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Best Atlanta Neighborhood 2024, 1st round: (5) Downtown vs. (12) Lake Claire Josh Green Wed, 12/18/2024 - 13:44 As part of ongoing Best of Atlanta 2024 coverage, Urbanize’s fourth-annual Best Atlanta Neighborhood tournament is kicking off with 16 places vying for the prestige of being called the city’s greatest. (Note: Seeding from 1 to 16 was determined by reader nominations this month—so no pitchforks, please.)

For each Round 1 contest, voting will be open for just 24 hours. Please, let’s keep the tourney fun and positive, as one neighborhood rises above the rest in very public fashion. The eliminations begin now!

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(5) Downtown

Construction progress in May on Centennial Yards' first ground-up new tower to top out, The Mitchell apartments. Urbanize Atlanta

In 2024, downtown finally started doing its best Midtown impression, beginning with the official opening of a nearly 1,000-room glassy hotel tower in January (Atlanta’s largest in four decades) and not really slowing down from there. After a generation of talk and almost no action, The Gulch at long last started clearly becoming something more vibrant and useful, as Centennial Yards morphed into a massive construction zone with two towers now standing and more World Cup-focused development not far behind.

Meanwhile, Atlanta Ventures’ team of entrepreneurs kept putting more money where their mouths are, adding properties and launching renovations across a portfolio of more than 50 buildings and 6 acres of parking lots. Elsewhere, MARTA’s Five Points overhaul is back on track, the storied Atlanta Constitution building and Stitch project are showing promise, Underground is set to grow way up, a groundbreaking for the 2 Peachtree tower’s affordable housing conversion appears imminent—and that’s just scratching the surface. Thanks, FIFA.

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(12) Lake Claire

A typically tony Lake Claire street that blends traditional and contemporary housing styles. Google Maps

Folks, let’s have a round of applause for Lake Claire, which earned enough nominations in 2024 to make its Best Atlanta Neighborhood tourney debut. Known for being hilly, pretty, and well-kept (but never pretentiously so) with a rollicking neighborhood pool and hip communal hangout in the Lake Claire Community Land Trust (RIP, Big Lou), this close-knit neighborhood of roughly 1,200 homes is tucked between Candler Park and Decatur.

Unlike with downtown, not a whole lot changed in Lake Claire this year, apart from several large single-family homes coming on the scene, including a four-unit infill build called The Square on Gordon with starting prices around $1.2 million. But that’s okay. Large-scale changes are no prerequisite, of course, for neighborhoods that were solid in the first place.  

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Best of Atlanta 2024 Atlanta Neighborhoods Where to Live Atlanta Where to Rent Atlanta Polls Urbanize Polls Urbanize Tournament Best Atlanta Neighborhood Best Atlanta Neighborhoods Downtown Lake Claire

Subtitle Who should advance to the Elite Eight? Cast your vote now!

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In Reynoldstown, scraggly motel’s rebirth as affordable housing is finished Josh Green Wed, 12/18/2024 - 08:27 In its waning days as a motel, the low-slung 1960s property at 277 Moreland Ave. was a magnet for unflattering reviews, with guests complaining that $50-per-night rooms were unkempt and infested with bed bugs—or worse.

As of today, those days are officially in the rearview.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and development partners are scheduled to host a grand opening ceremony this afternoon for an adaptive-reuse project now called Ralph David House, formerly the Atlanta Motel.

Project leaders say the conversion provides a needed injection of supportive, eastside affordable housing, while continuing a residential rebirth along Moreland Avenue.

Like three “rapid housing” initiatives around the city both opened and in progress—The Melody downtown, the new 729 Bonaventure building in Old Fourth Ward, and a modular project set to break ground soon near Atlantic Station—Ralph David House will offer wraparound services for formerly unhoused residents. Those services will be provided in onsite offices, while elsewhere the property features a lounge for socializing, per the city.

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

Terminus Design Group

Stryant Construction converted the property into 56 affordable housing apartments with some of the lowest rent caps for tenants—30 percent of the area median income—for new construction across the city in recent memory. It’s located where Moreland Avenue meets Interstate 20.

Dickens also hosted the project’s formal groundbreaking in December last year.

Stryant will remain onboard to handle all aspects of the property for the next 30 years, including management, according to Stan Sugarman, Stryant managing partner.

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

Terminus Design Group

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

The exterior of the motel building received a facelift—fresh paint, windows, doors, amenity areas, and more—with a goal of improving its visibility from both Moreland Avenue and I-20, according to Terminus Design Group, the project’s architect of record.  

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

Blueprints called for installing a social worker’s office onsite and configuring at least six of the units to be ADA compliant, with the rest designed to meet Fair Housing Guidelines.

Other partners on the motel conversion include Atlanta Housing, Invest Atlanta, Tandem Bank, Partners for Home, and Atlanta Affordable Housing Fund. Prior to Stryant’s involvement, city records indicate the .75-acre property last sold in 1997 for $1.06 million.

