin in early 2025, but no information in terms of sizes and prices is available, according to Stephens.

“The project should be complete by fall of next year,” Stephens said of Skylar, via email. 

Looking west over the Skylar project and Southside Trail construction recently. Stanley Martin Homes

Photo by James Mauro, courtesy of Stanley Martin Homes

Other large-scale developments underway in the area include the massive Empire Zephyr community (also priced from the high $300,000s) and the mid-rise, 396-unit Upton apartment project, which is finishing construction on a hilltop.

Also nearby, a functional, public-accessible new greenspace is coming together as part of Atlanta Housing’s 30-acre Englewood development.

Stanley Martin’s marketing team has promoted the lifestyle at Skylar as “easy living” where “yard work, home exterior, roof maintenance, and trash are all taken care of for you.” Listing services peg HOA fees at $200 monthly, per townhome.

Elsewhere in metro Atlanta, the company is building another 200-unit townhome project on the Westside near Proctor Creek, in addition to several communities in the suburbs, from Holly Springs to Lawrenceville. 

Find a closer look at what’s cooking (including floorplans) across this nearly 9-acre section of Chosewood Park, which was previously fenced-off and vacant, in the gallery above.

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The project's Skylar Terrace location in Chosewood Park, with the Beltline's Southside Trail corridor pictured at top. Courtesy of Stanley Martin Homes, via SM Georgia Brokerage

The 113-home project's proximity to the Beltline's under-construction Southside Trail (middle distance) and downtown. Stanley Martin Homes

Looking west over the Skylar project and Southside Trail construction recently. Stanley Martin Homes

Stanley Martin Homes

Skylar units starting from $399,900 right now Photo by James Mauro, courtesy of Stanley Martin Homes

Photo by James Mauro, courtesy of Stanley Martin Homes

Photo by James Mauro, courtesy of Stanley Martin Homes

Photo by James Mauro, courtesy of Stanley Martin Homes

Photo by James Mauro, courtesy of Stanley Martin Homes

Photo by James Mauro, courtesy of Stanley Martin Homes

Photo by James Mauro, courtesy of Stanley Martin Homes

Inside a Blanche floorplan (two bedrooms, two bathrooms, two half-baths) model unit listed in 2023.Courtesy of Stanley Martin Homes, via SM Georgia Brokerage

Courtesy of Stanley Martin Homes, via SM Georgia Brokerage

Courtesy of Stanley Martin Homes, via SM Georgia Brokerage

Courtesy of Stanley Martin Homes, via SM Georgia Brokerage

Courtesy of Stanley Martin Homes, via SM Georgia Brokerage

Base level layouts for the four-story Blanche with loft plans at the Skylar community. Stanley Martin Homes

Main level. Stanley Martin Homes

Third-floor layout.Stanley Martin Homes

Fourth-level layouts of the Blanche plans. Stanley Martin Homes

Subtitle Sizable Skylar project in Chosewood Park to also include condos soon, per builders

Neighborhood Chosewood Park

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Bigger ballpark for kiddos bound for Atlanta Braves stadium Josh Green Wed, 11/13/2024 - 12:23 The World Series may have just ended (sadly, without local representation again), but the Atlanta Braves are already looking forward to the 2025 campaign in more ways than player personnel.

The team today announced a new ballpark amenity geared toward the youngest Braves Country constituents—a reimagined and expanded Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Park—will be in full swing by the time the team starts playing games at The Battery Atlanta again next season.

It’s another investment outside the walls of the MLB ballpark that joins a crop office and residential buildings now finishing construction or rising up.

Beginning with the 2025 season, the beefed-up, dedicated family space will be moved around the stadium to Left Field Plaza, allowing for enough space to accommodate more than twice as many families as the current Hope & Will's Sandlot area, according to team officials.

That site is situated between Truist Park’s Left Field Gate and Third Base Gate.

Courtesy of Atlanta Braves

The renovations—designed in partnership with sports and entertainment architects ROSSETTI and Impact Development Management—were created based on feedback from parents who’ve been frequent patrons of the Sandlot over the years. Expect kid-focused merchandise and dedicated concessions in the expanded kids zone, which will span more than 30,000 square feet.

Other highlights bound for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Park, per team officials:

• A 480-square-foot video board on the Delta Deck designed to allow families to play without missing Braves action.
• A great lawn with seating and chill-out areas.
• Collapsible batting cages for kids and parents.
• Seating for family members across the new park, larger shade areas, cooling misters, and easy-access restrooms.
• A reimagined kids’ zone with a new rock-climbing tower and other interactive play features.
• BLOOPER’s Clubhouse for meeting mascot BLOOPER and taking photos during games.
• Hope & Will’s Sandlot. That’s a kid-sized ball field with a scaled model of Truist Park’s outfield wall for organized and pick-up games.

