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Halcyon district lands 'missing piece' Trader Joe's at 5-year anniversary Josh Green Mon, 12/02/2024 - 16:11 Five years after the $500-million Halcyon district began opening as a Forsyth County answer to Avalon’s success, project leaders say they’ve filled a crucial void by signing popular California-based grocer Trader Joe’s.

Halcyon developers RocaPoint Partners announced today Trader Joe’s will open a 13,500-square-foot store at the mixed-use hub, joining seven other locations dotted throughout metro Atlanta, including stores in Buckhead, Midtown, and Sandy Springs.

Trader Joe’s will occupy a building on a new flank of Halcyon along McFarland Parkway, near a recently opened Chick-fil-A and the Big Creek Greenway’s trailhead.

RocaPoint Partners principal Phil Mays called the grocery “the missing puzzle piece that fits right in, functioning as a vital service provider that helps to complete our district” in an announcement.

Where Trader Joe's will operate relative to a new Halcyon Chick-fil-A (top right) along McFarland Parkway. Aerial Innovations Southeast; courtesy of RocaPoint Partners

Trader Joe’s is considered part of the 135-acre Halcyon plan’s under-construction third phase. In addition to Chick-fil-A, retailers Five Guys, Chase Bank, and Chewy Vet Care have signed on for the next facet of development.

Halcyon initially broke ground in early 2016 with no public funding support.

The Halcyon Farmers Market at the centerpiece greenspace. Courtesy of RocaPoint Partners

Since then, it’s opened hundreds of housing units, added a mile of new trail connectivity to the Big Creek Greenway, preserved 50 acres of greenspace on the property, hosted more than 1,750 events, and tallied around 10 million visitors, according to RocaPoint Partners’ tabulations.

The project centerpiece is the Village Green (completed in phase one), which is surrounded by the six-stall Market Hall and local retailers such as Cherry Street Brewpub, CT Cantina & Taqueria, and Eclipse di Luna.

More recent additions include experiential retailers X-Golf and CMX Cinebistro, along with Embassy Suites by Hilton hotel and corporate tenants that include Morgan Stanley, which added 500 jobs to the district.

Courtesy of RocaPoint Partners

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6365 Halcyon Way Alpharetta Cumming Halcyon Cherry Street Brewpub Empire Communities Embassy Suites Greystar Big Creek Greenway JLL RocaPoint Partners Monte Hewett Homes Avalon Atlanta Suburbs Mixed-Use Development Trader Joe’s Forsyth County Eclipse di Luna CT Cantina & Taqueria Morgan Stanley Embassy Suites by Hilton CMX Cinebistro X-Golf OTP Forsyth County Development Suburban Development Aerial Innovations

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Where Trader Joe's will operate relative to a new Halcyon Chick-fil-A (top right) along McFarland Parkway. Aerial Innovations Southeast; courtesy of RocaPoint Partners

The Halcyon Farmers Market at the centerpiece greenspace. Courtesy of RocaPoint Partners

Courtesy of RocaPoint Partners

Subtitle Forsyth County location will mark eighth in metro for grocer, as phase three Halcyon details emerge

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Study: Atlanta among top 5 "Most Fun Cities in America" for 2024 Josh Green Mon, 12/02/2024 - 14:38 Atlantans considering closing out 2024 by partying in some other city might want to keep it local instead.

That’s one takeaway from a new analysis—the “Most Fun Cities in America” for 2024—by personal finance website WalletHub, which ranked ATL in the top five.

According to the study, Atlanta finished No. 4 among 180 cities when it comes to sheer variety of fun things to do, including options that won’t break the bank.

Only Las Vegas (No. 1), Orlando, and Miami, respectively, ranked higher.

Each city was evaluated on 65 key metrics across three categories: entertainment and recreation, nightlife and parties, and costs.

On a per capita basis, everything from beer halls, dance clubs, music venues, comedy clubs, movie theaters, hiking trails, playgrounds, and public park space was considered.

In terms of wallet consciousness, average beer and wine prices, restaurant meal costs, three-star hotel room prices, and general cost of living were taken into account, per WalletHub.

Atlanta shined in the nightlife and parties rank (No. 6) as well as entertainment and recreation (No. 8), but it was squarely in the bottom half (No. 124) when it comes to costs. WalletHub considered only the city proper in each case—and not the broader metro areas.

Their Top 10 lineup of most fun American cities right now looks like this:

Elsewhere in Georgia, Columbus (No. 123) and Augusta (No. 140) made the most-fun cut.

Thoroughly entertaining cities such as Savannah, Athens, and Decatur did not rank, but fear not! That’s because WalletHub’s rundown considered only the top 150 most populated cities in the country, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state, with those being Columbus and Augusta, respectively, in Georgia’s case.  