City and Beltline officials, Reynoldstown neighborhood leadership, and three different Neighborhood Planning Units voiced support for the project in pre-development phases. 

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

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

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

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

Terminus Design Group

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

Terminus Design Group

Subtitle Ralph David House project includes apartments, services for previously unhoused tenants

Neighborhood Reynoldstown

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Atlanta Motel redevelopment

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Best Atlanta Neighborhood 2024, 1st round: (7) Cabbagetown vs. (10) Buckhead Josh Green Tue, 12/17/2024 - 17:04 As part of ongoing Best of Atlanta 2024 coverage, Urbanize’s fourth-annual Best Atlanta Neighborhood tournament is kicking off with 16 places vying for the prestige of being called the city’s greatest. (Note: Seeding from 1 to 16 was determined by reader nominations this month—so no pitchforks, please.)

For each Round 1 contest, voting will be open for just 24 hours. Please, let’s keep the tourney fun and positive, as one neighborhood rises above the rest in very public fashion. The eliminations begin now!

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(7) Cabbagetown

How the new Memorial Drive two-way cycletrack functions next to the iconic walls of Oakland Cemetery. GDOT/Pond; via Propel ATL

In this battle of David versus Goliath, or PBR versus Prada, Cabbagetown’s diminutive size shouldn’t be underestimated, because its sense of pride is so big. On the sensible urban-planning front, this year saw a two-way, protected cycle track added through Cabbagetown that provides a better connection to both the Beltline’s Eastside Trail and west toward downtown.

Otherwise, apart from infrastructure fixes in the Krog Street Tunnel, major changes in Cabbagetown were as few and far between as actual homes for sale. (Precisely three C-town properties are on the market right now, all of them priced north of $730,000.) That speaks to the charming neighborhood’s cachet—and locals’ unwillingness to leave.

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(10) Buckhead

Buckhead's 18-story The Dillon condo project in August, as landscaping was being prepped for the amenity level. The Dillon Buckhead/Kolter Urban; Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby's International Realty

Yes, Buckhead is technically a vast patchwork of neighborhoods, but we’ll follow the lead of nominators this year and consider them all together. And what a big year 2024 was—all across Buckhead. On the high-rise residential front, The Dillon project is turning out to be a condo success story, while nearly 500 luxury apartments continue climbing over Buckhead Village, and another condo tower starts lumbering through the pipeline.

This year also saw too-cool people bridge projects start coming together—one on PATH400, another on the Beltline loop—that should make Buckhead more of a multi-use trail destination. Add a new public park project, Atlanta Opera’s $45-million plans, and new Peachtree Road-fronting medical buildings with a charitable purpose to the mix, and yes, it’s been a notable year indeed.  

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Best of Atlanta 2024 Atlanta Neighborhoods Where to Live Atlanta Where to Rent Atlanta Polls Urbanize Polls Urbanize Tournament Best Atlanta Neighborhood Best Atlanta Neighborhoods Cabbagetown Buckhead

Subtitle Who should advance to the Elite Eight? Cast your vote now!

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Overhaul of downtown Decatur corner is D.O.A. Now what? Josh Green Tue, 12/17/2024 - 15:35 An infill project planned for a prominent, empty Decatur corner described as a “premium dog park” where “doggie dreams come true” will in fact not be coming true. Which begs the question: What should step up in its place?

Dog-centric hangout Off Leash, billed as a “state-of-the-art oasis for canines and dog owners,” has pulled the plug on its new Alpharetta location after only five months in business in a former Rite Aid Pharmacy. The company has also axed plans for a second location in downtown Decatur, as Decaturish/Appen Media first relayed.

Off Leash was initially slated to open this year on a Decatur corner across the street from Kimball House restaurant and the city’s popular Dairy Queen. A pause in construction last summer lent the first indication that not everything was going according to plan.

Michael Wess, a Bull Realty partner who brokered the leasing deal with Off Leash, declined to offer details this week as to why Off Leash cancelled Decatur plans and what might come next for the property. Off Leash’s website has been taken down.

"I don’t have any information to share, unfortunately,” Wess said.

Overview and context of the properties today. Courtesy of Bull Realty; designs, Robert M. Cain, Architect

Joe May Cleaners, a dry-cleaning business, relocated from the lone building at 240 and 250 E. Trinity Place earlier this year, as preliminary construction work moved forward. That work has been paused now for months.

The .65-acre property in question includes an open field that’s long been a blank spot in downtown Decatur’s otherwise walkable, vibrant urban fabric. Next door is a low-rise building where the dry cleaners had operated before vacating to a new location nearby.

Prior to pre-construction work, the building and corner lot in question at 240 to 250 E. Trinity Place in Decatur, as seen in May 2022. Google Maps

One potential layout option with an emphasis on patios and greenspace, as shown in Bull Realty marketing materials. These renderings don't fully reflect how the Off Leash concept would have looked. Courtesy of Bull Realty; designs, Robert M. Cain, Architect

Off Leash’s plans called for an indoor restaurant (for humans) with a large patio attached. Next to that would have been a private dog park, partially covered.