Courtesy of Atlanta Braves

According to Braves officials, the new park will be open on gamedays, and it’ll also be accessible from The Battery for events and activities on some days the Bravos aren’t playing.

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Courtesy of Atlanta Braves

Courtesy of Atlanta Braves

Subtitle Officials: Remade activity hub Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Park to be in full swing soon

Neighborhood Smyrna/Vinings

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Developer: Dead Kmart replacement set to (partially) move forward Josh Green Tue, 11/12/2024 - 15:59 The long-planned “urban lifestyle” replacement for a demolished and cleared Kmart in Doraville is gearing up to finally move forward—at least partially.

Miami-based developer Resia, the company behind a five-building residential project on Memorial Drive and another in Douglasville, is gearing up to build the first phase of a sizable multifamily project at 5593 Buford Highway, company officials tell Urbanize Atlanta.  

Resia Lotus Grove’s initial phase calls for a 12-story building—the tallest in Doraville, per project officials—with 456 apartments and perks that include a pool and fitness center.  

Gus Cabrera, Resia’s director of business development, recently told Urbanize infrastructure work on the residential tower has begun, and full development is on pace to start next year.

Project renderings “are still being massaged” and aren’t available for public release, per Resia officials.

The scope of Resia’s work will include shared infrastructure for what’s planned to be a much larger, mixed-use destination, situated just beyond Interstate 285 along the foodie mecca that is Buford Highway. Real estate investment firm Insignia is putting together the larger project.

The cleared, 13-acre site, as seen along Buford Highway this past summer. Google Maps

The planned layout for Kmart's replacement, Lotus Grove, according to 2021 renderings. Insignia LLC; designs, Reside Studios

A Kmart Big K operated on the 13-acre Doraville property until 2010. It was fully cleared two years ago, ostensibly setting the stage for a complex called Lotus Grove that promised to continue the development trend of urban-style, mixed-use nodes along Atlanta's near-northside in cities such as Chamblee and Dunwoody. 

Where the full Lotus Grove project stands today remains a question mark. Inquiries to Insignia officials in recent weeks haven’t been returned.

According to the developer’s website, Lotus Grove will eventually see two 12-story residential towers (with 780 units total) as part of roughly 1 million square feet of new construction.

Other facets would include a national hotel and a public park designed to be activated for events.

“Lotus Grove will bring more urbanization to the City of Doraville and its surrounding neighborhoods,” reads Insignia’s description, “while revitalizing Buford Highway.”

The 13-acre Doraville site along Buford Highway, looking east, with Interstate 285 at right. Google Maps

Lotus Grove commercial facades. Insignia LLC

Three years ago, Doraville’s Downtown Development Authority issued roughly $120 million worth of revenue bonds that Insignia will have to pay back, plus a tax abatement in the ballpark of $40 million.

The Lotus Grove site is less than a mile from the initial phase of Doraville’s Assembly Atlanta TV and film studio and greenspace complex, which has risen from the ashes of a razed General Motors plant.

Find more context and the latest available imagery in the gallery above.

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5597 Buford Highway Insignia Kmart Reside Studios Buford Highway Lotus Grove Mixed-Use Interstate 285 Hilton Chaz Lazarian Joseph Geierman Big K American Subtractors Association Gray Television Gipson Company The Gipson Company Studio City Resia Resia Lotus Grove

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The 13-acre Doraville site along Buford Highway, looking east, with Interstate 285 at right. Google Maps

The former Doraville Big K site, idle for a decade, as seen in March 2021.Google Maps

The cleared, 13-acre site, as seen along Buford Highway this past summer. Google Maps

The planned layout for Kmart's replacement, Lotus Grove, according to 2021 renderings. Insignia LLC; designs, Reside Studios

Lotus Grove commercial facades. Insignia LLC

Plans for internal social spaces and shops. Insignia LLC

Subtitle Plans for Lotus Grove project call for tallest building in Doraville, situated along Buford Highway

Neighborhood Doraville

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Lotus Grove - 5597 Buford Highway

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Peachtree Street's latest mixed-use tower ready for closeup Josh Green Tue, 11/12/2024 - 13:39 Two and ½ years after it officially broke ground, another glassy high-rise is at the cusp of opening on Atlanta’s signature street with a mix of uses.