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Subtitle WalletHub analysis covered 180 U.S. cities and 65 metrics, including cost-effectiveness

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Images: Mellow Mushroom prototype opens along Atlanta Beltline Josh Green Mon, 12/02/2024 - 13:13 The remaining Beltline Southside Trail segments might not be finished with construction and open for a while, but when they arrive, they’ll have a built-in pitstop with a familiar name but exclusive food offerings.

Atlanta-based stone-baked pizza purveyors Mellow Mushroom announced today that a unique Grant Park prototype location with frontage on the Beltline corridor has opened.

The latest Mellow Mushroom location (of more than 160 across 16 states) anchors The Boulevard at Grant Park apartment community developed post-pandemic by Charleston-based Middle Street Partners.

Located where Boulevard crosses the Beltline, at the southern rim of Grant Park, the 3,400-square-foot space includes two patios facing the under-construction Southside Trail corridor.

The retail section claimed by Mellow Mushroom as part of the new development's 300 feet of Southside Trail frontage. Courtesy of Middle Street Partners

Inside the 3,400-square-foot concept developed with The Culinary Edge. Courtesy of Mellow Mushroom

The Grant Park location, created in partnership with The Culinary Edge, represents what Mellow Mushroom calls a “significant evolution” and “fast-fine prototype” for the brand that leans into urban design, guest-friendly tech, and new menu items, including a hand-held category called “panizzis” that will be exclusive to the Beltline location.

Other aspects include hand-painted murals, counter-service ordering, a bar dishing mocktails and cocktails, table-locator devices, back-of-the-house system upgrades, exclusive pizza varieties, and a “curated music program that changes by the time of day and season,” per Mellow Mushroom’s announcement. (Peep the full menu here.)

Courtesy of Mellow Mushroom

Courtesy of Middle Street Partners

The Boulevard development marked the Atlanta debut for Middle Street. Meanwhile, in Midtown, the company’s two-tower Juniper Street high-rise project has fully topped out. 

Construction of the Beltline’s Southside Trail on either side of Boulevard (west toward West End, and east toward Ormewood Park) has hit unanticipated snags this year.

According to the Beltline’s most recent construction updates, Southside Trail Segments 2 and 3, which extend from Boulevard almost two miles west to beyond the downtown Connector, have encountered “unexpected relocation of fiber as well as the relocation of storm lines to accommodate the fiber in some areas.” That’s impacting current construction progress, which had set a completion date of early 2026, ahead of FIFA World Cup games that year.

Meanwhile, Southside Trail Segments 4 and 5, which will connect the Mellow Mushroom location with points east around to Ormewood Park, came up against “underground utility challenges” at United Avenue that have bumped back that project’s timeline from finishing in summer 2025 to sometime next fall. That section is 1.2 miles long.

In the meantime, have a closer look at how the Mellow Mushroom Grant Park prototype turned out in the gallery above. 

The Boulevard at Grant Park's location at 1015 Boulevard. Google Maps

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The Boulevard at Grant Park's location at 1015 Boulevard. Google Maps

Courtesy of Middle Street Partners

The retail section claimed by Mellow Mushroom as part of the new development's 300 feet of Southside Trail frontage. Courtesy of Middle Street Partners

Inside the 3,400-square-foot concept developed with The Culinary Edge. Courtesy of Mellow Mushroom

Courtesy of Mellow Mushroom

Courtesy of Mellow Mushroom

Courtesy of Mellow Mushroom

Courtesy of Mellow Mushroom

Courtesy of Mellow Mushroom

Subtitle "Fast-fine" concept claims marquee retail space on forthcoming Southside Trail corridor

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Bike, pedestrian trail system in pipeline around MARTA station Josh Green Mon, 12/02/2024 - 08:09 Plans are materializing for a new trail loop around an eastside MARTA station designed to keep people on foot and bikes safer where infrastructure is currently lacking in a quickly developing area.

Led by the Georgia Department of Transportation, a state agency not traditionally known for prioritizing non-vehicle infrastructure, the trail project calls for modifying four sections of roadway corridors that border MARTA’s Kensington station in unincorporated DeKalb County.

The public comment period for the 1.4-mile trail project concludes this week.

According to the DeKalb County Public Works Transportation Division, GDOT’s goal for what’s formally called Kensington MARTA Station Trail—Phase I is to beef up pedestrian and bicycle connectivity near a relatively high density of residential, office, and county government facilities.

Project leaders describe sidewalk conditions near the station as “sporadic” today—and bike infrastructure as nonexistent—which encourages uncontrolled pedestrian crossings.

“The sidewalks are intermittent, narrow, and in disrepair,” notes a project description. “Worn paths along the side of the road indicate there is a pedestrian demand for improved facilities.”

