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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.

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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

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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

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Study: Atlanta's livability ranks almost last among major cities. Really? Josh Green Thu, 12/12/2024 - 16:22 When it comes to national rankings of urban areas, it’s been a tough month for Atlanta.

First came the (not) shocking assessment in November that Atlanta ranks as the country’s worst city for driving this year. Now the Big Peach’s overall livability—long a selling point for the South’s capital city—is being called into question.

For a new analysis titled, “From Coast to Coast: Which Are the Most Livable Places in the U.S. in 2024?”, national apartment search platform RentCafe studied 139 U.S. metro areas to determine the highest (and lowest) livability, based on 17 key metrics.

Livability, in this case, is defined by RentCafe as “the combination of all of the reasons that make you happy to call a place home.” This includes crucial factors such as cost of living, income inequality, poverty rates, and work commutes, as well as more localized aspects of city living such as access to gyms, entertainment, arts, and healthcare providers.

When it comes to major metros with more than 6 million people, Atlanta didn’t do so well, ranking 103rd overall, or lower than any other place not named metro Houston, according to RentCafe’s findings.

Atlanta's slot among the most populous metros in the country. RentCafe

Sure, the bigger the city, the more inherent and complex its challenges, especially regarding hurdles such as cost of living, air quality, and traffic congestion. (Outside of Washington D.C., RentCafe’s Top 10 on the livability chart are all much smaller places than Atlanta.) But among its “major hubs” peers, certain aspects of Atlanta smack as disconcerting.

Resident access to exercise opportunities in metro Atlanta is the lowest among major cities (65.6 percent), and the same holds true for the number of healthcare providers (2.6 per 10,000 population). For context, Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia each count 18 healthcare providers per 10,000 residents, as RentCafe reps pointed out in an email to Urbanize Atlanta.

Metro Atlanta’s share of physically inactive residents (24.8 percent) is relatively alarming—and ditto for its share of what’s considered long commutes (51.2 percent), the worst among major cities.  

But there were bright spots in RentCafe’s findings.

About 13 percent of metro Atlanta’s population—the lowest share among major cities—face severe housing issues such as overcrowding or lack of kitchen facilities or plumbing. Atlanta also boasts the highest income growth among big cities (8.8 percent) and among the lowest unemployment rate (5 percent).

The Top 10 cities overall, beginning with the historic port city in Maine, in the 2024 livability ranking. RentCafe

Despite its size and what feels like ballooning prices, Atlanta’s cost of living is still 5.2 percent below the national average, according to analysts. 

“That’s 10 times lower [in Atlanta] compared to California’s metros,” note RentCafe reps. “By comparison, the cost of living in New York is 44.2 percent above the national average, and in the nation’s capital it’s 32 percent higher.”   

Midtown and downtown skylines as seen in recent years from Buckhead. Shutterstock

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Midtown and downtown skylines as seen in recent years from Buckhead. Shutterstock

The Top 10 cities overall, beginning with the historic port city in Maine, in the 2024 livability ranking. RentCafe

Atlanta's slot among the most populous metros in the country. RentCafe

Subtitle Housing crunch, socioeconomics, and access to healthcare among factors analyzed

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Refined, taller vision emerges for Varsity-adjacent Midtown tower Josh Green Thu, 12/12/2024 - 14:12 How The Varsity’s high-rise neighbor might look and function in Midtown is coming into clearer focus.

Athens-based developers Landmark Properties this week submitted revised, taller designs—including a fresh rendering—for a student-housing proposal at 680 Spring St. that would claim surface parking lots immediately north of The Varsity’s iconic original location.

Landmark now plans to develop a U-shaped tower standing 40 stories—up from 34 stories initially pitched—that would mark one of Midtown’s tallest buildings erected during the current development cycle. Other changes to Landmark’s proposal include a greater number of units, from 560 to 626, for a total of 2,235 bedrooms for students.

That’s 243 more bedrooms than were initially planned when the tower project came to light in early November.

The revised aesthetic, in several ways, bears resemblance to the Legacy tower finished downtown by the same developer near Centennial Olympic Park last year. That project stands 32 stories, with its pool and other amenities situated atop the parking garage, also beneath a U-shaped tower form.  

The southern face of the 40-story Landmark Properties proposal between Spring Street (right) and the Connector. Landmark Properties; designs, CNNA Architects

Revised plans for 431 parking spaces (in a six-and-1/2-story podium, wrapped on three sides with student apartments) are actually less than the 554 parking slots initially pitched.

The amount of proposed ground-floor retail in the building, meanwhile, has been bumped up from 8,100 to about 8,600 square feet.

According to Midtown DRC, the tower’s southern drive near The Varsity would be an extension of Ponce de Leon Avenue and provide on-street parking.

During their final meeting of 2024 on Tuesday, Midtown DRC members applauded changes Landmark had made to earlier designs but stressed that outdoor retail patios along Spring Street, and site designs on the south and west portions of the project, could still be improved.

A more detailed look at street-level retail plans and other aspects of the tower's base. Landmark Properties; designs, CNNA Architects

Midtown DRC, an advisory committee, makes formal recommendations to the city’s Bureau of Planning on all Special Administrative Permit applications for projects in the district.  