In the gallery above, find more context and marketing materials that illustrate how the Decatur corner site could be activated, with or without trained “dogtenders” onsite.   

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240 E. Trinity Place Decatur 250 E. Trinity Place Bull Realty Land for Sale Downtown Decatur Adaptive-Reuse Decatur Dairy Queen Twain’s Kimball House Offering Memorandum Adaptive-Reuse Development Robert M. Cain Architect Off Leash Dogtenders

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Overview and context of the properties today. Courtesy of Bull Realty; designs, Robert M. Cain, Architect

Courtesy of Bull Realty; designs, Robert M. Cain, Architect

Prior to pre-construction work, the building and corner lot in question at 240 to 250 E. Trinity Place in Decatur, as seen in May 2022. Google Maps

Courtesy of Bull Realty; designs, Robert M. Cain, Architect

One potential layout option with an emphasis on patios and greenspace, as shown in Bull Realty marketing materials. These renderings don't fully reflect how the Off Leash concept would have looked. Courtesy of Bull Realty; designs, Robert M. Cain, Architect

Courtesy of Bull Realty; designs, Robert M. Cain, Architect

Courtesy of Bull Realty; designs, Robert M. Cain, Architect

Courtesy of Bull Realty; designs, Robert M. Cain, Architect

Courtesy of Bull Realty; designs, Robert M. Cain, Architect

Courtesy of Bull Realty; designs, Robert M. Cain, Architect

Courtesy of Bull Realty; designs, Robert M. Cain, Architect

Courtesy of Bull Realty; designs, Robert M. Cain, Architect

Courtesy of Bull Realty; designs, Robert M. Cain, Architect

Courtesy of Bull Realty; designs, Robert M. Cain, Architect

Courtesy of Bull Realty; designs, Robert M. Cain, Architect

Courtesy of Bull Realty; designs, Robert M. Cain, Architect

Subtitle Dog-centric hangout Off Leash was set to fill longtime void in Decatur’s urban fabric

Neighborhood Decatur

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Best Atlanta Neighborhood 2024, 1st round: (8) West End vs. (9) Poncey-Highland Josh Green Tue, 12/17/2024 - 14:32 As part of ongoing Best of Atlanta 2024 coverage, Urbanize’s fourth-annual Best Atlanta Neighborhood tournament is kicking off with 16 places vying for the prestige of being called the city’s greatest. (Note: Seeding from 1 to 16 was determined by reader nominations this month—so no pitchforks, please.)

For each Round 1 contest, voting will be open for just 24 hours. Please, let’s keep the tourney fun and positive, as one neighborhood rises above the rest in very public fashion. The eliminations begin now!

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(8) West End

Broader look at proposed mid-rise construction and a new through-street where Mall West End currently stands. Prusik Group/BRP Companies; One West End

First up in this grapplin’ match among stone-cold Atlanta classics is West End, which has notched a relatively seismic year as major development proposals go. The 800-pound gorilla in that room is, of course, the redevelopment of Mall West End. After three false starts, the mall’s extreme makeover appears to have finally found its footing (with city backing) to turn 12 acres of parking lots into about 900 units of mixed-income housing, 125,000 square feet of retail (with a grocery store), and much more, beginning as soon as next year.

Just around the corner, an eye-catching apartment proposal has emerged near West End’s MARTA stop, while a pickleball emporium and more is in the pipeline along a new (and needed) Beltline stretch now in planning. Bonus points to West End in ’24 for joyously welcoming Atlanta Streets Alive back to SW ATL—not once, but on three different occasions.

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(9) Poncey-Highland

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

A nominator named “SC” astutely described Poncey-Highland as follows for an earlier competition: “It’s a nice mix of the more residential, quiet Virginia-Highland with the youthful, almost cosmopolitan, Beltline-laced PCM area.” That made no mention of another new Chick-fil-A, but Poncey-Highland design standards have ensured the chicken empire’s latest standalone Ponce installation is as brick-clad and urban-friendly as they come.

Other neighborhood happenings in 2024 included the rebirth of historic 1920s Highland Inn into a mixed-use concept, Otto’s Apartment Hotel, where people can actually live (from around $1,200 per month). A block away (and much more expensive, but way larger), the sleekly modern Freedom Townhomes project finally delivered this year, filling an empty lot near a main commercial corridor. On the non-development front, bonus points to Poncey-Highland for supporting and completing a show-stopping art installation (and chill hangout spot) on a prominent corner.

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Best of Atlanta 2024 Atlanta Neighborhoods Where to Live Atlanta Where to Rent Atlanta Polls Urbanize Polls Urbanize Tournament Best Atlanta Neighborhood Best Atlanta Neighborhoods West End Poncey-Highland

Subtitle Who should advance to the Elite Eight? Cast your vote now!