The DeKalb County area in question between downtown Avondale Estates and Interstate 285. GDOT/DeKalb County Public Works Transportation Division

Kensington is the second-to-last station on MARTA’s eastbound route before final stop Indian Creek station. It’s located just west of Memorial Drive, inside the Interstate 285 loop, east of Avondale Estates and downtown Decatur. 

On Memorial Drive, plans call for building a 10-foot-wide shared pathway that would replace existing sidewalks on the northwest side of the road.

The scope also calls for reducing two other sections of roadways around the station from four to two lanes and implementing shared paths, also 10 feet wide.

How two roadway sections currently with four lanes each would be modified. GDOT/DeKalb County Public Works Transportation Division

The phase-one trail loop could have a built-in user base, as hundreds of new housing options come online in the immediate area.

A year ago, MARTA officially broke ground on transit-oriented development for 35 acres of property around the train station. That's set to include 100 percent affordable senior and workforce housing, a new Housing Authority of DeKalb County headquarters, and other community amenities.

Elsewhere, the mixed-use Phoenix Station project has taken shape across the street from MARTA’s Kensington hub.

Meanwhile, across Memorial Drive, a five-building residential project by developer Resia has delivered nearly 500 units. That’s now called Resia Willows.  

Preliminary overview of the 1.4-mile project. GDOT/DeKalb County Public Works Transportation Division

Plans in coming years call for Kensington to become a regional transportation center and mixed-use neighborhood gathering place that increases ridership and revenue, in the vein of the Edgewood/Candler Park station, according to a Kensington Station Master Plan completed by MARTA and DeKalb County.

The public is encouraged to submit input on the Kensington trail proposal (and any requests for specific features) by filling out this comment card and emailing it to DeKalb County officials here: pgkeeter@dekalbcountyga.gov

The period for accepting public comments ends Thursday.

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Kensington MARTA Station Trail Phase 1 DeKalb County MARTA MARTA Stations Georgia DOT Georgia Department of Transportation Alternate Transportation Alternative Transportations TODs Transit Oriented Development DeKalb County Development Atlanta Bike Infrastructure Atlanta Bike Lanes Decatur Development

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The DeKalb County area in question between downtown Avondale Estates and Interstate 285. GDOT/DeKalb County Public Works Transportation Division

Preliminary overview of the 1.4-mile project. GDOT/DeKalb County Public Works Transportation Division

How two roadway sections currently with four lanes each would be modified. GDOT/DeKalb County Public Works Transportation Division

Subtitle GDOT project aims to complement new development around MARTA’s Kensington station

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8 random reasons to be thankful for Atlanta right now Josh Green Tue, 11/26/2024 - 12:27 Thanksgiving is a time of reflection, gratitude, and gluttony. And for ATL lovers, it’s an apt occasion for self-promotion, too!

There are thousands of good reasons, for those who can still afford it, to be thankful for living in the American South’s capital city right now. It’s a time of relative prosperity in a modern-day boomtown where none of the local sports teams are sniffing last place, though the Hawks are trying. It’s currently sunny, T-shirt weather in late November. And oh by golly, the famed Pink Pig is finally back (sort of).

Below are eight other random reasons to be thankful for calling Atlanta home right now. Please, in the comments below, feel free to add to the list with your own personal ATL thanksgivings:

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1. We’re No. 6! No, seriously, since the pandemic, metro Atlanta has leapfrogged three other metros to firmly stake our claim as the sixth largest in the U.S. Which is pretty impressive.

2. A YouTuber/city planner/engineer with an international following just wondered aloud if the Atlanta Beltline isn’t America’s best urban trail. He also said this: “It's hard to spend any time in Atlanta and not feel like you're in America's city of the future.”

The latest Beltline section to open this month, in relation to Piedmont Park's dog park. Photo by LoKnows Drones; courtesy of Atlanta Beltline Inc.

3. The amount of places for Atlantans to live that are still comfortably affordable is hardly meeting the need, as post-pandemic housing costs have shot through the roof. But as new and forthcoming projects from Decatur to the doorstep of MARTA’s Hamilton E. Holmes station prove, affordable housing initiatives across the ITP universe are more than just lip service around here.

4. Gulch redevelopment Centennial Yards make take lumps for its monumental tax breaks and lack of affordable housing (so far), but damn it’s nice to see that soul-sucking downtown chasm finally becoming something else.

Here it is, as seen from an airplane, earlier this month:

5. Yes, haters, it’s not Germany, but the Atlanta Christkindl Market in Buckhead Village is becoming a fine tradition—one that’s more than capable of conjuring that warm feeling of holiday sentimentality. Go ahead—fight us.