Below are a few highlights of Midtown DRC recommendations for 680 Spring St. made to developers, as relayed in a Midtown Alliance recap, edited for clarity and length:  

• Coordinate with Midtown Alliance and [Atlanta Department of Transportation] to explore extending [a proposed] bike lane north to 3rd Street to connect with and match the one-way existing bike lane along Spring Street. If not achievable, remove [the bike lane] from the plan.
• To further reduce parking demand, unbundle [separate] parking costs from rental rates.
• Reduce the size of the proposed dog park and relocate it to the northwest corner of the site in place of the vehicular street stub and turnaround… In the southwest area, explore additional secure bike parking and flex space like the north.

The roughly 2-acre site in question immediately north of the original Varsity location. Google Maps

• Maximize access and “soften” the outdoor retail patio spaces along Spring Street [by] removing any unnecessary railings, providing planter boxes, hanging planters on remaining railings, and providing a well-lit artistic or decorative treatment at the terminating wall of the sunken north patio.
• Consider providing additional bike parking within the building at grade by taking a portion of Retail Space B at the far west [nearest to The Varsity]. This area would be difficult to lease due to its limited visibility.

Landmark Properties; designs, CNNA Architects

As a next step, Midtown DRC members expect Landmark’s team to submit updated plans for electronic review before the project moves forward.

For Landmark, the project would mark its fourth student-housing project in downtown and Midtown.

The tower would claim about 2 acres of surface parking immediately north of The Varsity, near the point where North Avenue meets the downtown Connector, which the restaurant group leases to parking providers but has been looking to sell for several years. Next door, the eatery has been dishing chili dogs and frosted oranges for nearly a century.

Find more context and images for the 680 Spring St. proposal in the gallery above.

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A more detailed look at street-level retail plans and other aspects of the tower's base. Landmark Properties; designs, CNNA Architects

The southern face of the 40-story Landmark Properties proposal between Spring Street (right) and the Connector. Landmark Properties; designs, CNNA Architects

Landmark Properties; designs, CNNA Architects

The roughly 2-acre site in question immediately north of the original Varsity location. Google Maps

Original rendering showing perspective from the south for the 1,992-bed proposal. The scope has since been revised. Courtesy of Landmark Properties; designs, CNNA Architects

Approximation of the restaurant and parking lot properties in question. Google Maps

The Varsity property in the shadow of high-rise construction in December 2020.Shutterstock

Subtitle Plans now call for 40 stories—and space for more than 2,200 new Midtown residents

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More than 800 residences floated near Beltline construction, Topgolf Josh Green Thu, 12/12/2024 - 08:19 Developers are hoping to continue a Blandtown building boom that’s packed on hundreds of apartments, townhomes, and standalone houses alongside new entertainment and dining options in recent years, according to paperwork filed with the city.

Atlanta-based Columbia Ventures recently submitted plans to the City of Atlanta Zoning Committee for turning 8.9 acres of tucked-away industrial land into 845 apartments on Huber Street.

The 1521 Huber St. site is adjacent to active railroad lines, just east of Topgolf Atlanta, Ellsworth Industrial Boulevard, and businesses such as Scope Fine Art and Steady Hand Beer Co.

A new segment of the Atlanta Beltline's 22-mile mainline loop is actively under construction roughly a block south of the site.

As ATL development wonks may recall, Smyrna Ready-Mix fought for several years for approval to turn the acreage into a concrete mixing plant—plans that rankled neighbors and area homebuilders, who feared an increase in heavy truck traffic and pollution, and were ultimately denied by the city.

Now Columbia Ventures is asking the zoning committee to rezone the site from a heavy industrial designation (I-2) to one that would allow mixed residential and commercial uses (MRC-3).

General scope of the 9-acre site today. Google Maps

Blandtown proposal site in the context of neighborhoods west of Midtown and Buckhead. Google Maps

Plans compiled by Dynamik Design architects call for two separate buildings to rise across two phases, each standing up to seven stories. No retail is included in plans, but 845 parking spaces (one per unit) are. One hundred total bike-storage spaces would also be provided in parking decks.  

When finished, the complex would include 245 units reserved as affordable housing, at rates between 50 and 80 percent of the area median income. The average size of apartments overall would be 745 square feet, according to plans filed with the zoning committee.

How the two-phase residential project would be slotted on nearly 9 acres. Columbia Ventures/Dynamik Design; via City of Atlanta Zoning Committee

Notable intown projects in Columbia Ventures’ recent portfolio include the Citizen apartment building that lords over the Eastside Trail in Old Fourth Ward, and the mixed-use transformation of formerly underused MARTA parking lots in Edgewood, where more than 350 apartments now stand.

The Blandtown area in question could be officially Beltline-connected in less than a year.

Huber Street site in relation to the Beltline's under-construction Northwest Trail–Segment 5. Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

According to Atlanta Beltline Inc.’s most recent construction update, Northwest Trail—Segment 5 has encountered unexpected utility infrastructure but remains on pace to be open sometime next fall.

That .7-mile section, which begins where the Westside Trail ends at Marietta Boulevard and Huff Road, broke ground in May. Once completed, the Northwest Trail will be a snaking, off-street connection that stretches between Blandtown, residential Buckhead, and the Lindbergh area.  