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No work on horizon for southside's largest project, developers report Josh Green Tue, 12/17/2024 - 08:17 Throughout 2024, residents and other stakeholders on Atlanta’s southside have occasionally asked for updates on the largest development proposal near the Beltline’s southern crescent, following what appeared to be the beginnings of construction permitting activity in fall last year and again in January. Some nearby real estate listings have cited the promise of that project, Sawtell, as a key selling point.

“Just really need some rooftops over here,” a new Chosewood Park resident wrote to Urbanize Atlanta earlier this month. “I’m missing a walkable grocery store so bad!”

As the year winds down, Sawtell development leaders send word, in a nutshell, that nobody should hold their breath—but that 2025 could be different.

Veteran Atlanta-based developer Kaplan Residential partnered with private real estate fund manager Origin Investments to buy the 40-acre Sawtell parcel for $31.5 million in early 2022, forecasting a master-planned “village” would take shape across multiple phases. Project officials predicted at the time a groundbreaking would happen before the end of that year.

Kaplan officials referred all questions this month regarding Sawtell’s construction timeline, scope, and potential delivery to Origin. A spokesperson with Origin replied this week that “there is nothing new to report” on Sawtell’s plans and that no new permits are being sought.

“Origin is giving thoughtful consideration to the best path forward for Sawtell to meet the demands of the marketplace,” wrote the company rep to Urbanize via email. “They expect to have further details in the first half of 2025.”

Illustration of the 40-acre site when it was marketed for sale in 2019. LoopNet

The “catalytic” vision for the industrial infill site—named for its 500 Sawtell Ave. address—calls for more than 2,000 multifamily residences, up to 150,000 square feet of commercial space described as “diversified,” and a range of greenspaces such as pocket parks—eventually. Kaplan officials have predicted Sawtell will grow to become the largest mixed-use destination around the Beltline’s expanding Southside Trail corridor, in the vein of a southside version of Atlanta Dairies, Echo Street West in English Avenue, or Inman Park’s commercial core, only larger.

Permitting details from January indicated Kaplan’s first step would be to start smaller. On a 5-acre portion of the site, the scope called for building 86 residences described as townhome-style condos, plus roads, lighting, sewers, and other infrastructure, alongside parking for 181 vehicles. No commercial component was mentioned.

Overview of uses planned a half-mile south of the BeltLine. The Chosewood Park industrial property on Sawtell Avenue will eventually see 2,000 homes—and much more—across 40 acres, the development team says.Courtesy of Origin Investments, Kaplan Residential

The project is set to be funded by Origin’s $300 million Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund II, per Kaplan’s Sawtell project page. It sits within a Federal Opportunity Zone and could qualify for significant tax savings, according to previous marketing materials.

The site is located about a half-mile south of the Beltline corridor, across the street from Atlanta’s U.S. Penitentiary and just east of the downtown Connector. The property first came to market under the name “The Sawtell” in early 2019, when marketers issued a call for bids from developers.

Elsewhere in the metro, Kaplan is partnering with Brock Built Homes to build more than 230 rental townhomes across 20 acres next to MARTA’s last stop on the Blue Line. The developer also set a record for downtown multifamily building sales by offloading its 17-story Generation Atlanta complex for $126.9 million in 2021.

Origin has been involved with five multifamily projects around Atlanta over the past decade totaling more than 1,500 units, including the development of Olmsted Chamblee on the flipside of ITP Atlanta, as officials said in 2022, when the Sawtell partnership was finalized.

In blocks south of the Beltline corridor, the only project to rival Sawtell in terms of scope is Empire Communities’ under-construction Zephyr project, also in Chosewood Park. That calls for a mix of roughly 1,000 townhomes and condos to eventually rise across 34 acres along Boulevard.

The 40-acre Sawtell Avenue site in question on the southern edge of Chosewood Park. Google Maps

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500 Sawtell Avenue SE Origin Investments Kaplan Residential Revel HGOR The Beck Group Club Sawtell Lancaster Associates Dentons Law Firm George Bank Cushman & Wakefield Atlanta Development Sawtell Mixed-Use Development Atlanta Construction Infill Development Southside The Sawtell Federal Prison Kevin Miller Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund II 2025

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The 40-acre Sawtell Avenue site in question on the southern edge of Chosewood Park. Google Maps

Illustration of the 40-acre site when it was marketed for sale in 2019. LoopNet

Overview of uses planned a half-mile south of the BeltLine. The Chosewood Park industrial property on Sawtell Avenue will eventually see 2,000 homes—and much more—across 40 acres, the development team says.Courtesy of Origin Investments, Kaplan Residential

Subtitle Years later, 2,000-home, "catalytic" Sawtell concept remains in limbo

Neighborhood Chosewood Park

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Best Atlanta Neighborhood 2024, 1st round: (6) Summerhill vs. (11) Virginia-Highland Josh Green Mon, 12/16/2024 - 16:24 As part of ongoing Best of Atlanta 2024 coverage, Urbanize’s fourth-annual Best Atlanta Neighborhood tournament is kicking off with 16 places vying for the prestige of being called the city’s greatest. (Note: Seeding from 1 to 16 was determined by reader nominations this month—so no pitchforks, please.)