Having replaced a surface parking lot, the 31-story Society Atlanta is the latest project in a national brand that developers say offers relative affordability in choice locations. In Atlanta, that means co-living (read: roommate-style) floorplans in non-student housing at Society Atlanta, in some cases. 

National real estate firm PMG and Toronto-based private equity and asset management company Greybrook announced today pre-leasing has begun at the 811 Peachtree St. building, with first move-ins scheduled for early next month.

In addition to 460 apartments, the project will deliver more than 87,000 square feet of office space and 14,500 square feet of ground-level retail in hopes of enlivening one of Midtown’s densest sections.

Getting a foot in the door at this new Society costs $1,505 monthly. That rents one bedroom and one bathroom in 423 square feet, but in a rent-by-bedroom arrangement with a shared kitchen, living room, dining room, and balcony.

The least expensive Society Atlanta option currently listed rents for $1,505 monthly (per bedroom). PMG/Society Atlanta

Fresh rendering for the 31-story tower's lower floors, as approaching from the north. Courtesy of PMG

That does represent a slight monthly cost savings over the most recent Midtown apartment high-rise to deliver, Loria Ansley, as one example. Studio apartments at that project, also located on Peachtree Street near the High Museum of Art, start at $1,546 square feet with a little more square footage—but no shared spaces.

Meanwhile, the priciest rentals at Society Atlanta listed right now ask $4,420 monthly for three bedrooms and three bathrooms in 1,286 square feet.

Two months of free rent is being offered as a grand opening special.

Perks of the building include a yoga lawn and pool deck positioned atop a parking garage, an app-based key entry system, and modern gym and fitness studios described by project officials as “massive.” Daily fitness events are planned.

Cushman & Wakefield has been tasked with leasing two full floors of Class A office space at the building, each roughly 43,000 square feet. Bridger Properties is handling retail leasing at street level, with spaces ranging from 736 to 14,500 square feet, per officials.

Ryan Shear, a PMG managing partner, said in the announcement the company has been “longtime admirers of Midtown” and that its Peachtree Street building “brings a new level of modern living, abundant amenities, and engaging event programming to the market.”

New visual depicting the planned look of amenities on a parking deck on the southern face of the project. Courtesy of PMG

Courtesy of PMG

The Cooper Carry-designed building claimed a surface parking lot at the southeast corner of Peachtree and 6th streets. For several years, The Integral Group was planning a visually striking apartment tower called EVIVA Peachtree for the site but eventually walked way in 2018, reopening the lot to paid parking for several years.

The pricey corner parcel totaling 1.27 acres went for $20.3 million in 2021, PMG reps said at the time. Society Atlanta officially broke ground in May 2022.

Like other projects under the Society Living concept, PMG says Society Atlanta was created to address an insatiable demand for reasonable rents close to walkable, urban centers.   

The priciest floorplan in the building right now (three bedrooms, each with a bathroom) asks $4,420 monthly. PMG/Society Atlanta

Courtesy of PMG

More than 8,500 units are planned nationally as part of Society Living developments, including Society Las Olas in downtown Fort Lauderdale and others in Miami and Orlando. Similar projects in Brooklyn, Denver, and Nashville are underway. PMG officials say the company has delivered more than $11 billion in assets across the country over the past three decades.

Find a quick tour, via fresh renderings, of Society Atlanta highlights in the gallery above.

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

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

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

As seen when it topped out last December, the Society Atlanta tower viewed from the southwest, next to 36-story neighbor Viewpoint condos. Photo by Juneau Construction Company; courtesy of PMG

Fresh rendering for the 31-story tower's lower floors, as approaching from the north. Courtesy of PMG

New visual depicting the planned look of amenities on a parking deck on the southern face of the project. Courtesy of PMG

Arrangement of Society Atlanta offices over 6th Street. Courtesy of PMG

Courtesy of PMG

A Society Atlanta coworking space. Courtesy of PMG

Courtesy of PMG

Courtesy of PMG

Courtesy of PMG

Courtesy of PMG

Courtesy of PMG

Courtesy of PMG

Courtesy of PMG

Courtesy of PMG

Courtesy of PMG

The least expensive Society Atlanta option currently listed rents for $1,505 monthly (per bedroom). PMG/Society Atlanta

The priciest floorplan in the building right now (three bedrooms, each with a bathroom) asks $4,420 monthly. PMG/Society Atlanta

Subtitle $1,500 monthly (with roommates) gets foot in the door at Society Atlanta’s mix of rentals, offices, retail

Neighborhood Midtown

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Society Atlanta - 811 Peachtree Street NE

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Images: In North Georgia Mountains, luxury RV resort en route Josh Green Tue, 11/12/2024 - 08:29 Fancy roaming the country in a luxury motorcoach, but don’t want to sacrifice proximity to pickleball and a resort-style pool? A new concept bound for the North Georgia Mountains aims to rectify that situation.

