Analysis: Atlanta home-price increases lagging most other U.S. cities Josh Green Mon, 04/14/2025 - 15:09

For aspiring metro Atlanta homeowners discouraged by median housing prices that have ballooned by 60 percent since the COVID-19 pandemic began, findings in a new nationwide analysis of cities could be encouraging. 

For current homeowners around Atlanta, not so much. 

Homes.com has tracked hundreds of thousands of home sales across the country and found that median home prices in metro Atlanta continue to grow—but at a pace considerably slower than the national average. 

The median sales price of houses sold in metro Atlanta increased by 1.4 percent year-over-year this March, which was “significantly cooler” than the growth seen last year, when prices bumped up by more than 6 percent over 2023 numbers, according to the analysis by Homes.com, a residential real estate marketplace and a brand of CoStar Group. 

That means metro Atlanta ranked near the bottom (No. 32) in terms of home-price growth in the 40 largest U.S. cities. 

Homes.com

Interestingly, Homes.com’s findings indicate the highest home-price appreciation in March was regionally concentrated in colder cities in the Northeast and Midwest—and was lowest in traditionally hot Southern markets. 

“Cleveland led the way, with prices increasing over 10 percent in the past year, followed by Chicago, New York, and Pittsburgh,” notes an analyst summary. “By contrast, the South only had one market, Austin, in the 10 biggest price increases but had five of the 10 bottom markets.”

Nationally, median home prices had climbed 2.2 percent in March compared to a year ago. 

Homes.com

In metro Atlanta, the 1.4-percent yearly increase ending in March meant median home prices climbed about $5,000, rising from $370,000 to $375,000, per Homes.com’s findings. 

That means metro prices are still lower than the median home price nationally, which in March clocked in at $380,000, per the analysis. (A silver lining for metro ATL? Maybe). 

Here's a look at how metro Atlanta stacked up among its U.S. peers over the year that was, according to Homes.com's findings: 

Homes.com

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Subtitle For better or worse...

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Fresh images: Historic Decatur Square’s overhaul to break ground this week Josh Green Mon, 04/14/2025 - 13:33

Historic Decatur Square’s first makeover since the early 1980s is officially a go.

The initial $8.5-million phase of Decatur’s Town Center Plan 2.0 project, an initiative put together by the city and its Downtown Development Authority, is scheduled to break ground during a public celebration beginning at 10:30 a.m. Thursday. 

They’re calling the first phase of work The Square ShakeUp. Its goal is to open up, reshape, and better utilize what’s long been the epicenter of activity in Downtown Decatur. 

The Square ShakeUp plan calls for expanding the size of the Square and its greenspaces, scrapping the large (and ill-placed) bandstand near MARTA’s Swanton Way entrance with a larger and modernized performing arts stage. Other changes will see a standalone building with permanent public restrooms, an open car-free plaza, a new children’s play area, and larger open spaces in general. 

The project has been in the works since ideas were initially put together in early 2022. 

Overview of planned changes in Decatur’s Town Center Plan 2.0's $8.5-million first phase. Courtesy of Decatur Downtown Development Authority

View of the planned new stage at night in Historic Decatur Square. Courtesy of Decatur Downtown Development Authority

The phase-one changes will be key to the Decatur Town Center Plan 2.0 adopted by the City Commission in 2023 as a means of adapting downtown to its growing population.

The project is being paid for with SPLOST II funds through DeKalb County and is scheduled to take 10 months to complete. Decatur’s goal is to have the expanded Square fully reopen prior to Atlanta’s month of FIFA World Cup matches beginning in June next year. 

“After extensive conversations with our residents and local business owners, it became clear changes were necessary to support the type of programming that keeps Downtown Decatur vibrant,” said Angela Threadgill, Decatur’s assistant city manager for community and economic development, in an announcement today. “[W]e hope it sends a clear message that we aren’t resting on our laurels when it comes to making Decatur the best it can be for all stakeholders.” 

Reps tell Urbanize Atlanta the full Town Center 2.0 project will have two phases overall, and the second phase will undergo a similar process of public engagement and design development prior to groundbreaking, all pending funding sources. 

The second phase of Decatur Square’s overhaul is expected to include a splash pad, outdoor pavilion, and additional seating and amenities. No timeline for those aspects has been established, per the DDA. 

Plans for the car-free North McDonough Street Court at night. Courtesy of Decatur Downtown Development Authority

Plans for the standalone public restroom building by day. Courtesy of Decatur Downtown Development Authority

Throughout phase-one construction, access to all businesses on and around the Square will remain open to the public, though small sections of the Square’s public space will be closed. 

Access to specific areas will be reopened as they’re completed, according to DDA officials. 

Swing up to the gallery for more context and the most recent renderings illustrating what’s set to come in Decatur over the next year. More details on The Square ShakeUp and its expected impacts on downtown can be found here.   

The reimagined, opened-up plaza planned as part of The Square ShakeUp.Courtesy of Decatur Downtown Development Authority

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Current conditions of the core Historic Downtown Decatur area in question, with McDonough Street shown at right. City of Decatur/Decatur DDA

Overview of planned changes in Decatur’s Town Center Plan 2.0's $8.5-million first phase. Courtesy of Decatur Downtown Development Authority

View of the planned new stage at night in Historic Decatur Square. Courtesy of Decatur Downtown Development Authority

Plans for the car-free North McDonough Street Court at night. Courtesy of Decatur Downtown Development Authority

The North McDonough Street court in the day. Courtesy of Decatur Downtown Development Authority

Daytime stage view at the Square. Courtesy of Decatur Downtown Development Authority

Plans for the standalone public restroom building by day. Courtesy of Decatur Downtown Development Authority

Courtesy of Decatur Downtown Development Authority

The reimagined, opened-up plaza planned as part of The Square ShakeUp.Courtesy of Decatur Downtown Development Authority

An illustration showing sore spots in today's urban experience near Decatur's MARTA station and courthouse. City of Decatur/Decatur DDA

Overview of changes that could eventually come as part of the Decatur Town Center Plan 2.0 in the future. City of Decatur/Decatur DDA

Subtitle $8.5M initial phase aims to finish in time for Atlanta’s 2026 FIFA World Cup

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Letter to Editor: Canceling Eastside light rail is waste of time, precious money Josh Green Mon, 04/14/2025 - 08:24

Perhaps it seems like longer ago, but only a month has passed since Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens revealed that city leaders were shifting focus away from building light rail on the Beltline’s Eastside Trail after years of planning for an estimated $230-million Atlanta Streetcar extension there.