Another multi-use trail project in the area, PATH Foundation’s Silver Comet Connector, broke ground early this year just west of Topgolf and Ellsworth Industrial Boulevard.

Proximity to active rail, Topgolf, and Chattahoochee Avenue. Google Maps

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Blandtown proposal site in the context of neighborhoods west of Midtown and Buckhead. Google Maps

General scope of the 9-acre site today. Google Maps

How the two-phase residential project would be slotted on nearly 9 acres. Columbia Ventures/Dynamik Design; via City of Atlanta Zoning Committee

Proximity to active rail, Topgolf, and Chattahoochee Avenue. Google Maps

Huber Street site in relation to the Beltline's under-construction Northwest Trail–Segment 5. Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

Subtitle Developers set sights on heavy industrial site in Blandtown where previous plans faltered

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First look: Modern-style residential project bound for Adair Park Josh Green Wed, 12/11/2024 - 15:12 A modern-style townhome community is edging toward groundbreaking in a pocket of Southwest Atlanta that’s seen a residential growth spurt in recent years.

Flicker Development owner Dan Flicker tells Urbanize Atlanta the 14-unit project is set to rise on two connected properties where Metropolitan Parkway meets Gillette Avenue, replacing a vacant “huge eyesore” that’s dogged Adair Park neighbors for years.

The historic Gillette Mansion overlooks the sloped site from the south.  

As drawn up by Taylor Design Studio, the townhomes would rise at 801 and 805 Metropolitan Parkway, about two miles south of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Flicker says the development process will likely start early next year on two rows of seven townhomes, with a central drive and wide sidewalk along Metropolitan Parkway.

Courtesy of Flicker Development; designs, Taylor Design Studio

The Metropolitan Parkway corner property in question, at left, last month. Google Maps

Plans call for “ultra-efficient” floorplans across three stories with one-car garages and private rooftop decks, many of them with downtown skyline views, per Flicker. The room count would be three bedrooms and three bathrooms across roughly 1,270 square feet, a number that includes the garages.

It’s too early to predict pricing, but Flicker says all of the townhomes will be for sale and not rentals.

“Pricing these out for sale one to two years from now, which is our likely timeline, seems dubious, but I can say these will all be market-rate,” Flicker said.  

The site is across the street from the 100-townhome rental community by Empire Communities called Empire Metro (since renamed Kennett 776) in the Pittsburgh neighborhood. A Fit Efx Training Center workout facility is located just north of the site, and the Adair Court senior housing complex opened several years ago just west.  

Two blocks north, in the same neighborhood, is sprawling former warehouse complex Met Atlanta. That hub for makers and artists was bought for $70 million in September by a Charlotte-based subsidiary of healthcare company Atrium Health for rumored development of a new intown hospital.

Proposed facades along Metropolitan Parkway. Courtesy of Flicker Development; designs, Taylor Design Studio

The 801 and 805 Metropolitan Parkway properties in relation to downtown and Southwest Atlanta landmarks. Google Maps

Flicker says the site plan in Adair Park could grow to include more of the block, as the longtime owner of three “vacant-ish” parcels to the immediate north is now entertaining offers. Construction timelines are contingent, to a degree, on financing and whether those properties can be added to the scope, according to Flicker.

Flicker’s company is also behind plans for a unique multifamily building about a mile farther south on Metropolitan Parkway, within walking distance of the Beltline’s Southside Trail corridor. That project has been met with neighbor concerns over parking and remains in design phases for now.

Head up to the gallery for a detailed look at Flicker Development’s current plans in Adair Park.

Courtesy of Flicker Development; designs, Taylor Design Studio

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The 801 and 805 Metropolitan Parkway properties in relation to downtown and Southwest Atlanta landmarks. Google Maps

The Metropolitan Parkway corner property in question, at left, last month. Google Maps

Courtesy of Flicker Development; designs, Taylor Design Studio

Proposed layout for the 14-home community, which developers say could expand. Courtesy of Flicker Development; designs, Taylor Design Studio

Proposed facades along Metropolitan Parkway. Courtesy of Flicker Development; designs, Taylor Design Studio

Courtesy of Flicker Development; designs, Taylor Design Studio

Courtesy of Flicker Development; designs, Taylor Design Studio

Courtesy of Flicker Development; designs, Taylor Design Studio

Courtesy of Flicker Development; designs, Taylor Design Studio

Courtesy of Flicker Development; designs, Taylor Design Studio

Courtesy of Flicker Development; designs, Taylor Design Studio

Courtesy of Flicker Development; designs, Taylor Design Studio

Courtesy of Flicker Development; designs, Taylor Design Studio

Subtitle Metropolitan Parkway development to replace "huge eyesore," claim corner near Met Atlanta

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Transformation of Sweet Auburn corner officially breaks ground Josh Green Wed, 12/11/2024 - 10:25 A project years in the making that aims to bring vitality to one of Atlanta’s most richly historic streets is officially underway.

Officials with longtime Sweet Auburn pillars Butler Street Community Development Corporation, Wisconsin-based affordable housing developer Gorman & Company, and national commercial firm Red Rock Global hosted a groundbreaking Wednesday for Sweet Auburn Grande.