Like a new $16-million complex near Kennesaw and many others around the country catering to discerning, post-COVID travelers, a luxury RV resort project called DiVine Village on the outskirts of Dahlonega is being designed to blend a sense of adventure with haute comforts and natural beauty.

Recently announced plans for DiVine Village call for 260 RV sites and short-term rentals spread across 110 lakeside acres at 3084 Town Creek Church Road.

The project’s goal is to capitalize on proximity to Georgia wine country and views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, with charming Dahlonega (named one of Travel + Leisure magazine’s best American small towns last year) down the road. 

Courtesy of DiVine Village; designs JVB Architects, Pro Vision Design

Courtesy of DiVine Village; designs JVB Architects, Pro Vision Design

DiVine Village was founded by faith-based local entrepreneurs Tom Petrillo and his wife, Karen, and the design team is comprised of Ralph Schuler of JVB Architects (his portfolio includes six deluxe RV resorts in Florida) and Pro Vision Design’s Peter Shipps, a Dahlonega resident behind the well-known Old Edwards Inn in Highlands, N.C.

Alongside what’s described as “luxury motorcoach pads” and “state-of-the-art hookups,” DiVine Village calls for obligatory pickleball courts, an event space, a wine tasting room, a dog park, and a clubhouse next to the resort-style pool with cabanas, hot tubs, and a pool bar. Lakeside walking trails with fire pits and “meditation moments” are also in the mix.

“We were inspired by Dahlonega’s picturesque views, welcoming community, and inherent charm, and we intend to keep it beautifully majestic,” Petrillo noted in the project’s announcement.

Courtesy of DiVine Village; designs JVB Architects, Pro Vision Design

Courtesy of DiVine Village; designs JVB Architects, Pro Vision Design

DiVine Village is set for a public hearing Dec. 9 to outline plans. Project officials expect to break ground in early 2025.

Wheel on up to the gallery for a closer look at what plans for these 110 acres entail.

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3084 Town Creek Church Road Dahlonega Lumpkin County DiVine Village Travel + Leisure Luxury RV Resort Camp Hidden Lake North Georgia North Georgia Mountains RVs Atlanta Destinations Road Trips OTP JVB Pro Vision Design Small Towns Georgia Towns Georgia Destinations Pickleball

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Courtesy of DiVine Village; designs JVB Architects, Pro Vision Design

Courtesy of DiVine Village; designs JVB Architects, Pro Vision Design

Courtesy of DiVine Village; designs JVB Architects, Pro Vision Design

Courtesy of DiVine Village; designs JVB Architects, Pro Vision Design

Courtesy of DiVine Village; designs JVB Architects, Pro Vision Design

Courtesy of DiVine Village; designs JVB Architects, Pro Vision Design

Courtesy of DiVine Village; designs JVB Architects, Pro Vision Design

Courtesy of DiVine Village; designs JVB Architects, Pro Vision Design

Courtesy of DiVine Village; designs JVB Architects, Pro Vision Design

Courtesy of DiVine Village; designs JVB Architects, Pro Vision Design

Courtesy of DiVine Village; designs JVB Architects, Pro Vision Design

Courtesy of DiVine Village; designs JVB Architects, Pro Vision Design

Courtesy of DiVine Village; designs JVB Architects, Pro Vision Design

Courtesy of DiVine Village; designs JVB Architects, Pro Vision Design

Courtesy of DiVine Village; designs JVB Architects, Pro Vision Design

Courtesy of DiVine Village; designs JVB Architects, Pro Vision Design

Courtesy of DiVine Village; designs JVB Architects, Pro Vision Design

Courtesy of DiVine Village; designs JVB Architects, Pro Vision Design

Subtitle 110-acre DiVine Village aims to capitalize on Georgia wine country, Blue Ridge Mountains backdrop

Neighborhood OTP

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I-285 Express Lanes transit project shows signs of life Josh Green Mon, 11/11/2024 - 16:23 A state, regional, and local initiative that aims to build transit options along 33 and ½ miles of Atlanta’s Interstate 285 loop is entering a new phase, with a goal of better preparing the region for future growth.