Eric Goldberg, an Inman Park resident and transit enthusiast, was dismayed by that decision.

Goldberg fears the pivot toward building out rail in other, less densely populated parts of the city will set transit progress back by years, while Atlantans see no tangible proof that tax dollars are being wisely spent. The following Letter to the Editor has been lightly edited for clarity and length.

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Dear Editor: 

Mayor Andre Dickens’ recent decision to backtrack on building light rail on the Eastside Trail of the Beltline is the equivalent of a football team about to go in for a score from the one-yard line then abruptly forfeiting.

MARTA executed a $13-million contract with design and engineering firm HDR in June 2023 to shepherd Streetcar East through final design. 

Construction was set to start on the project—2.3 miles of rail connecting the existing downtown streetcar to the Beltline, then extending onto the Eastside Trail from Irwin Street to Ponce City Market—in 2025. 

Timeline for completion: 2028.

In the 10 years leading up to final design, tens of millions of dollars were spent readying the project for construction start through rail-corridor design and engineering studies.

All told, that’s $20 million-plus invested, conservatively, the Dickens administration is walking away from in spent infrastructure dollars necessary to get a light-rail project ready for the building phase. Money MARTA will never get back.

Dickens says he’d prefer to start light-rail construction on a four-mile stretch of the Southside Beltline. No one would argue light rail shouldn’t be built on the Southside Beltline. 

Transit-rich future for the Beltline's Southside Trail? Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

But if the goal is to show progress and get the project started, implementing Beltline rail in phases (similar to how the recreation trail has been rolled out), then Atlantans shouldn’t hold their breath about Beltline light rail being built anytime soon.

Before light rail can be built on the Southside Trail, the same engineering and design process that occurred on the Eastside Trail to pave the way for construction must happen on the Southside rail corridor. That was an eight-year process on the Eastside Trail.

So when Dickens projects rail construction will start on the Southside Beltline rail in 2029, he’s either not being honest or is ill-informed. 

Why not start construction as planned on an Eastside Trail that’s shovel-ready and paid for by the More MARTA tax Atlantans approved in 2016? (Remember, $230 million of the More MARTA pot of money had been set aside for Streetcar East.)

Meanwhile, the necessary design and engineering studies on the Southside Trail could happen simultaneously, readying that stretch for construction as soon as possible.

Perhaps it has something to do with the pressure the mayor felt from a politically connected Eastside interest group that lobbied to stop the project, alongside a handful of developers and business owners concerned about short-term disruption.

And while the mayor says his decision to start on the Southside is driven by equity, it’s not equitable if no rail is built over the last four years of his term. 

It’s not equitable if residents from other parts of the city aren’t able to use transit to access the Eastside Trail, the densest section of the Beltline and an opportunity zone that’s chockablock with jobs, entertainment, and schools.

Since rail won’t be built on the Southside Trail anytime soon, isn’t the mayor just punting on Beltline rail overall?

Former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, a Dickens confidante who aided in his rise from little-known councilman to mayor, once said politicians’ favorite projects are the ones with 10-year timelines. Why? Because the politician rolling out the plan to be completed in 10 years needn’t be there to see it through. 

Financing Beltline rail is another area in which the mayor’s calculations seem overly rosy. Dickens recently told the Atlanta Press Club he hopes to extend the Beltline Tax Allocation District to pay for transit and affordable housing along the Beltline beyond 2030 when the current TAD expires.

But as hard as it was in the recent past to get Atlanta Public Schools and Fulton County to agree to the TAD (and stay in it), it’s awfully presumptuous to think they’ll agree to extending it.

And what of the $230 million in More MARTA money that had been earmarked for Eastside Trail light rail that Dickens said he’d like to apply to Southside rail construction? It’s not clear he’ll be able to use that money on Southside rail without a referendum.

Where does this leave transit-starved Atlantans who’ve been waiting for Beltline rail since 2016? With some promises, but in the wake of Dickens pulling the plug on Streetcar East, not much else.

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Subtitle Following years of design, pivot to Southside Trail leaves “transit-starved Atlantans” wanting, writer asserts

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As ATL bike culture booms, is 'Atlamsterdam' nickname warranted? Josh Green Thu, 04/10/2025 - 12:20

Maybe it’s not as iconic as “ATL,” as Chamber of Commerce-friendly as “The City Too Busy to Hate,” or as arguably cringe-worthy as “The Big Peach.” 

But a new Atlanta nickname has emerged that signals one direction the city is clearly heading, from transportation and infrastructure standpoints: “Atlamsterdam.” 

That’s a nod to Amsterdam, one of the world’s most bikeable cities. Is Atlanta as bike-friendly as The Netherlands’ (totally flat) capital city? No, it is not. 

Are we getting closer? Yes—and rapidly so—with every passing year.    

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Crowded bike-parking infrastructure along Summerhill's Georgia Avenue in 2023. Urbanize Atlanta

Consider this anecdotal evidence: Despite it being a week when most of Atlanta is lounging somewhere for Spring Break, the Atlanta Department of Transportation reports that crews are hard at work installing bike-lane stencils, green paint, and striping for the Howell Mill Complete Street makeover, an effort to make roughly two and ½ miles of that car-clogged corridor more people-friendly. (Protective barriers for those lanes are forthcoming, but not as many as some alternate-transportation enthusiasts would like.)  