6. The dazzling Atlanta Botanical Garden this time of year. Enough said?

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

7. Day-brightening characters like Kevin “the singing Rollerblader” Randolph are now Beltline fixtures. Yes, please.

8. If you ride a bike in the evening, heading east into Midtown, sometimes a reflective, golden-hour scene like this happens:

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

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Subtitle She's not perfect, but we're all pretty fortunate to be here

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Images: English Avenue project with nearly 400 units tops out Josh Green Mon, 11/25/2024 - 14:59 A multifamily project that's adding hundreds of housing options near an Atlanta Beltline spoke trail and an important Westside traffic corridor has reached its tallest point.

Active intown developer Mill Creek Residential began construction in summer 2023 on a 2.3-acre site at 576 Northside Drive, marking the latest multifamily bet on English Avenue and blocks just west of Georgia Tech.

Mill Creek named the project Modera Westside Trail, a nod to the Beltline’s Westside Beltline Connector trail located about a block away, to the west. It’s replacing a low-rise commercial building and fenced-off parking lots.

At its tallest point, Modera Westside Trail now stands eight stories total—five floors of wood over a three-level concrete podium largely hidden from public view. Other sections remain under vertical construction.

Where Modera Westside Trail has topped out at the junction of North Avenue and Northside Drive. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Courtesy of Mill Creek Residential; designs, Dynamik Design

Plans call for 373 apartments at the city’s latest Modera-branded build, with the majority of them—57 percent, or 214 units—being one-bedroom residences. Options will range from studios to 10 three-bedrooms, with apartments being 833 square feet on average, developers have said. No retail component will be included.

Rents haven’t been specified, but 10 percent of the units, or 38 total, will be reserved for tenants earning 60 percent of the area median income or less, Mill Creek officials have said.

The project is expected to start delivering in fall 2025.

Modera Westside Trail joins hundreds of other new Westside apartment options within about a three-block radius.

Those include the residential portion of Lincoln Property Company’s multifaceted, 19-acre Echo Street West project, Georgia Tech’s multi-building Science Square district, and the under-construction second (and largest) phase of Herndon Square, an affordable housing venture.  

With Modera Westside Trail, Mill Creek’s plans call for an eighth-floor sky lounge with indoor and outdoor spaces and unobstructed views to downtown and Midtown.

On the fourth floor, expect three courtyards with perks that include outdoor coworking zones, a kitchen with grilling stations, and a resort-style pool with Midtown views. A fitness center, steam room, sauna, yoga and spin rooms, a pet park and spa, and other amenities are in the works below that.

The project's North Avenue frontage today, with Westside Beltline Connector trail entrances at far left. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

How the eight-level project is expected to look over the intersection of Northside Drive and North Avenue. Courtesy of Mill Creek Residential; designs, Dynamik Design

Elsewhere in Atlanta, another Modera-branded complex has topped out at 32 stories in Midtown, and the developer has broken ground on a 402-unit community called Modera Southside Trail in Peoplestown. Officials recently told Urbanize Atlanta the latter project is still viable and moving forward despite a pause in construction.

Another Modera complex near the Beltline in Reynoldstown, a two-phase project in Buckhead, and Modera Decatur mark Mill Creek’s most recently finished ITP endeavors.

Find more context and updated site photos for Modera Westside Trail in the gallery above.

The 2.3-acre development site, located on a Northside Drive bend about a mile west of Georgia Tech's Bobby Dodd Stadium. Google Maps

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The 2.3-acre development site, located on a Northside Drive bend about a mile west of Georgia Tech's Bobby Dodd Stadium. Google Maps

The site in question in early 2023, looking east along Northside Drive with Midtown and downtown beyond. Google Maps

The project's North Avenue frontage today, with Westside Beltline Connector trail entrances at far left. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Where Modera Westside Trail has topped out at the junction of North Avenue and Northside Drive. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

How the eight-level project is expected to look over the intersection of Northside Drive and North Avenue. Courtesy of Mill Creek Residential; designs, Dynamik Design

Courtesy of Mill Creek Residential; designs, Dynamik Design

Courtesy of Mill Creek Residential; designs, Dynamik Design

Subtitle Modera Westside Trail taking shape where Beltline-downtown trail meets Northside Drive

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Renderings: Mixed-use makeover in works for 1970s mall Josh Green Mon, 11/25/2024 - 12:06 The next extreme makeover of a dated mall is bound for one of metro Atlanta’s fastest-growing cities, developers announced today.

Branch Properties, an Atlanta-based real estate investment firm and developer behind such projects as Hugh Howell Marketplace in Tucker (completed in 2022) and Publix-anchored Summerhill Station, plans to create a new town center in Gainesville from Lakeshore Mall, a community staple that’s seen more vibrant days.  

Situated between Lake Lanier and Interstate 985, about an hour northeast of Atlanta in the Hall County seat, the nearly 500,000-square-foot Lakeshore Mall originally opened in 1970 along Dawsonville Highway, a main Gainesville artery.