Officials with MARTA, the Georgia Department of Transportation, and the Atlanta-region Transit Link Authority, or ATL, today announced a series of meetings scheduled for early December to gather public feedback on the I-285 Express Lanes Transit Study’s preliminary plans.

The meetings, to be held in partnership with city and county officials along the I-285 corridor, will serve to update residents and commuters on planned changes for one of Georgia’s busiest transportation corridors, the northern arc of I-285, according to MARTA.

GDOT’s I-285 Top End Express Lanes project calls for building two new express lanes, all separated by barriers, next to existing lanes around the northern arc.

The section of I-285 in question for transit spans between MARTA’s Indian Creek MARTA station near Stone Mountain (the system’s easternmost stop) and H.E. Holmes MARTA station (the westernmost stop).  

The 33 and 1/2-mile scope of the I-285 Express Lanes Transit Study. Courtesy of MARTA

How the top-end express lanes would meet Ga. Highway 400 near the central business districts of Sandy Springs and Dunwoody. Georgia Department of Transportation

The ATL has been leading efforts to study how transit service could best be incorporated into the I-285 express lanes GDOT plans to build. Exactly what the transit options might look like hasn’t been finalized, but GDOT has said the new lanes will be built to accommodate bus rapid transit, or BRT. Cost estimates are also TBD.

Specifically, public transit providers that will operate in new lanes—at no additional cost to transit riders per trip—include MARTA, Xpress, and state-registered van pools. A Peach Pass will be required for drivers.

Project leaders say public input is key to refining plans for flexible, reliable transit in the corridor.

According to GDOT, more than 240,000 vehicles use the stretch of I-285 in question each weekday. The transit study area is expected to see a 42-percent population surge and 33-percent bump in job growth by 2050, which MARTA says underscores the need for better transit options.

The I-285 transit study is “a pivotal step in shaping how we address the region's growing need for expanded and reliable public transportation,” Collie Greenwood, MARTA general manager and CEO, said in an update today. “By tapping into the funded Express Lanes infrastructure investments already planned for I-285, we have an opportunity to provide efficient transit solutions that benefit residents and commuters alike.”

How the tolled, elevated express highway lanes would be laced into the Cobb Cloverleaf section of Interstate 75. Georgia Department of Transportation

Another focus of the study will identify needed improvements—such as optimal station and ramp locations, along with potential funding sources—for making I-285 transit access a viable reality.

According to GDOT, a procurement and construction schedule for the project’s initial phases is being put together now. The express lanes are expected to be rolled out in three different phases.

A final study report on transportation options along I-285’s northern arc is scheduled to be completed next summer.

Anyone interested in submitting input on the I-285 project should do so either in-person or online (see bottom of this page) by Dec. 18, according to MARTA.

The three upcoming meetings for the I-285 Express Lanes Transit Study can be viewed virtually at this link. Details for the in-person gatherings are as follows, per MARTA:

Wednesday, Dec. 4

5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Smyrna Community Center

1250 Powder Springs St., Smyrna

Accessible via CobbLinc Route 25

… 

Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024

11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Hampton Inn Perimeter Center

769 Hammond Dr. NE, Atlanta

Accessible via MARTA Red Line, Route 150, and Xpress Route 401 

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Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024

5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Clarkston Community Center

3701 College Ave., Clarkston

Accessible via MARTA Routes 120, 125

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MARTA GDOT Georgia Department of Transportation Interstate 285 I-285 I-285 Top End Express Lanes Alternate Transportation Alternative Transportation Atlanta Transit BRT Bus Rapid Transit ATL Atlanta Transit Link Authority Cobb County DeKalb County Fulton County MMIP Major Mobility Investment Program

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The 33 and 1/2-mile scope of the I-285 Express Lanes Transit Study. Courtesy of MARTA

How the top-end express lanes would meet Ga. Highway 400 near the central business districts of Sandy Springs and Dunwoody. Georgia Department of Transportation

Where the elevated express lanes would rise from at-grade sections and take flight over Cobb Parkway, as seen heading clockwise around the Perimeter, per GDOT's conceptual video. Georgia Department of Transportation

Another elevated Cobb County section at Cumberland Boulevard. Georgia Department of Transportation

How the tolled, elevated express highway lanes would be laced into the Cobb Cloverleaf section of Interstate 75. Georgia Department of Transportation

Subtitle Transit services proposed along one of Georgia's busiest corridors; public meetings set

Neighborhood MARTA

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