Meanwhile, the PATH Foundation details in its Spring newsletter how the fabled Silver Comet Connector project—a multi-use trail linking from the Beltline corridor to the Georgia-Alabama line, and beyond—is swiftly becoming reality. 

As of this month, according to PATH officials, all phases of the Silver Comet Connector will be either finished or actively under construction, with completion scheduled for summer 2026. That includes finished sections in Cobb County and the handy, scenic new Woodall Rail Trail near Topgolf Atlanta. 

All phases of the Silver Comet Connector project (solid lines) either finished or under construction today and scheduled to open next year. PATH Foundation

Elsewhere, as most Atlantans on two wheels are aware by now, 85 percent of the Beltline’s 22-mile loop is either open to the public or actively under construction. That tally includes segments dotted all over town that lend enough connectivity to make Atlanta feel geographically smaller once you experience them. 

Smaller wins for bike and e-scooter enthusiasts—the 10th Street bike lanes’ new artful concrete barriers, the pedestrian bridge spanning the Gulch, the Eastside Trolley Trail, the Proctor Creek Greenway, Georgia Tech’s new cycle track, and much more—have come to fruition in recent years, helping Atlantans not traveling by vehicle get safely out of car traffic.  

The Beltline's Eastside Trail in autumn. Urbanize Atlanta

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But is Atlamsterdam a stretch? 

The term appears to have roots as a nod to another, uh, activity both cities have in common (cough cough, puff puff), and we’re told it reemerged more recently during a chat between two buddies on a bike ride. 

Our 2 cents: Atlamsterdam has a nice ring to it. The nickname says something to the urban-planning world. And its connotations are more appropriate almost literally by the day. 

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Courtesy of Lime

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Crowded bike-parking infrastructure along Summerhill's Georgia Avenue in 2023. Urbanize Atlanta

The Beltline's Eastside Trail in autumn. Urbanize Atlanta

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All phases of the Silver Comet Connector project (solid lines) either finished or under construction today and scheduled to open next year. PATH Foundation

Subtitle Improvements abound, but is Atlanta a truly bikeable (and scooter-friendly) city yet? Getting close?

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Images: Civil rights landmark's conversion to housing is full speed ahead Josh Green Wed, 04/09/2025 - 14:25

A residential-conversion project years in the making is barreling ahead for a Westside property that played an important role in Jim Crow-era Atlanta. 

The adaptive-reuse project, Heritage Village at West Lake, is rehabbing and transforming a 1950s building at 239 West Lake Ave. into five stories of multifamily residences with unique goals, according to developers Columbia Residential and their partners Quest Community Development Organization. 

Spread across nearly 7 acres in the historic West Lake neighborhood, the formerly vacant property is located just north of Westview Cemetery and Interstate 20.

Status of exterior renovations earlier this year at the former Waluhaje Hotel. Google Maps

The Heritage Village at West Lake's location, between Westview Cemetery (bottom left) and Shirley Clarke Franklin Park (formerly Westside Park, at top). Google Maps

According to Atlanta Housing, a financial partner in the project, the building in question was originally developed in 1951 as the Waluhaje Hotel and Apartment Complex. During the South’s segregated era, the property served Black patrons and residents—and housed a large ballroom where many top jazz musicians of the era performed. 

The hotel and apartments were sold in 1967, and the property operated for decades as Atlanta Job Corps’ headquarters. That organization provided vocational, residential, and education services and training until closing in 2017. The following year, Columbia and Quest acquired the property from Job Corps via a joint venture. 

According to Columbia, the 61,300-square-foot conversion project will create 102 one-bedroom apartments, with a goal of providing modernized living options while preserving the site’s rich history. 

Of those apartments, 24 will be set aside specifically for single men and women, ages 18 to 24, who are aging out of the foster care system. Job and life skills training, an entrepreneurial incubator space, and other services and resources will be offered onsite, according to Quest officials. 

The project's scope also includes a community health clinic. 

The Heritage Village project will aim to allow “community rebuilding to start with the most vulnerable, hard-to-reach, and lower-income populations,” per a Quest project overview. 

Planned look of the Heritage Village's back facade at 239 W. Lake Ave.via Quest Community Development Organization

via Quest Community Development Organization

Atlanta Housing announced in July that more than $35 million in financing had closed to bring the project to fruition. It’s considered the agency’s first New Markets Tax Credit-financed development**,**and all units will be added to Atlanta Housing-assistedHomeFlex rental unit inventory once finished.                                            

According to Atlanta Housing, 100 percent of the apartments will be reserved for households earning no more than 30 percent of the area median income, including a portion for veterans and formerly homeless Atlantans. The remainder of the 6.8-acre property could be developed as future phases, per the agency. 

Other financial partners in the project include Westside Future Fund, Enterprise Community Partners, Corporation for Supportive Housing, Partners for HOME, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta, the Home Depot Foundation, and Truist Bank, among others. 

Find more context and imagery in the gallery above. 

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The Heritage Village at West Lake's location, between Westview Cemetery (bottom left) and Shirley Clarke Franklin Park (formerly Westside Park, at top). Google Maps

Status of exterior renovations earlier this year at the former Waluhaje Hotel. Google Maps

Planned look of the Heritage Village's back facade at 239 W. Lake Ave.via Quest Community Development Organization

via Quest Community Development Organization

via Quest Community Development Organization

Aerial image that shows the West Lake property's scope in relation to downtown and Midtown, off to the east. Columbia Residential/FB

Subtitle Forthcoming Heritage Village at West Lake once operated as Waluhaje Hotel, apartments, jazz haven

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North of Atlanta, boutique, modern mountain hotel options coming Josh Green Wed, 04/09/2025 - 12:29

Don’t call it glamping. 

No, folks, this is a “groundbreaking” lodging option and “sanctuary of architectural brilliance” in the North Georgia Mountains, about 60 miles north of Buckhead. 