The mixed-use venture, per the development team, will usher in a “new era of affordable housing and community revitalization” in a historic, downtown-adjacent section of the city that’s suffered from disinvestment for generations but is showing signs of a comeback.

For phase one, Sweet Auburn Grande’s finalized plans call for building 109 multifamily residences along Auburn Avenue at the southeast corner of the Jesse Hill Jr. Drive intersection. Roughly 8,700 square feet of commercial space will be included at street level, along with structured parking.

That retail component will be “ideally positioned to serve [Sweet Auburn Grande] residents and the influx of foot traffic from Georgia State University students and visitors to nearby Martin Luther King Jr. historical sites,” as Gorman officials noted in a groundbreaking announcement.

Finalized plans call for 109 apartments, with 92 of them reserved for residents earning, at most, either 30, 50, or 80 percent of the area median income. Seventeen of the apartments will rent for market-rate.

“This project is about honoring our community’s history while building a brighter future,” Alfonza Marshall, Butler Street CDC’s board chair, said in a prepared statement.

The revised vision for Sweet Auburn Grande phase one, with the early 1900s office building preserved. Gorman & Company, via Invest Atlanta

State of the southeast corner of Auburn Avenue and Jesse Hill Jr. Drive today, with the historic office building in question at center. Google Maps

Eventually, the two-phase Sweet Auburn Grande project calls for reviving corners on the southwest and southeast sides of where Auburn Avenue meets Jesse Hill Jr. Drive.

The corners in question are currently dead zones of boarded-up, historically significant buildings and surface parking lots.

With phase one, the schedule calls for 23 months of construction, which would put the roughly $56-million project’s opening in fall 2026, Gorman officials previously told Urbanize Atlanta. Invest Atlanta’s Board of Directors in September approved a $28.3 million tax exempt loan that green-lighted the property’s closing.  

The initial phase will incorporate the historic but long-vacant 229 Auburn building (Atlanta Life Insurance Building). That structure once housed pioneering Black businesses during the district’s heyday, including Atlanta State Savings Bank, the first Black-owned bank in the city and Georgia’s first state-chartered Black bank.

The building was constructed in 1908 and more recently housed the Butler Street CDC.

Meanwhile, across the street, the Sweet Auburn Grande project’s second phase calls for restoring two more historic structures: the 1920 former Butler Street YMCA-JD Winston Branch and the Walden Building.

An attractive, functional public greenspace would also be added at the corner, at the base of the iconic, towering John Lewis HERO Mural.

Breakdown of two development phases on either side of Jesse Hill Jr. Drive. Gorman & Compay; via SR, 2023

Butler Street CDC, which owns the 219 Auburn Avenue property that’s currently a parking lot, rechristened that corner “Good Trouble John Lewis Memorial Park” in 2022.

Gorman officials have said development costs are expected to come in around $18 million for the second phase, but restoration work on the former YMCA building would have different funding sources. A timeline for construction has yet to emerge as complex financing deals are worked out; but Joel Reed, Gorman’s Southeast market president, has said a late-2025 start date for moving phase two forward is possible.

Gorman plans to oversee the Sweet Auburn project's development, design, construction, and management. Butler Street CDC, meanwhile, will be on board to continue stewardship of Sweet Auburn’s historic assets, officials said this week.

Second-phase plans for a circular greenspace to activate the parking lot, to be called the Good Trouble John Lewis Memorial Park. Central Atlanta Progress/Invest Atlanta/SCAD

Elsewhere in Atlanta, Gorman has completed projects Hamilton Hills across the street from MARTA’s westernmost station and the Residences at Westview, a 60-unit affordable housing complex near Westview Cemetery.

The company is also behind a modern-style, proposed warehouse conversion and expansion that could see nearly 200 more rentals take shape next to MARTA’s West End transit hub.

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State of the southeast corner of Auburn Avenue and Jesse Hill Jr. Drive today, with the historic office building in question at center. Google Maps

The revised vision for Sweet Auburn Grande phase one, with the early 1900s office building preserved. Gorman & Company, via Invest Atlanta

Breakdown of two development phases on either side of Jesse Hill Jr. Drive. Gorman & Compay; via SR, 2023

State of the 1920 Butler Street YMCA today, once known as "Black city hall" for its importance in the community. Invest Atlanta

The current parking lot and building conditions at the corner of Jesse Hill Jr. Drive and Auburn Avenue, beneath the 65-foot Lewis mural. Google Maps

Second-phase plans for a circular greenspace to activate the parking lot, to be called the Good Trouble John Lewis Memorial Park. Central Atlanta Progress/Invest Atlanta/SCAD

Beside the greenspace, plans have called for outdoor workstations and free Wi-Fi. Central Atlanta Progress/Invest Atlanta/SCAD

Phase two calls for restoring the Walden Building, named for Austin Thomas Walden, a prominent Black Atlantan who had an office there until his death in the 1960s, per Atlanta History Center. Central Atlanta Progress/Invest Atlanta/SCAD

Subtitle Mixed-use Auburn Avenue project to incorporate vacant, historic Atlanta Life Insurance Building

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In SW Atlanta, under-construction Creative Village bags cash boost Josh Green Wed, 12/11/2024 - 08:13 Like much of the U.S., Atlanta’s TV and film industry is experiencing a well-documented slump in the wake of strikes and AI disruptions, but that isn’t stopping a Southwest Atlanta project from moving forward that aims to be a springboard for local creatives to better lives.