Branch Properties’ multi-phase plans call for transforming the mall into an open-air, walkable destination that functions as a residential hub and communal gathering place.

Once fully built, that will include 652 multifamily residences, 38,200 square feet of outdoor greenspace, and a whopping 305,000 square feet for retail. (For context, Ponce City Market counts about 350,000 square feet dedicated to retail.)

The project—called simply “Lakeshore” in an announcement—will also have room for townhomes and a hotel in future phases, per officials. Branch Properties bought the mall in 2022.

Courtesy of Branch Properties

Lakeshore Mall's 150 Pearl Nix Parkway location, between Lake Lanier and Interstate 985. Google Maps

Plans call for keeping the mall’s anchor tenants Belk and Dick’s Sporting Goods open throughout the development process, though Dick’s will eventually be relocated on site.

With its inclusion of residential, the project echoes other metro mall redevelopments moving forward at North DeKalb Mall, Mall West End, and Gwinnett Place, among others.

Branch Properties officials expect the mixed-use planning process to stretch for several years. As a first step toward redevelopment, the company is filing the project with the State of Georgia for review as a Development of Regional Impact. The DRI classification, which applies to projects large enough to effect multiple jurisdictions, is meant to streamline the development process and gather local input.

Elsewhere in Gainesville, Branch Properties is developing a 14-acre shopping center called Limestone Marketplace, which is also anchored by Publix.

Courtesy of Branch Properties

Courtesy of Branch Properties

Branch Properties’ construction schedule calls for breaking ground on the mall redevelopment in late 2026.

“The redesigned destination will fit seamlessly into the community, meeting the needs of Gainesville’s rapidly growing population,” Jesse Shannon, Branch Properties’ president, partner, and chief investment officer, said in an announcement today.

Branch Properties officials pointed to U.S. Census Bureau statistics indicating Gainesville’s population has swelled by 15 percent since 2020, attributable to farther migration from Atlanta’s suburbs and a desire to live closer to Lake Lanier, per the developer.

“This surging population growth,” notes the project announcement, “has created increased demand for community space and residential development.”

Find a closer look at Lakeshore Mall makeover plans in the gallery above.

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Lakeshore Mall's 150 Pearl Nix Parkway location, between Lake Lanier and Interstate 985. Google Maps

Courtesy of Branch Properties

Courtesy of Branch Properties

Courtesy of Branch Properties

Courtesy of Branch Properties

Courtesy of Branch Properties

Courtesy of Branch Properties

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Subtitle Plans for Gainesville’s Lakeshore Mall call for hundreds of residences, communal greenspaces

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South Downtown hotel project's lynchpin tenant pulls out Josh Green Mon, 11/25/2024 - 10:48 A hotel restaurant concept considered a win for historic but less lively blocks of South Downtown won’t move forward as planned.

All-day restaurant Butter + Scotch, from the same team that owns the celebrated Che Butter Jonez in Southwest Atlanta, had signed on to operate at the Origin Hotel Atlanta, an adaptive-reuse former office building at 166 Pryor St.

But Butter + Scotch reps announced via email Sunday those plans have been cancelled.

“Despite the excitement and community support [for Butter + Scotch], unforeseen challenges during the development process have led the team to make the difficult decision to halt the project,” reads the announcement.

Exterior work in April at the 166 Pryor St. building in South Downtown. Submitted

Rendering of the Origin HotelNuveen Green Capital

Back in April, owner Detric Fox-Quinlan told Urbanize Atlanta that construction crews had encountered hurdles at the property but that “everything promises to be absolutely beautiful upon completion.” This week, the team behind Butter + Scotch noted they remain optimistic the concept will come to life elsewhere in town.

The Afro-Caribbean and Southern-inspired restaurant and bar, spearheaded by Chef Malik Rhasaan and Fox-Quinlan, promised a unique mashup of flavors from Rhasaan’s native Queens, New York, and downhome comfort food. “We wanted to create something special for Atlanta," Rhasaan noted in a prepared statement. "[But] this is not the end of our story."

The Origin Hotel Atlanta, a Wyndham Hotels and Resorts property, has been delayed by construction issues, but hotel officials said last summer an October opening was realistic. The property still hasn’t opened and is not accepting reservations until mid-January.

We’ve asked Origin reps for a construction update—and if plans are moving forward to replace Butter + Scotch—and we’ll update this story with any additional information that comes.

The boutique hotel is remaking a 1950s office building into 122 guest rooms and suites. Other features include a private event space on the top floor. It marks a rare large-scale, non-governmental investment south of Five Points near the Georgia State Capitol.