That’s how a preview announcement for Vayhaus Ellijay describes the new boutique hotel venture at 167 Vauhaus Trail in the small town of Talking Rock, where “roughing it” basically means going without room service for the night. 

The concept from husband-wife hospitality veterans Mike and Raquel Ayres is on pace to open later this spring, spread across 60 wooded, rolling acres marketed as being soothingly, charmingly unpredictable. 

Courtesy of Vayhaus Ellijay

North of Atlanta's suburbs, the unique lodging concept's location at 167 Vauhaus Trail in Talking Rock. Google Maps

Expect 12 private, modern-style bungalows dotted across the property, each with mountain forest views and an emphasis on huge glass walls to help bring the outdoors inside. Other bungalow features will include hammocks, a dipping pool/hot tub, and what’s described as “celestial bathing.” 

The goal is to lend a feeling of adventure and immersion without sacrificing comfort. (Note: high-speed internet, suspended fireplaces, full kitchens, and golf carts are included). 

Other aspects of the property include The Disco Forest (description: “an intimate evergreen nook with ambient lighting and a way to play music, creating a simple yet special space for couples to share a dance”) and The Culvert Lounge (a “collection of structural pods nestled by the nearby creek that invite moments of reflection, conversation, and quiet inspiration.”) Other perks coming later in 2025 include on-site saunas and what’s called the Triple Waterfall Plunge Pools, per hotel leadership. 

Nearby recreation options include hiking trails, mountain biking routes, fly-fishing, horseback riding, vineyard tours, and tubing, per the Vayhaus announcement.  

Listed king-bed options start at $475 per night. Sorry, fido: no pets allowed. 

Courtesy of Vayhaus Ellijay

Courtesy of Vayhaus Ellijay

“The idea for Vayhaus came from a frustration with existing options,” said Mike Ayers, who started the brand with vacation homes opened throughout Georgia and Tennessee in 2020. “Traditional hotels felt uninspired, and while there were adventure-focused stays, they often lacked thoughtful design or real comfort. We saw an opportunity to create something different.”  

Vayhaus properties are “designed to create an emotional reaction and an uncompromising commitment to design,” added Raquel Ayers in the announcement, “where every detail contributes to an experience that sticks with you long after you leave.” 

Find more context and Vayhaus Ellijay imagery in the gallery above. 

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North of Atlanta's suburbs, the unique lodging concept's location at 167 Vauhaus Trail in Talking Rock. Google Maps

Courtesy of Vayhaus Ellijay

Courtesy of Vayhaus Ellijay

Courtesy of Vayhaus Ellijay

Courtesy of Vayhaus Ellijay

Courtesy of Vayhaus Ellijay

Subtitle 60-acre Vayhaus concept called “sanctuary of architectural brilliance” in N. Georgia Mountains

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Images: Stylish church project changing downtown Decatur block Josh Green Tue, 04/08/2025 - 13:36

Eight months after construction kicked off, a Catholic church expansion project is making a visible mark along one of downtown Decatur’s busiest traffic corridors.

The modern-style project in the 600 block of W. Ponce de Leon Avenue will be a school expansion and other uses for St. Thomas More Catholic Church and School. It’s part of a larger, master-planned growth spurt for a parish founded in 1941 and situated on the western fringes of downtown Decatur. 

Scheduled to open this fall, the topped-out, two-story school expansion was designed by Atlanta-based Houser Walker Architecture, whose portfolio includes several church renovations and expansions around Georgia. 

The topped-out Saint Thomas More Catholic Church and School expansion this week. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

St. Thomas More Catholic Church/Houser Walker Architecture

Estimated to cost $15 million, the expansion’s first phase includes a 12-classroom building overlooking W. Ponce de Leon Avenue for kindergarten through fifth grades, along with meeting room spaces. (The school currently operates in the basement of an administration building and a third-floor space above the church’s sanctuary.)

That floor above the sanctuary will be converted into multiple meeting rooms of various sizes filled with natural light, per church leadership. 

According to a master plan completed in 2023, future development phases could see an eye-catching new worship building with soaring interiors erected on the flipside of the church from the new school. 

How the new St. Thomas More worship building would stand near the corner of W. Ponce de Leon Avenue and W. Trinity Place. St. Thomas More Catholic Church

St. Thomas More Catholic Church

The expansion project broke ground in August. The development teams also includes Parrish Construction Group, Flippo Civil Design, and Shear Structural engineers. 

In the gallery above, find more context and photos for this St. Thomas More expansion phase and potential future ones.

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St. Thomas More Catholic Church's 636 W. Ponce de Leon Ave. location (in red) in the context of downtown Decatur and surrounding neighborhoods. Google Maps

The topped-out Saint Thomas More Catholic Church and School expansion this week. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Projected look of the current two-story school expansion along W. Ponce de Leon Avenue. St. Thomas More Catholic Church/Houser Walker Architecture

St. Thomas More Catholic Church/Houser Walker Architecture

The church's Parish Commons building today. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

School expansion construction progress this week, with downtown Decatur buildings in the distance. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

St. Thomas More Catholic Church

How the new St. Thomas More worship building would stand near the corner of W. Ponce de Leon Avenue and W. Trinity Place. St. Thomas More Catholic Church

Planned look of a future beam-heavy worship building to be located down the block from the school expansion. St. Thomas More Catholic Church

Subtitle Initial phase includes new St. Thomas More Catholic Church school building, more

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Sweet Auburn’s mixed-income Front Porch set to officially debut Josh Green Tue, 04/08/2025 - 11:37

Following years of planning and construction, a unique Sweet Auburn development that’s been described as Atlanta’s “premiere equity project” is just days from its official debut. 

A ribbon-cutting ceremony and celebration is scheduled next week for the first phase of Front Porch, a mixed-income infill venture that replaced vacant property along Auburn Avenue. 

According to project spearheads the Historic District Development Corporation, the $37-million Front Porch marks the first “catalytic project” on the historic Atlanta street in nearly two decades. 