For each Round 1 contest, voting will be open for just 24 hours. Please, let’s keep the tourney fun and positive, as one neighborhood rises above the rest in very public fashion. The eliminations begin now!

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(6) Summerhill

How the Ten 5 Summerhill project's Georgia Avenue facade turned out on a previously vacant corner. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Another year, another slate of big changes in historic, evolving Summerhill. Most notably, MARTA’s first new transit line in more than two decades—a five-mile bus-rapid transit route actually named for the neighborhood, MARTA Rapid Summerhill—has made progress in fundamentally noticeable ways throughout 2024, with a goal of welcoming its first passengers next year.

Elsewhere, Georgia State University’s planned baseball and softball complex got its ducks in a row this year, where Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium once stood, as another area landmark, the former Ramada Plaza tower, was green-lighted to become affordable senior housing. Meanwhile, the densification of Georgia Avenue continued with 10 stylish townhomes on a previously vacant corner, as other townhome product broke ground on a former church lot. Business as usual in Summerhill.

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(11) Virginia-Highland

Where the Northeast Trail meets the Park Drive Bridge. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

When it comes to urban planning and growth in tony Va-Hi, 2024 could be notable as much for what hasn’t happened as what did. Yes, the neighborhood welcomed an extremely functional stretch of the Beltline this year that provides a much smoother connection to Piedmont Park (woo!). One interesting, large-scale residential project after the next popped up, and the 42-unit Roycraft condo building continued to edge toward sellout status over the Eastside Trail.

Meanwhile, for better or worse, parcels that were integral to Portman Holdings’ blockbuster, cancelled redevelopment plans along Ponce de Leon Avenue officially moved on to Plan B early this year. And speaking of Portman, the developer's planned mini-city makeover of Amsterdam Walk was scaled back (17 percent smaller, in fact) but could still bring an injection of life to the neighborhood’s western fringes.  

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Best of Atlanta 2024 Atlanta Neighborhoods Where to Live Atlanta Where to Rent Atlanta Polls Urbanize Polls Urbanize Tournament Best Atlanta Neighborhood Best Atlanta Neighborhoods Virginia-Highland Summerhill

Subtitle Who should advance to the Elite Eight? Cast your vote now!

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Best Atlanta Neighborhood 2024, 1st round: (4) East ATL vs. (13) College Park Josh Green Mon, 12/16/2024 - 12:52 As part of ongoing Best of Atlanta 2024 coverage, Urbanize’s fourth-annual Best Atlanta Neighborhood tournament is kicking off with 16 places vying for the prestige of being called the city’s greatest. (Note: Seeding from 1 to 16 was determined by reader nominations this month—so no pitchforks, please.)

For each Round 1 contest, voting will be open for just 24 hours. Please, let’s keep the tourney fun and positive, as one neighborhood rises above the rest in very public fashion. The eliminations begin now!

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(4) East Atlanta

ABV Gallery's airy main interior space.Photography by Dave Roland; designs, Kronberg Urbanists + Architects

Usually a tough out in year-end neighborhood tournaments, East Atlanta garnered enough reader nominations this year to land a big-boy No. 4 seed. Which makes sense, given the buzz around several EAV projects this year (and what could have been the most rollicking East Atlanta Strut festival to date in September). Celebrated artist Greg Mike transformed a 1980s church in the village to a modern-gothic temple to creativity, while commendably old-school designs for mixed-use development on a small scale came to light on a vacant East Atlanta corner. Elsewhere, frequent village investors Pellerin Real Estate are bringing an infill project with dozens of new homes to a site where little more than a void in EAV’s vibrancy existed before. Not too shabby. 

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(13) College Park

The institute's revised facade at 3605 Main St. in College Park today. The Promise Career Institute; photos by Noel Mayeske

Marking its first tourney appearance since 2022 (when it was unceremoniously booted in the first round by Howell Station), prideful College Park has traditionally fared better in these criteria-free contests, especially when haters rally around the fact it’s not a neighborhood but a city. (ITP cities are allowed, as always.) Development wins this year included a $40-million school renovation with tons of heart and purpose, The Promise Career Institute, which revived the former College Park High School to become a vocational launchpad. Previous nominators have described this contender best: “College Park is like a little Mayberry, but close to downtown… Diversity, arts, greenspace, affordability, accessibility, opportunity, amenities—we have all that plus a close-knit community that's like family for myself and others who have been here for years.” 

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Best of Atlanta 2024 Atlanta Neighborhoods Where to Live Atlanta Where to Rent Atlanta Polls Urbanize Polls Urbanize Tournament Best Atlanta Neighborhood Best Atlanta Neighborhoods

Subtitle Who should advance to the Elite Eight? Cast your vote now!