RYSE Creative Village, as the project is called, just scored a cash boost from Fulton County to help make that a reality.

Earlier this year, RYSE Interactive broke ground on the initial phase of a mixed-use transformation of the former Preston Arkwright Elementary School property. Situated about four miles from downtown at 1261 Lockwood Drive, the former Atlanta Public Schools facility in Venetian Hills has been vacant since its closure in 2004.

The Black-owned media and communications company plans to eventually invest $30 million (that’s up $5 million from previous estimates) over two phases to create RYSE Creative Village, described as a “pioneering” mix of tech-enabled studios, incubator space, and affordable housing with a goal of uplifting historically underserved communities a short drive from Tyler Perry Studios.

The first step is creating a “talent incubator” for careers in not just Georgia’s multi-billion-dollar TV and film industry but gaming, photography, music, immersive media, and other artistic fields, according to project leaders.

Last week, Develop Fulton’s Board of Directors unanimously approved a $125,000 grant for the RYSE project, with potentially more funding in the pipeline for 2025.

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

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

Kwanza Hall, chairman of the county’s economic development arm, said the one-time grant is an “essential first step” in closing a $500,000 funding gap needed to make the project viable, but that public donations will also be essential.

“Our board is eager to consider doubling this commitment to a total of $250,000,” noted Hall in a prepared statement, “reinforcing our belief in the power of this initiative to uplift the creative community.”

Jay Jackson, RYSE Interactive founder, tells Urbanize Atlanta the project’s first phase is moving forward with financing from Carver State Bank in the form of New Market Tax Credits. Develop Fulton’s contributions will be used to help activate a future phase.

Phase one is on pace to be finished in late fall next year, according to Jackson.

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

Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

Future development of RYSE Creative Village is slated to include a residential component—the current tally is 91 units of affordable housing, adjacent to the reimagined school—along with additional, alternative education initiatives. The logic goes that Atlanta creatives would be able to live in relatively affordable apartments while attending field-specific classes next door.

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

The Venetian Hills venture is joining long-dormant Atlanta Public Schools properties that have been revived in recent years for more standard uses, such as classrooms and housing, in places like Old Fourth Ward and Adair Park.

Eight other “surplus” school properties were recently identified as having potential for redevelopment in coming years.

Find more context and an array of visuals for what RYSE Creative Village hopes to become (along with handy explainers) in the gallery above.

Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

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

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1261 Lockwood Drive SW Southwest Atlanta Preston Arkwright Elementary RYSE Interactive Georgia Department of Economic Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Atlanta Public Schools RYSE Creative Village Tv and film industry Adaptive-Reuse Adaptive-Reuse Development Adaptive Reuse SW ATL Lights Camera Action Historic Atlanta Develop Fulton Kwanza Hall APS Atlanta Construction Atlanta Schools Carver State Bank New Market Tax Credits

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

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

Set on a sloping street, the Southwest Atlanta school has been vacant for 20 years. Google Maps

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

Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

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Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

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Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

Subtitle Planned $30M "talent incubator" with housing facet is transforming dormant APS property

Neighborhood Venetian Hills

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RYSE Creative Village

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What's the Best Atlanta Neighborhood of 2024? Nominate yours today! Josh Green Tue, 12/10/2024 - 16:22 ’Tis the season for time-honored, random traditions, and in Atlanta that calls for a criteria-free competition to determine which neighborhood was most wonderful of all this year.

But first, for this year's Best Atlanta Neighborhood tournament, we need YOU, the people, to nominate the neighborhood you believe is 2024’s best. For whatever reason.

Did your ’hood show exceptional class, resilience, and togetherness this year? Did it boost its restaurant, shopping, or nightlife game? Did a truly affordable living option come to be? Did an amazing park or building finally open? Were marvelous old homes restored on your street, or new ones built? Etc.   

The goal is to keep the nomination process as simple and democratic as possible. Please follow these easy steps:

***1.***In the comments section below, nominate oneAtlanta neighborhood or nearby city in the metro. (If more than one place is named, only the first will be counted.)

***2.***If that’s too complicated, reach out to us via Facebook, Twitter, or now Instagram with your neighborhood nomination.

***3.***Feel free to express WHY you think your/that particular neighborhood is 2024’s best. Go on—brag on yourself!

Nominations will close at 1 p.m. sharp (EST) Friday.

The 16 Atlanta neighborhoods with the most nominations will qualify for the tournament. Seeding will be determined by the number of nominations.

Again, seeding will be determined by the number of nominations.

The 2023 tourney saw upsets galore.

The winning Atlanta neighborhood will receive the everlasting prestige of showing an entire city that it takes pride in itself and truly cares. It’ll also have bragging rights—like mighty Mozley Park, amazing Avondale Estates, and heroic Hapeville have enjoyed—for a full year.

Below is a recap of all past winners. Who shall join them from the fascinating year that was 2024?

…

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 Castleberry Hill Hapeville Golden Urby Chalice of Champions

Subtitle It's beginning to look a lot like... criteria-free tournament season around here!