Located at 348 and 364 Auburn Ave., Front Porch’s first residential section features 33 co-living, dormitory-style units with 67 beds. Of those, 78 percent are considered affordable housing for households earning 60 percent of the area median income or less. 

According to HDDC officials, those fully furnished apartments are geared toward students and young professionals. They start at $1,400 per month, with all utilities included.

“We’re making prime urban living attainable in one of Atlanta's most cherished historic districts,” Cheneé Joseph, HDDC president and CEO, said in a ribbon-cutting announcement today. 

Planned rooftop uses of the Front Porch project's Building B. Some 20,000 square feet of rooftop gardens are planned overall. Courtesy of Syntony Design Collaborative; Historic District Development Corporation

The 100,000-square-foot Front Porch broke ground in the summer of 2022 with a goal of building a mix of housing and commercial space that spark positive changes, injecting vibrancy and job opportunities into a historic district that’s struggled with disinvestment and blight.

The Auburn Avenue corridor, situated between downtown and the Beltline’s Eastside Trail, includes The King Center complex but hasn’t seen a comparable resurgence of investment like that along nearby Edgewood Avenue.  

Much of Front Porch’s footprint claimed what was previously vacant land or parking lots. According to project partner Invest Atlanta, Front Porch’s scope is also set to include condos from studios to three-bedroom units that will sell for an average of $294,000, per a fact sheet from 2021.

Beyond the apartments and condos, Front Porch also calls for 25,000 square feet of commercial space described as “community-serving,” with 80 percent of tenants expected to be minority-owned businesses. HDDC officials have said it will generate 107 full-time time jobs in Sweet Auburn and include six pop-up slots for local entrepreneurs, once fully built. 

Above much of the development will be 20,000 square feet of rooftop gardens used for growing fresh produce, for both tenants and the community, according to HDDC.

The campus’ scope also entailed the repurposing of two buildings—Haugabrooks Funeral Home, now Haugabrooks Art Gallery and Event Space, and a one-story retail building—at street level. 

Overview of planned uses on the block, with Auburn Avenue at right, when the full project is complete. Phase one is shown to the left of the funeral home building. Historic District Development Corporation; via Invest Atlanta

Kristin Halloran, an associate principal at the Cooper Carry architecture firm, said Front Porch’s initial phase “sets the tone for what’s to come, intentionally working within the rich context of Sweet Auburn’s historic architecture to connect its vibrant past to a promising future.” 

The Front Porch ribbon-cutting is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. April 16, with a VIP reception to follow at 5 p.m. City of Atlanta dignitaries and U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff are scheduled to attend. General admission is free, and guided residential tours will be offered, alongside a local vendor marketplace.  

The occasion will also mark the premiere of an exhibit, “Everywhere I Go is Home,” curated by Sierra King at Haugabrooks Gallery. A VIP rooftop reception with “Food Network Star” winner Chef Tregaye Fraser ($65 per person) will be offered, with all proceeds supporting HDDC's Urban Agriculture and Arts and Culture Programs. RSVP here. 

The Front Porch project is being led by the HDDC, which was cofounded four decades ago by Coretta Scott King with a goal of revitalizing and rehabbing Sweet Auburn and its historic neighbor, Old Fourth Ward. 

Invest Atlanta officials have said Front Porch is expected to be occupied to the point of stability within about six months of its debut. 

Find a thorough preview via project renderings in the gallery above. 

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The properties in question in the 300 block of Auburn Avenue in 2022, prior to construction. Google Maps

The planned look of phase-one Auburn Avenue frontages (at left), with the funeral home building incorporated next to new construction. Historic District Development Corporation; via Invest Atlanta

Overview of planned uses on the block, with Auburn Avenue at right, when the full project is complete. Phase one is shown to the left of the funeral home building. Historic District Development Corporation; via Invest Atlanta

A main facade and entry along Auburn Avenue. Courtesy of Syntony Design Collaborative; Historic District Development Corporation

Planned rooftop uses of the Front Porch project's Building B. Some 20,000 square feet of rooftop gardens are planned overall. Courtesy of Syntony Design Collaborative; Historic District Development Corporation

Another view of Building B's rooftop, looking west toward downtown. Courtesy of Syntony Design Collaborative; Historic District Development Corporation

Frontage along Old Wheat Street, at left. Courtesy of Syntony Design Collaborative; Historic District Development Corporation

As the courtyard space will appear in the daytime, per renderings. Courtesy of Syntony Design Collaborative; Historic District Development Corporation

Old Wheat Street frontage. Courtesy of Syntony Design Collaborative; Historic District Development Corporation

The planned look of Auburn Avenue frontages, with the funeral home building incorporated between new construction.Courtesy of Syntony Design Collaborative; Historic District Development Corporation

A music performance depicted in the Front Porch courtyard. Courtesy of Syntony Design Collaborative; Historic District Development Corporation

Subtitle Project in historic Atlanta district includes furnished, flex housing for young professionals, students

Neighborhood Sweet Auburn

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Project along Proctor Creek eyes finish after 5 years of construction Josh Green Mon, 04/07/2025 - 16:05

Following several years of construction, a residential project billed as a relatively affordable path to homeownership northwest of downtown is slated for completion in coming months, having closed more than 160 homes. 

Plans call for the Stanley Martin Homes project, Westside Bend at Proctor Creek, to feature 216 townhomes and standalone houses arranged around a park and communal clubhouse on James Jackson Parkway, in northwest Atlanta neighborhood Monroe Heights.

Prices for the 47 remaining units start at $359,990. 

Including site work, construction has been underway at the formerly wooded property—situated just north of Coretta Scott King Young Women's Leadership Academy, and south of Whittier Mill Village—for more than five years. The new eight-building Populous Westside apartment project is located practically next door. 

According to Micci A. Naegele, a Stanley Martin neighborhood sales manager, Westside Bend is on pace to finish construction this fall, with just two more townhome buildings left to be built. 