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Major factory redevelopment brewing near Atlanta airport, I-85 Josh Green Mon, 12/16/2024 - 08:04 A planned factory redevelopment that could have major economic implications for ITP cities near Atlanta’s airport is starting to rumble to life.

City of East Point officials recently announced they’ve partnered with McDonald Development Co. to transform a long-shuttered glass bottle manufacturing facility at 3107 Sylvan Road into a variety of uses, including a jobs hub. 

The 55-acre property, formerly home to Owens-Illinois Inc., includes 800,000 square feet of empty industrial space today. But according to city officials, existing structures are in unsafe condition and will have to be cleared before development can move forward, though some features of the site will be retained.

Owens-Illinois, the world’s largest glass container manufacturer and a partner for many top food and beverage brands, closed its Atlanta plant in 2018, which had employed 250 people. The site’s been idle since.

The 3107 Sylvan Road site in relation to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Google Maps

Entry to the former Owens-Illinois plant, as seen last month. Google Maps

The location today counts “exceptional accessibility” being adjacent to Interstate 85 and within a few minutes of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport—selling points for a potential development with regional impact, per the city.

The old plant is immediately south of a large new covered airport parking facility along Sylvan Road, with Hapeville’s city limits across the street.

The potential redevelopment is just entering conceptual phases now, but East Point’s vision generally calls for a lively mixed-use hub with an emphasis on technology and creative industry uses.

Other aspects could include a mix of housing options for both long and short-term stays, hotel space, greenspaces, and a communal public area that would function as “a destination for entertainment, dining, and shopping, attracting both local and regional visitors,” per East Point’s announcement.

Overview of how the 55-acre East Point property could be reused. City of East Point/FB

McDonald’s development team plans to work with officials in both East Point and Hapeville while hosting public meetings to gather community input that will help shape the site’s future, per East Point city leadership.

McDonald, which is based in Atlanta with offices dotted around the Southeast, has developed more than 50 million square feet of real estate. Around Atlanta, the bulk of that has been office parks and shipping facilities, according to the company’s portfolio.

In terms of next steps, city officials say demolition plans will be put forward soon to take down hazardous structures at the factory site while keeping “key historical elements” intact.

Plans then call for refining the redevelopment vision over the next eight to 12 months.

Condition of the site today, next to Sylvan Road. Google Maps

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3107 Sylvan Road East Point City of East Point Atlanta Airport Interstate 85 Southside ITP Industrial Land Hapeville McDonald Development Co. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Owens-Illinois

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The 3107 Sylvan Road site in relation to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Google Maps

Overview of how the 55-acre East Point property could be reused. City of East Point/FB

Entry to the former Owens-Illinois plant, as seen last month. Google Maps

Condition of the site today, next to Sylvan Road. Google Maps

Subtitle Vision in East Point calls for remaking long-shuttered plant into variety of uses

Neighborhood College Park/East Point

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As World Cup looms, another downtown hotel project moves forward Josh Green Fri, 12/13/2024 - 16:35 Downtown Atlanta’s flurry of high-rise hotel construction in advance of the 2026 FIFA World Cup shows few signs of slowing down.

Developers filed for permits this week to start building a Residence Inn By Marriott on a vacant downtown corner near several marquee attractions where a hotel has been envisioned for more than five years.

Filings with the City of Atlanta’s Department of City Planning mark the first permitting activity for the 355 Centennial Olympic Park Drive site since early 2023.

The project, which would overlook Centennial Olympic Park, came to market in August as a package deal for the land and permitted hotel plans, asking $14.5 million. The current project owner is listed in city records as Soneri Investment Group, a boutique, private real estate investment firm based in Texas.

Located diagonal from downtown’s signature park, the .8-acre site is a former gravel parking lot that’s been fenced-off and used sparingly for several years. Plans approved by the City of Atlanta call for the 14-story building to include 188 rooms, with guests housed on the top nine floors. 

Plans for the 14-story structure with a restaurant at its base where Centennial Olympic Park Drive meets Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard. Niles Bolton Associates

The .8-acre Centennial Olympic Park Boulevard site in relation to the Georgia Aquarium and National Center for Civil and Human Rights, at bottom left. Marcus & Millichap

The location is a mile from Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where World Cup matches will be played, and many of its hotel rooms would overlook the Georgia Aquarium, National Center for Civil and Human Rights, World of Coca-Cola, and other downtown draws.

The Residence Inn’s bottom five stories would be used for 129 parking spaces and electric-vehicle charging stations, all wrapped in a perforated screen, according to Niles Bolton Associates, the Atlanta-based architecture firm behind interior, exterior, and landscape designs. Other aspects would include a third-party bar and restaurant space at street level, a pool deck over Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard, and a terrace with views across Centennial Olympic Park.

High End Investments, a Houston-based developer, applied for building permits with the city in early 2023 for the Residence Inn but apparently backed away from developing it. It would have marked the company’s first project in Atlanta.