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Portman targets Alpharetta office park for major redevelopment Josh Green Tue, 12/10/2024 - 14:10 Paperwork filed with the State of Georgia indicates prominent intown developer Portman Holdings has set sights on Alpharetta for its next large project.

Portman is compiling plans to convert an office park about a mile and ½ east of Avalon into a mixed-use district with hundreds of new residences, according to a Development of Regional Impact filing made Monday with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.

The Alpharetta site in question is home to two office buildings—Brookside One & Two—and large asphalt parking lots along Old Milton Parkway (Ga. Highway 120). According to LoopNet, the Class A buildings total about 266,000 square feet.

According to the DRI filing, roughly 130,000 square feet of occupied offices would remain onsite, with the rest converted into residential, commercial, and retail uses.

The 3625 Brookside Parkway location, in relation to downtown Alpharetta and other area landmarks. Google Maps

Overview of outdoor amenities at the renovated properties. Bridge Commercial Real Estate

Specifically, Portman’s plans call for building 350 multifamily units, 90 townhomes, and 60,000 square feet of commercial and retail space from Brookside’s current buildings and parking lots.

The project’s estimated completion date is listed as 2029. We’ve reached out to Portman officials for more project details and will update this story with any additional information that comes.

As a first step toward redevelopment, Portman is filing the project with the state for review as a possible DRI. The DRI classification, which applies to projects large enough to effect multiple jurisdictions, is meant to streamline the development process and gather local input.

As it currently stands, the Brookside property counts four parking spaces for every 1,000 square feet of offices, with a new outdoor courtyard as its centerpiece. A trail system nearby links with the Big Creek Greenway, a miles-long destination for biking, walking, and jogging.

Positioning of the two buildings and surface parking today off Old Milton Park (bottom). Google Maps

Entry to the office park on Old Milton Parkway, as seen in 2021. Google Maps

According to CBRE marketing materials, the property underwent a multi-million-dollar renovation, completed in 2022, that included a new conference center, lounge, and lobby for both buildings. The goal was to “enhance tenant wellness and productivity,” per the commercial real estate firm.

Closer to its downtown Atlanta home base, Portman has made no shortage of development-related headlines in recent years.

The company officially debuted metro Atlanta’s largest office project of 2024 last week, and it continues to deliver restaurant options to the Beltline’s most active stretch at its Junction Krog District project in Old Fourth Ward.

Elsewhere along the Beltline, the company has scaled back redevelopment plans for Amsterdam Walk in the face of community pushback and cut ties entirely with a massive proposal along Ponce de Leon Avenue, citing economic headwinds.

Perks of the Brookside location as outlined in marketing materials. CBRE

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3625 Brookside Parkway Alpharetta City of Alpharetta Portman Holdings Portman Brookside Mixed-Use CBRE Big Creek Greenway Brookside One & Two Bridge Green Bridge Commercial Real Estate DRI Development of Regional Impact State of Georgia Atlanta Office Space Alpharetta Offices Alpharetta Development Adaptive-Reuse Adaptive-Reuse Development Adaptive-Reuse Project Avalon Alpharetta News OTP Atlanta Suburbs Northern Suburbs Suburban Development Georgia Department of Community Affairs

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The 3625 Brookside Parkway location, in relation to downtown Alpharetta and other area landmarks. Google Maps

Positioning of the two buildings and surface parking today off Old Milton Park (bottom). Google Maps

Entry to the office park on Old Milton Parkway, as seen in 2021. Google Maps

Overview of outdoor amenities at the renovated properties. Bridge Commercial Real Estate

Perks of the Brookside location as outlined in marketing materials. CBRE

Subtitle Site near Avalon calls for hundreds of new housing units, retail, remade offices

Neighborhood Alpharetta

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1890s downtown ATL landmark up for grabs. Any big ideas? Josh Green Mon, 12/09/2024 - 16:00 A standout historical structure in the shadow of downtown skyscrapers is being marketed as a prime candidate for adaptive-reuse development.

Occupying the southeast corner of Edgewood Avenue and Courtland Street, across the street from Hurt Park, the 1800s building has lived past lives of many uses, and it recently hit the market with JLL in hopes of becoming something else, according to Scott​​​​ Cullen, a JLL Capital Markets managing director.

The 125 Edgewood Ave. building, totaling just shy of 7,000 square feet, was completed in 1890 by developer Joel Hurt and businessman Samuel Inman in what was called “Shermantown” at the time. It’s considered one of the last “true” and “relatively untouched Victorian mansions left downtown,” according to JLL’s listing.

The asking price isn’t specified.

Courtesy of JLL Capital Markets

The 1890 structure's location in relation to Hurt Park, the downtown Connector, and other landmarks. Courtesy of JLL Capital Markets

Having served as one of Coca-Cola’s earliest bottling operations, beginning in 1900, the building is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Its former uses across well over a century have included a radio service store, a dry goods store, and several pharmacies, among other uses. 

The building has served as Georgia State University’s Baptist Student Union since 1966 and is 100 percent occupied today, according to JLL.

But the property’s current downtown zoning (SPI-1 SA1) would allow for a range of adaptive-reuse possibilities, including residential, boutique hotel, museum, creative office, restaurant, and retail uses within a short walk of MARTA and downtown attractions, per JLL.