The Blanche facades at the Westside Bend project. Photo by James Mauro/jmaurophoto. Courtesy of Stanley Martin Homes

The project's 1335 James Jackson Parkway location in relation to downtown Atlanta. Google Maps

The breakdown calls for 169 townhomes and 47 single-family houses overall—and 165 of those have closed to date. 

The lower-end pricing at $360,000 buys a two-bedroom, two and ½ bathroom townhome with 1,573 square feet. Thirty-three of those remain available, per Naegele.  

Elsewhere, prices between $440,000 to $480,000 buy standalone homes. Those have either three or four bedrooms and three and ½ bathrooms in between 2,129 and 2,455 square feet, with 14 remaining overall, Naegele said. 

(Another consideration: Townhome HOA fees require a one-time contribution of $2,000 and monthly outlay of $260, which covers all aspects of upkeep outside the homes, from exterior maintenance and streetlight power to landscaping. Single-family home HOA fees—$1,000 up front, and $210 monthly—cover the same, except for home exterior maintenance.)

Closings at Westside Bend began about three years ago. 

The community is positioned next to the winding banks of Proctor Creek but located due west of where the completed, three-mile Proctor Creek Greenway currently ends. (A fourth phase of the trail, totaling $4.5 million, was included on the Moving Atlanta Forward TSPLOST/bond package approved by voters in 2021.)  

Beyond the central park and nearby creek, communal amenities are expected to include a pool with cabanas (opening this summer), fire pit, and pocket-park greenspaces. Townhomes features quartz countertops, living-room fireplaces, lower-level flex spaces, and half-covered decks off the main living levels.

Sample interiors for a Blanche floorplan. Photo by James Mauro/jmaurophoto. Courtesy of Stanley Martin Homes

Overview of construction progress today. Stanley Martin Homes

The location is promoted as being convenient to everything from four interstates and Truist Park to the newish Westside Park, the city’s largest greenspace.  

Head to the gallery above for more context, floorplans, and images. Find a virtual tour of a model unit over here. 

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• Images: Spelman College's new 'front porch' is rather fantastic(Urbanize Atlanta) 

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1334 James Jackson Parkway NW Westside Bend at Proctor Creek Monroe Heights Stanley Martin Homes Atlanta Townhomes Atlanta Development Atlanta Construction Atlanta Homes for Sale Proctor Creek Upper Westside Proctor Creek Greenway Coretta Scott King Young Women's Leadership Academy

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The project's 1335 James Jackson Parkway location in relation to downtown Atlanta. Google Maps

Overview of construction progress today. Stanley Martin Homes

The Blanche facades at the Westside Bend project. Photo by James Mauro/jmaurophoto. Courtesy of Stanley Martin Homes

Sample interiors for a Blanche floorplan. Photo by James Mauro/jmaurophoto. Courtesy of Stanley Martin Homes

Photo by James Mauro/jmaurophoto. Courtesy of Stanley Martin Homes

Photo by James Mauro/jmaurophoto. Courtesy of Stanley Martin Homes

Top-level layout for The Blanche plan. Stanley Martin Homes

Stanley Martin Homes

First-floor layout for The Blanche floorplan at Westside Bend at Proctor Creek. Stanley Martin Homes

Subtitle Westside Bend at Proctor Creek community counts mix of more than 200 homes

Neighborhood Westside

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Westside Bend at Proctor Creek

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MARTA's first new transit line in ages hits snags, now delayed Josh Green Mon, 04/07/2025 - 13:37

Construction of MARTA’s first new transit line in 25 years has again encountered delays that will knock back the timeline for passenger service. 

That’s according to a brief update from MARTA officials posted today on social media regarding the Rapid A-Line project—formerly called MARTA Rapid Summerhill—that will provide bus-rapid-transit service between downtown and Peoplestown near the Beltline’s southernmost reaches. 

MARTA officials relay the Rapid A-Line transit project was on pace to begin service this autumn, “but construction crews unearthed shallow water lines and an underground parking lot!” reads the message. “So, we gotta hit pause. We’ll be back on track soon!” 

A photo accompanying MARTA's Rapid A-Line delay announcement today. Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority

We reached out to MARTA for more information on what the unexpected hurdles could mean for the BRT line’s construction and nearby neighborhoods in the short term—and how long construction delays might be overall. According to an agency rep, key members of the BRT project team are out of the office on Spring Break and construction timeline updates aren’t currently available. 

Back in December, MARTA officials told state leaders the BRT project had unearthed forgotten trolley tracks on Hank Aaron Drive in Summerhill that were expected to be left in place. In downtown, utility crews uncovered an abandoned garage beneath street level that could be linked to a nearby deck; the parking structure was capped with a steel plate as MARTA worked to contact the property owner, as Axios reported at the time. 

The project, Atlanta’s initial stab at creating a BRT system, began construction in the fall of 2023. 

The five-mile BRT loop will (eventually) link South Downtown to neighborhoods such as Summerhill and Peoplestown before ending near the Beltline’s Southside Trail at a station called Carver. Included in the scope are expanded sidewalks, bike infrastructure, realigned traffic lanes, and other work. 

Along the route will be connections to MARTA’s heavy rail system at Five Points, Georgia State, and Garnett Stations. The $91-million project marks MARTA’s first new transit line since the Sandy Springs MARTA station opened, back in the year 2000.

The region’s first BRT line will operate with new 60-foot electric buses, with the 14 stops featuring level boarding positioned about 1/3-mile apart from each other. Planned stations on Memorial Drive at Capitol Avenue and Trinity Avenue were previously axed to save costs, project leaders have said.

Proposed BRT route just north of GSU's stadium. via MARTA, March 2022 presentation

Each station will include real-time arrival information and off-board fare collection, allowing customers to pay before they board. About 85 percent of the corridor will have dedicated, bus-only lanes with transit-signal priority, meaning buses shouldn’t be bogged down in traffic and that travel times should be quicker, MARTA officials have said.