High End paid $3.8 million for the parcel, which had traded for $10.5 million in pre-recession 2008, according to Fulton County property records. A 10-story Candlewood Suites was once briefly floated for the same corner site, but the COVID-19 pandemic squashed those plans.

Located diagonal from the park’s north end, near Georgia Aquarium, the hotel building would stand three stories shorter than the 17-story, 336-unit Generation Atlanta apartments next door, which finished construction in summer 2020.

According to Niles Bolton’s project description, designs for the Residence Inn are meant to strike “a balance between playfulness and sophistication,” with “décor [that] is crisp and modern, emphasizing earth tones and natural textures and materials like stone, concrete, and hardwood.”

Where the 188-key hotel's pool amenities would be placed over Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard. Niles Bolton Associates

Proposed stance at the corner of Centennial Olympic Park Drive and Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard, per the latest drawings. Niles Bolton Associates; via Marcus & Millichap

The Residence Inn, should it move forward as planned, would join several hospitality ventures recently delivered or in the works near downtown’s signature park.

The 22-story Margaritaville resort condo building by Wyndham Destinations, also fronting Centennial Olympic Park Drive, opened in 2022 with 200 suites and two floors of retail near SkyView Atlanta. The Signia by Hilton project delivered almost 1,000 hotel rooms earlier this year, and Centennial Yards expects to finish its 229-room Anthem hotel sometime in 2025. Also near the Georgia Aquarium, the Moxy Centennial Olympic Park project—a 10-story, 183-room property—is scheduled open in the second quarter of 2026. It’s fully under construction now along Marietta Street.

Find more Residence Inn site context and the latest available images in the gallery above.

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355 Centennial Olympic Park Drive NW Residence Inn by Marriott Niles Bolton Associates Generation Atlanta Kaplan Residential Hardam Hotels Teachers Village Atlanta Hotels Centennial Olympic Park Georgia Aquarium Atlanta Development Downtown Development High End Investment RIBM Marcus & Millichap

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Plans for the 14-story structure with a restaurant at its base where Centennial Olympic Park Drive meets Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard. Niles Bolton Associates

Where the 188-key hotel's pool amenities would be placed over Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard. Niles Bolton Associates

The .8-acre Centennial Olympic Park Boulevard site in relation to the Georgia Aquarium and National Center for Civil and Human Rights, at bottom left. Marcus & Millichap

Marcus & Millichap

How the project would meet the corner of Centennial Olympic Park Drive and Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard.Niles Bolton Associates; via Marcus & Millichap

Proposed stance at the corner of Centennial Olympic Park Drive and Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard, per the latest drawings. Niles Bolton Associates; via Marcus & Millichap

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Subtitle Residence Inn by Marriott files construction plans for vacant corner near Centennial Olympic Park

Neighborhood Downtown

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Bracket set to officially decide Best Atlanta Neighborhood of 2024 Josh Green Fri, 12/13/2024 - 14:59 The people have spoken, the stakes are enormous, and Urbanize’s fourth-annual Best Atlanta Neighborhood tourney is set to begin!

As part of our efforts to spotlight the latest and greatest of Atlanta’s built environment, the time has come to start the most important quest of all: Crowning the city's top neighborhood of the year, as determined by whatever criteria you see fit.

To come up with Best Atlanta Neighborhood 2024 seeding, we asked for neighborhood nominations over the past week on the homepage, Twitter, Facebook, and now Instagram (where exactly zero nominations were cast). ITP cities, as always, were allowed in the tourney. 

Midtown takes pole position in 2024 with the most nominations of any neighborhood, followed by Inman Park, another heavyweight in Old Fourth Ward, East Atlanta, and so forth. Interestingly, all of this year’s top four (except Midtown) are past champions, which could hint at another repeat victory (a feat achieved only by West End) in the works.

Last year’s champion and current Golden Urby Chalice of Champions holder, Hapeville, didn’t garner enough nominations for the 2024 contest. (In fact, zero nods for H-ville). Ditto for 2021’s winner, Mozley Park, and 2022’s, Avondale Estates. So that means there’s plenty of room for fresh blood this year. (Unlike last year, thankfully, “Dildoville,” The Bluff, and “Anywhere But Kirkwood” were not nominated.)

So this is your Sweet 16. Get your neighborhood pride ready, ATL. The first round of competitions begins next week! 

Any predictions? 

…

The hallowed pantheon of Best Atlanta Neighborhood tournament winners:

2011: Inman Park

2012: Old Fourth Ward

2013: Kirkwood

2014: Reynoldstown

2015: West End

2016: East Atlanta

***2017:*West End (again)

2018-2020: (forced hiatus)

2021: Mozley Park

2022: Avondale Estates

2023: Hapeville

2024: TBD

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Best of Atlanta 2024 Best Atlanta Neighborhood Best Atlanta Neighborhoods Neighborhood Tournament Mozley Park Summerhill Avondale Estates Hapeville Golden Urby Chalice of Champions Candler Park Buckhead East Atlanta Midtown Downtown Downtown Atlanta Old Fourth Ward West End Adair Park Decatur Virginia-Highland Cabbagetown College Park Lake Claire Ponce-Highland

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Subtitle The people have spoken. Ladies and gentlemen of ATL, meet your 16 tournament contestants!