Atlanta iconography—including a depiction of the Beaux Arts-style Terminal Station, demolished in the 1970s—is included in a model room's wallpaper. Courtesy of Origin Hotel Atlanta

The Origin Hotel Atlanta's location where Pryor and Mitchell streets meet, in the context of South Downtown. Google Maps

Situated about a block south of Underground Atlanta, the hotel marks an important historical save and “jewel” of redevelopment, project leaders have said. Marketing materials describe the property as being “where dynamic cityscapes and Southern hospitality intertwine.”

Online bookings begin Jan. 15, with nightly rates ranging from $175 to north of $600 for rooms with between 265 square feet (single queens) to 700 square feet (a “premiere suite” that sleeps four).

The building stands at the intersection of Pryor and Mitchell streets, roughly two blocks east of where developer Newport revived parts of downtown’s historic Hotel Row before handing over its portfolio to foreclosure. Tech-focused Atlanta Ventures has since purchased those properties and taken over redevelopment while adding more buildings.

Plans call for the hotel to join others under the Origin brand in Austin, Lexington, Baton Rouge, and Red Rocks (Colorado), along with another new property in Kansas City.

Mississippi-based The Thrash Group paid $16 million for the six-story office building in early 2022, when plans were announced to complete a stalled renovation and open the former offices as a boutique downtown lodging option.

Officials noted the hotel’s proximity to two MARTA stations—Five Points and Garnett—as a selling point at the time.

Origin reps said last summer a 50-foot art installation in the hotel’s lobby will serve as “a graceful nod to the neighborhood’s thriving arts community,” while bike rentals will be free for hotel guests. Plans for the loft-like aesthetics are described as a combination of high concrete ceilings and exposed brick walls with details such as patterned wallpaper featuring Atlanta landmarks, per the Origin website.

Hotel designs will lean into a midcentury aesthetic, with nods to Atlanta history. In addition to event spaces that include the rooftop with skyline views, the property will feature a retail storefront that sells ATL-themed souvenirs and gear, officials relayed in August.

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The Origin Hotel Atlanta's location where Pryor and Mitchell streets meet, in the context of South Downtown. Google Maps

Exterior work in April at the 166 Pryor St. building in South Downtown. Submitted

Rendering of the Origin HotelNuveen Green Capital

Atlanta iconography—including a depiction of the Beaux Arts-style Terminal Station, demolished in the 1970s—is included in a model room's wallpaper. Courtesy of Origin Hotel Atlanta

Courtesy of Origin Hotel Atlanta

Courtesy of Origin Hotel Atlanta

Courtesy of Origin Hotel Atlanta

Interior designs of a demo room at the Origin property. Courtesy of Origin Hotel Atlanta

Subtitle Butter + Scotch concept won’t open as planned at delayed, forthcoming Origin Hotel

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Renderings: How 110-room project for ailing kids will look, function Josh Green Fri, 11/22/2024 - 16:13 While it might not have received the fanfare of the recently completed Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Arthur M. Blank Hospital, a project with a similar philanthropic mission is rounding into shape next door.

Officials with Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities have provided renderings, as drawn up by the Perkins + Will architecture firm, that show how the organization’s expanded facilities will look and function in North Druid Hills.

The new Ronald McDonald House campus will feature 110 guest rooms, active gardens, a green rooftop area, 18 transplant suites, and multiple dining areas, among other facets. It’s much larger than the charity’s current 50-room facility near Emory University on Briarcliff Road.

Plans call for completing the facility, which has topped out, next year.

The Ronald McDonald House shown in relation to the completed Children's Healthcare of Atlanta’s Arthur M. Blank Hospital. Perkin&Will courtesy of Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities

How functional gardens will ring the backside of the facility. Perkin&Will courtesy of Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities

ARMHC has operated in Atlanta for more than 45 years to help families with sick and injured kids, providing a “home away from home” and life-saving medical treatments in many cases. The need for such a facility in this region is rapidly growing, per agency officials.

The charity has recently launched a public capital campaign to raise the final $12 million (of $90 million total) needed to complete the project.

Plans for a green roof at the North Druid Hills project. Perkins&Will courtesy of Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities

Planned functionality of an interior playscape. Perkins&Will courtesy of Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities

According to ARMHC, the nonprofit served more than 3,000 families last year, saving them $8.4 million in transportation, lodging, and food costs while providing more than 25,000 nights of rest.

Today, the number of nights families have stayed in its Houses has swelled by 77 percent since 2022.

Find a closer look at the under-construction North Druid Hills project in the gallery above.