MARTA’s original timeline called for breaking ground on the BRT project in August 2022 and beginning service in 2024. But the project was dogged by skyrocketing building and labor costs (originally projected at $61.5 million), in addition to issues stemming from MARTA’s inexperience with creating new transit lines in recent decades. 

MARTA was most recently forecasting that construction on the Rapid A-Line would wrap up sometime this spring, with passenger service beginning later this year.

via MARTA, March 2022 presentation

Once the line is built, buses are expected to arrive with frequencies between 10 minutes (daytime peak hours) and 20 minutes (late nights and weekend mornings). MARTA has estimated that 2,350 riders will use the service on a daily basis. The project is being funded by the $2.7-billion MORE MARTA half-penny sales tax for transit approved by voters in 2016 and a federal TIGER grant.

MARTA predicts traveling the full route from Five Points station to Carver will take between 12 to 15 minutes.

Beyond the downtown-Peoplestown BRT line, MARTA is moving forward with BRT transportation along the Clifton Corridor near Emory University, on Campbellton Road in Southwest Atlanta, and in Clayton County. Another four-station BRT route up Ga. Highway 400 with service to Roswell and Alpharetta is also being studied. 

Here's the most recent look at what's to come—eventually—between South Downtown and Peoplestown: 

The 14-stop Summerhill BRT route revealed by MARTA in August. via MARTA

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• Summerhill news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta) 

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MARTA Rapid Summerhill Summerhill Bus Rapid Transit Downtown Bus Rapid Transit BRT Alternate Transportation Bus Transportation Peoplestown South Downtown Mechanicsville Carver High School Carver Station Alternative Transportation Atlanta Transit Bike Lanes Bicycling Infrastructure Bicycling A-Line MARTA Rapid A-Line

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A photo accompanying MARTA's Rapid A-Line delay announcement today. Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority

Subtitle BRT project from downtown to Peoplestown, the Rapid A-Line, beset with new hurdles

Neighborhood Summerhill

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In West End, Beltline-adjacent warehouse redo starts opening Josh Green Mon, 04/07/2025 - 11:28

A warehouse-conversion project has officially started opening in West End with a concept that boosts local sports and community aspects in Southwest Atlanta, according to business leaders. 

Atlanta-based owners of the Dill Dinkers’pickleball franchise have opened a facility with 11 champion-sized courts, adding another adaptive-reuse, West End attraction near the Beltline-connected Lee + White district beyond food, drink, and offices. 

The mural-bedecked pickleball space’s grand opening and ribbon-cutting is scheduled April 18. More than 1,000 players, from beginners to experts, recently swung by for a weeklong soft opening. 

For its first concept in Georgia, Dill Dinkers has claimed a nearly 36,000-square-foot space at 1200 White St., a former industrial building that’s being remade by Lee + White owners Ackerman & Co. Expect clinics, membership offerings, lessons, leagues, and themed social events, per Dill Dinkers. 

Courtesy of Dill Dinkers/Ackerman & Co.

Daniel Hardeman, a Chosewood Park resident and regional franchise developer, said metro Atlanta counts an impressive 1.1 million pickleball players—with a nearly 52 percent year-over-year growth rate. 

“There’s a shortage of courts and lack of structure for skills progression, so players are turning to places like Dill Dinkers,” said Hardeman in an announcement. “Add to that spring’s high pollen counts and pending hot weather, and we knew the demand would be high. What we didn’t anticipate was the incredible outpouring of support from the community.” 

Future franchise locations are in the works for Fulton, Dekalb, Cobb, Gwinnett, and Cherokee counties, per Dill Dinkers reps. 

In West End, each court is individually fenced, and other components of the club include a pro shop and events space. The courts feature Dill Dinkers’ Pro Cushion playing surface, which is designed to be easier on players’ joints, per project leaders. The company’s West End location joins others in metro Washington D.C., Maryland, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Texas.

Courtesy of Dill Dinkers/Ackerman & Co.

The pickleball complex has claimed only a fraction of the 1200 White St. building, which is being remade into a mixed-use hub with a new extension of the Beltline’s Westside Trail planned beside it. 

According to property owners Ackerman & Co., beyond pickleball, the 211,585-square-foot facility is being designed to accommodate restaurants, retail, industrial uses, creative offices, and experiential concepts. 

The 1200 White St. office and warehouse building's facade prior to recent renovations. Ackerman & Co.

Speaking of experiential concepts… a couple of blocks south of Dill Dinkers at Lee + White, an interactive experience called The Game Show Challenge is claiming a 3,889-square-foot space. It will be located in Lee + White’s Building 1000, next to Monday Night Brewing and Grady’s new neighborhood health center.

The West End location will mark the third for the gameshow concept, which is aiming to open 30 more over the next five years. (Current locations are in Columbia and Greenville, S.C.) Earlier plans had called for opening Atlanta’s outpost by the end of 2024, but The Game Show Challenge still lists the location as “coming soon.” 

Ackerman & Co. and MDH Partners, the development team behind the 11-building Lee + White district, signed another experiential tenant, Atlanta Golf & Social, last summer. 

That concept is hosting a grand opening April 12—fittingly, on Masters Week—for its 3,767-square-foot space, joining a flagship location in downtown Chamblee. 

Base image via Ackerman & Co.

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• West End news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)

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1200 White St. SW Ackerman & Co. MDH Partners Lee + White Atlanta BeltLine Westside Trail Smith Dalia Architects 929 Lee Street SW Cushman & Wakefield Carter Hill Commercial Real Estate Advisors Studio Sogo Adaptive Reuse Adaptive-Reuse Development Adaptive-Reuse Atlanta Warehouses Atlanta Adaptive-Reuse Dill Dinkers Atlanta Pickleball Pickleball The Game Show Challenge Gaming Concepts Gaming Ackerman Retail Baltisse Atlanta Golf & Social

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Courtesy of Dill Dinkers/Ackerman & Co.