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Builder: OTP modern 'dream homes' from $190K beckon first-time buyers Josh Green Fri, 12/13/2024 - 08:05 South of Atlanta, an interesting residential experiment is afoot that combines modern design, dirt-cheap land, and proximity to the growing downtown of what homebuilders call a “hidden gem” and one of Georgia’s "most promising, up-and-coming cities."

A group of partners with a new company called Griffin Modern has completed the first space-conscious, contemporary “dream home” of many planned in blocks near historic downtown Griffin.

Working with the Griffin/Spalding County Landbank, off-market sellers, and other landholders, the homebuilders have been buying abundant, vacant lots priced at less than $10,000—many of them far cheaper, often less than an unthinkable $1,500—within a 10-minute walk of downtown’s restaurants and shops.

According to Dennis Tidwell, a Griffin Modern partner, the idea is to pass savings to homebuyers—especially first-time buyers—who’ve been priced out of homeownership in other metro cities but still covet designs that buck cookie-cutter traditionalism. (Think: bold exteriors, glass balcony railings, floating staircases, oversized windows, and body-spray panels in frameless showers, et cetera).

The company recently finished its model home, the two-story Aura Plan, on Quilly Street. It sold for $275,000, which bought two bedrooms and two and ½ bathrooms in 1,204 square feet, with off-street parking in front and a patio behind.

Tidwell says Griffin Modern’s goal is to keep all homes attainable for buyers earning 100 percent of the area median income, or AMI.

“Having lots below $10,000 within a 10-minute walk to a vibrant downtown is unheard of,” says Tidwell, who also heads Atlanta-based Rockethouse Design+Build, the company behind an ADU finished near Atlantic Station last year. “This secret will not last long.” 

Calebe Souza Araujo

The first complete Griffin Modern home counts two bedrooms and two and 1/2 bathrooms in 1,204 square feet for $275,000. Calebe Souza Araujo

As the county seat of Spalding County and home to roughly 24,000 residents, Griffin is located west of Interstate 75, about 40 miles from downtown Atlanta, or roughly the same distance as downtown Buford. Griffin’s open-container downtown counts local spots like Safehouse Coffee Roasters, Lola Cigars, Bunjee’s Comics, and Piedmont Brewery, with Atlanta’s Fire Maker Brewing Company set to open a taproom in 2025.

Two more Griffin Modern homes are under construction near the model now.

Prices for current floorplans range from $190,000 (the two-bedroom Jones Plan, with a bathroom and ½ in 1,184 square feet) up to the deluxe offering at $365,000 (the three-bedroom Atlantis plan, with three and ½ bathrooms in 1,654 square feet).

Calebe Souza Araujo

Calebe Souza Araujo

According to Tidwell, each Griffin Modern product is considered affordable by FHA standards, and first-time homebuyers can qualify for $12,000 grants for down payments. For the Aura plan, that means a mortgage with no money down and all-inclusive monthly payments around $1,800 is possible, per Tidwell.

The Griffin homebuilding initiative “is transforming the local housing market by designing entry-level homes packed with modern features that were once thought impossible for first-time buyers,” reads the company spiel. “This home is not just a place to live—it’s a vision of the future.”

Swing up to the gallery for more context and a closer look at Griffin Modern’s first finished dwelling.

Contributed photo

Proximity of the first Griffin Modern project on Quilly Street to the city’s historic downtown south of Atlanta. Google Maps

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316 E. Quilly St 233 E. Tinsley St. Griffin Calebe Souza Araujo Alternate Housing modern design Modern Homes Southside Southern suburbs OTP Affordable Housing Rockethouse Design+Build Rockethouse Fire Maker Brewing Company Atlanta City Centers Historic Suburbs Suburban Atlanta Suburban Development Suburban Construction Piedmont Brewery First-time homebuyers Griffin/Spalding County

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Proximity of the first Griffin Modern project on Quilly Street to the city’s historic downtown south of Atlanta. Google Maps

The first complete Griffin Modern home counts two bedrooms and two and 1/2 bathrooms in 1,204 square feet for $275,000. Calebe Souza Araujo

Calebe Souza Araujo

Calebe Souza Araujo

Calebe Souza Araujo

Calebe Souza Araujo

Calebe Souza Araujo

Calebe Souza Araujo

Calebe Souza Araujo

Calebe Souza Araujo

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Downtown Griffin in relation to metro Atlanta's southside. Google Maps

Downtown Griffin today. Contributed photo

Subtitle Lots for $10K (or less) keep home prices relatively low near Griffin's lively downtown, sellers report

Neighborhood OTP

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