125 Edgewood “will continue to attract visitors curious about its unique architecture and history for years to come,” reads the sales pitch.

The building’s conversion to something else wouldn’t be the only notable change in the immediate area.

Courtesy of JLL Capital Markets

Example of interiors at the circa-1890 Edgewood Avenue building today. Courtesy of JLL Capital Markets

Across the street, a $107-million remake of properties bordering Hurt Park was recently announced by GSU, with a goal of finishing before Atlanta’s 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Just north of Hurt Park, 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 in the near term. 

Find a closer look at the 125 Edgewood Ave. property today in the gallery above.

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125 Edgewood Avenue NE Shermantown Joel Hurt Samuel Inman Coca-Cola Georgia State University Baptist Union 125 Edgewood Georgia State University GSU Hurt Park Adaptive-Reuse JLL JLL Capital Markets Adaptive Reuse Adaptive-Reuse Development Sweet Auburn Sweet Auburn Freedom Walk

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The 1890 structure's location in relation to Hurt Park, the downtown Connector, and other landmarks. Courtesy of JLL Capital Markets

Courtesy of JLL Capital Markets

Courtesy of JLL Capital Markets

Example of interiors at the circa-1890 Edgewood Avenue building today. Courtesy of JLL Capital Markets

Courtesy of JLL Capital Markets

Courtesy of JLL Capital Markets

Subtitle Historic structure with Coca-Cola roots called one of last Victorian mansions left downtown

Neighborhood Downtown

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Report: Midtown packed on another 2,200 residences in 2024 Josh Green Mon, 12/09/2024 - 13:46 Atlanta’s champ for explosive vertical growth over the past dozen years and counting is reporting another strong year—and projecting more boom times ahead.

Midtown Alliance, a nonprofit coalition of business and community leaders, has taken stock of development described as moving at “a torrid pace” again in 2024, when another new project of significant scale delivered, on average, every two months.

Those projects are adding to $10 billion in private development that’s has been invested over the past six years alone in the 1.2-square-mile Midtown Improvement District, or what’s generally considered the neighborhood’s commercial core.

Throughout 2024, six major developments were finished and opened, notably adding another nearly 2,200 living options to the subdistrict and boosting Midtown’s status as a residential district, according to Midtown Alliance’s year-end tabulations. (Alliance leaders reported earlier this year that roughly 60 new people were moving into Midtown every week.)

A zoomed-out view over Piedmont Park in late May as The Meadow grass was still recovering from Atlanta Jazz Festival 2024. Urbanize Atlanta

New high-rise entrants to Midtown’s apartment market this year included Momentum Midtown (70 total stories), Emmi Midtown (31 stories), Loria Ansley (28 stories), and Society Atlanta (also 31 stories).

The number of new residences tallied in 2024 is the second most for a 12-month period in Midtown history, and almost all of them are apartments, as opposed to for-sale condos, per Midtown Alliance. (The last condo project to come online in Midtown was the 40 West 12th building, which started selling 64 units in pandemic-challenged 2020; new product there is still for sale.)

Collectively, the six developments that came online in 2024 added another 65,000 square feet of retail space to Midtown’s streets.

That includes a restaurant component at Portman’s Ten Twenty Spring building declared finished last week—a 530,000-square-foot Class A venture that will likely be Midtown’s last spec office building in coming years.

Overview of core Midtown development over the past six years, with the recent proposal neighboring The Varsity and the under-construction, two-tower Middle Street Partners project near Piedmont Park not shown. Courtesy of Midtown Alliance

Some other juicy tidbits from Midtown Alliance’s year-end wrap up:

• Gangbusters growth in the student housing sector (a category that didn’t exist in Midtown a decade ago) continues, with 600 new student beds delivering this year and another 800 on tap for 2025. Per Midtown Alliance’s calculations, some 8,500 of Midtown’s current 28,000 residents are college students attending Georgia Tech, SCAD Atlanta, Emory University, Georgia State University, and other area schools.

• Apart from the third phase of Tech Square and a component of Rockefeller Group’s 1072 West Peachtree skyscraper (a 60-story project set to deliver in 2026), the Midtown submarket appears to be in pause mode when it comes to new offices. “Generally in place of new construction,” noted the year-end report, “the emphasis will shift more toward existing office buildings in the district making investments to upgrade their spaces and attract new tenants.”

• Midtown development in general shows few signs of petering out—at least not in 2025. Next year will begin with seven projects actively under construction and more that have been approved to start.

• The next buildings of significant scale on tap for Midtown in 2025 will deliver more than 1,000 additional apartments. Those include the two-tower 1081 Juniper St. project, Modera Parkside, and student-housing venture Rambler Atlanta, which topped out in late summer over Peachtree Street.  

• Those next projects on the Midtown horizon will add another 15,000 square feet of retail to the mix.

• Today, CoStar pegs the average rent for non-student apartments in Midtown at $2,460 monthly, per Midtown Alliance.