Courtesy of Dill Dinkers/Ackerman & Co.

Base image via Ackerman & Co.

The 1200 White St. office and warehouse building's facade prior to recent renovations. Ackerman & Co.

Ackerman & Co.

Subtitle Dill Dinkers pickleball opens 36,000-square-foot space at former industrial building 1200 White St.

Neighborhood West End

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Images: Oakland Cemetery's new front door officially arrives Josh Green Fri, 04/04/2025 - 13:53

One of Atlanta’s most cherished historical sites officially boasts a modernized new welcoming experience that was 20 years in the making. 

Following 18 months of construction, the new Visitor Center for Oakland Cemetery opened Thursday outside the iconic burial ground’s western gates.

As designed by Atlanta-based Smith Dalia Architects, the red-brick, 10,000-square-foot building is meant to pay homage to the cemetery’s signature walkways and walls, while large glass entryways and windows lend a more modern touch. 

The $6.3-million project (plus $1.7 million for land acquisition) includes a .75-acre neighborhood park, an event lawn, as well as 50 new trees as part of a woodland garden. 

Inside, the building features a much larger museum store, rentable meeting space, the Historic Oakland Foundation’s offices, and flexible, weatherproof event and classroom areas. A double-height atrium will host interpretive exhibits geared toward educating visitors on Oakland Cemetery and its history.

Juxtaposition of the modern, brick-built Oakland Cemetery Visitor Center and the property's more ornate and recognizable western gate. Smith Dalia Architects; courtesy of Oakland Cemetery

Airy, colorful interiors of the new Visitor Center today. Smith Dalia Architects; courtesy of Oakland Cemetery

According to HOF officials, the two-decade project was a partnership with City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation and Invest Atlanta meant to enhance the city’s oldest public greenspace and oldest cemetery, a property on the National Register of Historic Places. 

With help from The Conservation Fund and Invest Atlanta, the Visitor Center’s initial parcel of land was purchased in 2007; the remaining acreage (and abandoned George Street) was added in 2019 to create the required 1.75-acre park parcel, as HOF officials tell Urbanize Atlanta. 

The foundation worked with Southface Institute to ensure the building is EarthCraft-certified and “net zero,” meaning it produces more energy than it consumes, with the help of solar panels. 

Interesting tidbit: The Foundation partnered with Lifecycle Building Center, a salvaging business housed in a huge Southwest Atlanta warehouse, to incorporate salvaged materials into the project. Those included former Art Deco lobby tiles from the historic Nabisco Factory in Sylvan Hills, which now adorn upstairs bathroom walls at the Visitor Center. (The demolished Nabisco plant is being replaced with a controversial Prologis warehouse complex.) 

In the grand scheme, the project is also meant to enhance Memorial Drive Greenway, the linear park that extends from Oakland’s gates to the Gold Dome along Memorial Drive.   

Smith Dalia Architects; courtesy of Oakland Cemetery

Smith Dalia Architects; courtesy of Oakland Cemetery

The Visitor Center project was part of HOF’s $14-million “Living History” Capital Campaign initiative. 

Elsewhere on the cemetery property, Oakland Cemetery’s 1899 Bell Tower “jewel” has been renovated in a way intended to make the Romanesque Revival-style structure more stable, spacious, and engaging for the public. That project was also paid for through the donor-funded Living History capital campaign.

Other cemetery projects funded through the campaign include the restoration of the 1908 Women’s Comfort Station (2019), construction of a new East Gate (2020), and restoration of 6 acres at the cemetery’s East Hill (2019 to 2023).

Find a sneak peek at the new Visitor Center (located at 374 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SE) in the gallery above. 

A map from several years ago illustrating the Visitor Center's placement just west of the burial grounds. Courtesy of Oakland Cemetery

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• Grant Park news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta) 

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374 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SE 248 Oakland Avenue SE Atlanta History Imlay Foundation City of Atlanta Parks Department Atlanta Cemeteries Oakland Cemetery Oakland Bell Tower Cemetery Sexton Sam Reed Invest Atlanta Atlanta Urban Design Commission Historic Preservation Visitors Center Cabbagetown Memorial Drive Smith Dalia Architects Hero Walk East Gate Atlanta Development Flippo Civil Design Atlanta Architecture Grant Park J.M. Wilkerson J.M. Wilkerson Construction

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A map from several years ago illustrating the Visitor Center's placement just west of the burial grounds. Courtesy of Oakland Cemetery

As shown in a pre-construction rendering, the planned look of the 10,000-square-foot center's red-brick facade. Smith Dalia Architects

Juxtaposition of the modern, brick-built Oakland Cemetery Visitor Center and the property's more ornate and recognizable western gate. Smith Dalia Architects; courtesy of Oakland Cemetery

Smith Dalia Architects; courtesy of Oakland Cemetery

Smith Dalia Architects; courtesy of Oakland Cemetery

Smith Dalia Architects; courtesy of Oakland Cemetery

Smith Dalia Architects; courtesy of Oakland Cemetery

Smith Dalia Architects; courtesy of Oakland Cemetery

Smith Dalia Architects; courtesy of Oakland Cemetery

Smith Dalia Architects; courtesy of Oakland Cemetery

Smith Dalia Architects; courtesy of Oakland Cemetery

Airy, colorful interiors of the new Visitor Center today. Smith Dalia Architects; courtesy of Oakland Cemetery

The former Art Deco lobby of the old Nabisco Building in Southwest Atlanta. Smith Dalia Architects; courtesy of Oakland Cemetery

How tiles from the former Nabisco factory were incorporated into Oakland City Visitors Center bathrooms. Smith Dalia Architects; courtesy of Oakland Cemetery

Subtitle New brick-clad Visitor Center with neighborhood park was two decades in the making

Neighborhood Oakland

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Oakland Cemetery Visitors Center

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