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1575 Northeast Expressway NE Children's Healthcare of Atlanta’s Arthur M. Blank Hospital Ronald McDonald House Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities Atlanta Hospitals Arthur Blank Marcus Autism Center Atlanta Development Atlanta Construction ARMHC Perkins + Will Perkins & Will Perkins & Will

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The Ronald McDonald House shown in relation to the completed Children's Healthcare of Atlanta’s Arthur M. Blank Hospital. Perkin&Will courtesy of Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities

An artist rendering showing front-of-house designs for the 110-room structure. Perkins&Will courtesy of Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities

An area described as the "front porch." Perkin&Will courtesy of Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities

Sideview of the Ronald McDonald House "front porch." Perkin&Will courtesy of Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities

Plans for a Ronald McDonald House dining area. Perkin&Will courtesy of Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities

How functional gardens will ring the backside of the facility. Perkin&Will courtesy of Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities

Plans for a green roof at the North Druid Hills project. Perkins&Will courtesy of Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities

Planned functionality of an interior playscape. Perkins&Will courtesy of Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities

Perkins&Will courtesy of Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities

Perkins&Will courtesy of Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities

Perkins&Will courtesy of Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities

Perkins&Will courtesy of Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities

Perkins&Will courtesy of Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities

Subtitle Significantly larger Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities facility takes shape

Neighborhood North Druid Hills

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Developer: New Buford Highway district will start rising in 2025 Josh Green Fri, 11/22/2024 - 14:14 Following several years of delays, a Doraville project that aims to revitalize and enliven a section of Buford Highway while creating a new northside destination is on track to move forward next year, developers tell Urbanize Atlanta.  

Eti Lazarian, general operations director for real estate investment firm Insignia, says initial phases of the proposed Lotus Grove district are on pace to see vertical construction in summer 2025, with an expected total cost north of $300 million.

The 5597 Buford Highway site in question, situated just outside the Interstate 285 loop, once operated as a Kmart, which has been demolished.

Alongside low-rise retail and restaurants (fresh renderings provided this week show a food hall in the works), Lotus Grove’s initial phase calls for a 12-story building—the tallest in Doraville, per project officials—that would include 456 apartments and perks such as a pool and fitness center.  

Lazarian said construction schedules call for delivering Lotus Grove’s retail and residential components by sometime in 2027. 

“We’re proud of the underlying community sensibility and HERO aspects of the project,” Lazarian wrote via email. “When finished, the project will bring a more ‘city center’-type feel to the area, a vibrant place for people to congregate.

“With it being the tallest building in the area,” Lazarian added, “it will also serve as a visible landmark to draw people in.”

Updated look at a courtyard and food hall plans for Doraville's Lotus Grove. Courtesy of Insignia

The latest plans for low-rise retail facades in the 5500 block of Buford Highway. Courtesy of Insignia

Miami-based developer Resia, the company behind a five-building residential project on Memorial Drive and another in Douglasville, is gearing up to build the first phase of residential, called Resia Lotus Grove, per company officials.

Gus Cabrera, Resia’s director of business development, recently told Urbanize infrastructure work on the residential tower has begun, and full development is on pace to start next year, though no project renderings are available.

A Kmart Big K operated on the 13-acre Doraville property until 2010, and the shopping center’s remains were fully cleared two years ago. That appeared to set the stage for Lotus Grove—and the continuation of development trends in nearby cities such as Chamblee and Dunwoody that are leaning into urban-style, mixed-use nodes. 

According to Insignia’s website, Lotus Grove will eventually see two 12-story residential towers (with 780 units total) as part of roughly 1 million square feet of new construction. Other facets would include a national hotel and a public park designed to be activated for events.

Lazarian said this week the project’s full scope has not changed. The company didn’t comment when asked about development challenges that have delayed Lotus Grove.

Courtesy of Insignia

Insignia’s project description for Lotus Grove predicts it will bring urbanization to Buford Highway and help revitalize the popular foodie destination.

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

Elsewhere in the city, plans are percolating for a made-from-scratch downtown district that would help lend Doraville identity, while an infill residential project called Camino is under construction on a previously vacant lot.

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

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

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

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Updated look at a courtyard and food hall plans for Doraville's Lotus Grove. Courtesy of Insignia

The latest plans for low-rise retail facades in the 5500 block of Buford Highway. Courtesy of Insignia

Courtesy of Insignia

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

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

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

Subtitle Fresh visuals provide insight into $300M Lotus Grove plans in Doraville

Neighborhood Doraville

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Lotus Grove - 5597 Buford Highway

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MARTA pedestrian bridge installation to briefly block train access Josh Green Thu, 11/21/2024 - 15:51 Rail commuters take note: Efforts to improve pedestrian and bicyclist access to MARTA’s easternmost train station will interrupt service for a couple of days soon.

MARTA officials say trains will not service the Indian Creek rail station on Sunday, Dec. 8 and Monday, Dec. 9 to allow for the installation of a new pedestrian bridge over active rail.

That means the Kensington Station near downtown Avondale Estates will temporarily serve as the end of MARTA’s Blue Line next month.

Indian Creek’s parking lots will remain open during the closure, and MARTA plans to run regular bus shuttles between Indian Creek and Kensington stations during the service interruption.