Proximity of three new Midtown high-rises to each other, with the leafy city beyond. Urbanize Atlanta

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Midtown Alliance Midtown Construction Midtown Development Midtown Skyline Midtown Atlanta Atlanta Development Atlanta Construction Portman Atlanta apartments Momentum Midtown Atlanta Growth Midtown Growth Atlanta Student Housing Student Housing Ten Twenty Spring 1020 Spring 1072 West Peachtree

Subtitle That’s nearly a record for the district, as construction boom continues, Midtown Alliance reports

Neighborhood Midtown

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Development breaks ground near Atlanta Beltline spur trail Josh Green Mon, 12/09/2024 - 08:13 A mixed-use development has officially joined an English Avenue growth spurt that’s seeing hundreds of residences come together in projects both large and not.

The Proctor, a mixed-income building, broke ground Thursday on vacant land at 698 Oliver St. That’s roughly a block south of the Westside Beltline Connector greenway trail, a link between the main Beltline loop and downtown Atlanta.

The joint venture between Atlanta Housing and Atlanta-based developer Windsor Stevens Holdings calls for 137 units total, with 41 of them reserved as affordable housing for residents earning at most 80 percent of the area median income.

According to Atlanta Housing, those rent-capped apartments will be reserved exclusively for AH Housing Choice Voucher participants, a means to guarantee their affordability for at least 30 years. 

Atlanta Housing officials describe the $55.6-million project as a “visionary [and] monumental step forward” in the creation of attainable housing intown.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens addresses the crowd at last week's The Proctor groundbreaking. Courtesy of Cornerstone Creative Studios/Essayon Construction Group

Planned lighting scheme at The Proctor. Windsor Stevens Holdings; designs, Niles Bolton Associates architects

Beyond the apartments—which will average 813 square feet, per city officials—the eight-story building will also include 10,000 square feet of retail space at ground level and a three-level parking deck.

Amenities in the works include a pool deck, fitness and yoga room, dog spa, and a “chill room” equipped with a full kitchen, according to permitting paperwork filed with the city’s Office of Buildings in May. 

Windsor Stevens was founded by Atlanta developer Rod Mullice, whose portfolio includes transit-focused projects such as The Pad on Harvard in College Park and forthcoming The Frazier at Old Towne Gordon in Chamblee. Mullice has called The Proctor’s proximity to Georgia Tech’s campus another selling point.

Mullice tells Urbanize Atlanta the project remains on pace to open in the second quarter of 2026. The building’s retail component will be reserved for tenants focused on health, wellness, and beauty, Mullice says.

A mural perspective on the backside of the project. Windsor Stevens Holdings; designs, Niles Bolton Associates architects

How the 137-unit The Proctor building's balconies and retail will face cross streets. Windsor Stevens Holdings; designs, Niles Bolton Associates architects

Promotional materials point to MARTA’s Bankhead station a mile west, and Microsoft’s 90-acre property about 1.8 miles away, as walkable plusses of the location. The development is described as being transit-focused overall.

The Proctor is being put together through Atlanta Urban Development, a nonprofit entity that aims to develop underused public land into mixed-income housing. An LLC called WS Proctor Co. purchased the assemblage of properties for $3.75 million in March 2022.

The development team also includes Essayon Progress Management (construction), Niles Bolton Associates (architecture), Eberly and Associates (engineering), The Dragon Group (sustainable consulting), Nelson Mullins (legal), and Aprio (accounting).

According to Atlanta Housing, the project marks the agency’s first financial closing using HUD’s streamlined Local, Non-Traditional/Moving to Work process, which has allowed The Proctor to move forward quicker and with greater efficiency.  

The English Avenue site in question is tucked off Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway, immediately west of Brock Built Homes’ 30-unit Oliver Street Townhomes. Other landmarks in the area include The Salvation Army Bellwood Boys and Girls Club (about two block east) and the Echo Street West project (also two blocks east).

The 698 Oliver St. site in question, just north of DLH Parkway and a few blocks from Westside Motor Lounge. Google Maps

The vacant site in question, at left, as seen in early 2023 with Brock Built Homes’ Oliver Street Townhomes next door. Google Maps

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698 OLIVER St. NW The Proctor Windsor Stevens Holdings H.J. Russell Co. Eberly & Associates The Dragon Group Nelson Mullins Niles Bolton Associates Aprio Atlanta Development Atlanta Construction Atlanta apartments Mixed-Use Development Joseph E. Boone Boulevard Bankhead For Rent in Atlanta Westside BeltLine Connector Rod Mullice Essayon Progress Management Donald Lee Hollowell Essayon Construction Group Atlanta Housing

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Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens addresses the crowd at last week's The Proctor groundbreaking. Courtesy of Cornerstone Creative Studios/Essayon Construction Group

Courtesy of Cornerstone Creative Studios/Essayon Construction Group

The 698 Oliver St. site in question, just north of DLH Parkway and a few blocks from Westside Motor Lounge. Google Maps

The vacant site in question, at left, as seen in early 2023 with Brock Built Homes’ Oliver Street Townhomes next door. Google Maps

How the 137-unit The Proctor building's balconies and retail will face cross streets. Windsor Stevens Holdings; designs, Niles Bolton Associates architects

Planned lighting scheme at The Proctor. Windsor Stevens Holdings; designs, Niles Bolton Associates architects

A mural perspective on the backside of the project. Windsor Stevens Holdings; designs, Niles Bolton Associates architects

Subtitle The Proctor project called “monumental step forward” for Westside affordable housing

Neighborhood English Avenue

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The Proctor

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