All bus routes serving Indian Creek station will continue running as scheduled. MARTA is advising customers who arrive by car to park at Kensington station, if possible.

According to MARTA officials, the new bridge will boost access to Indian Creek station for people on foot and bikes, while better connecting the station to a planned trail network in the area.

Courtesy of MARTA

The bridge is a key component of the broader Indian Creek Station Rehabilitation Project. That initiative is renovating the station’s western plaza, installing new flooring and bathrooms, and making improvements to fare gates and the bus loop to improve the customer experience, per MARTA.   

But much bigger changes are percolating around Indian Creek station eventually.

MARTA has compiled plans for a nearly 1.7-million-square-foot Transit-Oriented Development that would replace parking lots just south of the station with a dense collection of buildings, greenspaces, plazas, and parking structures, all located just outside the Interstate 285 loop in Stone Mountain. 

The full project calls for 1,600 residential units consuming the vast majority of new development, set among 4 acres of parks and recreation space with a multi-use trail. The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners approved rezoning of the 64 acres in question in May.

Should it come to fruition as shown in master-planning documents, the project would dwarf all others in MARTA’s TOD portfolio. No timeline for development has been specified.

The Indian Creek station's location near Interstate 285 in Stone Mountain, just east of Avondale Estates. Google Maps

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MARTA Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority Indian Creek MARTA Station Indian Creek Station MARTA trains Pedestrian infrastructure Atlanta Bridges Stone Mountain MARTA Schedules

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Courtesy of MARTA

The Indian Creek station's location near Interstate 285 in Stone Mountain, just east of Avondale Estates. Google Maps

Subtitle Closure is part of broader Indian Creek Station Rehabilitation Project

Neighborhood MARTA

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On Georgia Tech campus, mixed-use project gets go-ahead Josh Green Thu, 11/21/2024 - 14:33 Days are numbered for a low-slung building just north of Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium, where an injection of student housing is planned on a smaller scale than most recent intown developments geared toward college kids.

Real estate investment company CCI Real Estate has received rezoning approvals from the City of Atlanta to move forward with a five-story, mixed-use project at 740 Techwood Drive, less than a block from the Yellowjackets’ football stadium, according to company officials.

The project, which is being developed in partnership with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, will replace the longstanding Baptist Collegiate Ministry building on campus.

The current Baptist Collegiate Ministry building on Techwood Drive. Google Maps

Techwood Drive frontage for the mixed-use proposal. Courtesy of CCI Real Estate

CCI’s plans for the half-acre site call for 55 one-and two-bedroom apartments spread across 64,000 square feet.

The mixed-use components include an on-site coffeehouse, 12,000 square feet of student community space at the ground level, and an upgraded ministry facility, according to project leaders. (Sorry, kids, no rooftop poolside jumbotron and neon-bedecked podcast studios here).

According to CCI, the schedule calls for breaking ground next summer and opening the building in the summer of 2027.

The company’s goal is to create “missional impact and community transformation,” and it’s also currently in the process of redeveloping the Baptist College Ministry buildings at the University of Georgia in Athens and Georgia Southern University in Statesboro with similar mixed uses.  

The project's location on Georgia Tech's campus, in relation to Bobby Dodd Stadium and the Connector. Google Maps

The Baptist College Ministry has been active on Tech’s campus for more than 75 years.

“Now [the organization] will get a well-deserved upgrade to usher in a new chapter of growth and ministry in Atlanta,” said Jeff Warwick, CEO at CCI, in a project announcement. “By developing a vibrant, mixed-use community, we aim to support [the ministry’s] longstanding impact on students at Georgia Tech while also providing much-needed student housing in a prime location on campus.”

Meanwhile, just down the street, Georgia Tech athletics recently kicked off a $500-million fundraising campaign called Full Steam Ahead that could produce upgraded facilities for Ramblin’ Wreck football fans, along with basketball and volleyball players. As part of those efforts, Bobby Dodd Stadium’s transformation is set to include a massive videoboard at the south end, new clubs and a speakeasy, along with an array of deluxe suites.

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740 Techwood Drive CCI Real Estate Georgia Tech Georgia Institute of Technology Baptist Collegiate Ministry Atlanta Churches Atlanta Development Midtown Atlanta Atlanta Construction Georgia Tech Development Techwood Drive Bobby Dodd Stadium Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field Atlanta Student Housing Student Housing Georgia Baptist Mission Board

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The project's location on Georgia Tech's campus, in relation to Bobby Dodd Stadium and the Connector. Google Maps

The current Baptist Collegiate Ministry building on Techwood Drive. Google Maps

Techwood Drive frontage for the mixed-use proposal. Courtesy of CCI Real Estate

Subtitle Plans call for replacing Baptist Collegiate Ministry near Bobby Dodd Stadium

Neighborhood Georgia Tech

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