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$101M Roswell rentals replace shopping center, called roaring success Josh Green Mon, 06/30/2025 - 09:58

A vacant Roswell shopping center once home to the likes of Super Target, Marshalls, and Rack Room Shoes is now home to more than 150 people—and counting. 

ECI Group and joint venture partner Phoenix Capital officially cut the ribbon recently on the $101-million Averly East Village infill project, part of a larger mix of uses in the 2600 block of Holcomb Bridge Road in East Roswell. 

The 335-unit Averly project was 70 percent leased and 55 percent occupied at the time of its grand opening in late May, proving the need for multifamily housing in the growing North OTP suburb, according to the development team. (Roswell in 2022 enacted a ban on development of standalone apartment communities.)

Averly is located east of Ga. Highway 400 within Roswell city limits, about five miles southeast of Roswell’s historic downtown. The Gwinnett County line is just east of the site. 

Courtesy of ECI Groups

Averly East Village's location in the 2600 block of Holcomb Bridge Road, with Ga. Highway 400 shown at left. Google Maps

The Rule Joy Trammell Rubio architects-designed project features one-, two-, and three-bedroom luxury apartments with amenities, architecture, interiors, and landscaping ECI Group describes as “resort-quality.”

It’s one residential component of East Village, a shopping center replacement that also calls for 74 townhomes and 75,000 square feet of retail arranged around a public-accessible, central greenspace with a pavilion.  

Retail offerings at East Village today include Five Guys, Zama Mexican Cuisine, Panda Express, and other businesses. The apartments mark ECI Development’s first Averly-branded homes to deliver, according to vice president Stephen Stover.   

“The strong response from residents,” noted Stover in an announcement, “has validated our decision to build a heavily amenitized community with top-of-market apartment finishes.” 

Courtesy of ECI Groups

Layout of Averly East Village at the former shopping center. Courtesy of ECI Groups

At the Averly, one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartments currently start at $1,742 monthly for 748 square feet. 

The largest options—three bedrooms, two bathrooms, 1,397 square feet—are renting from $2,850 and up. Eight weeks of free rent are being offered with some units.

Apartment perks include high ceilings (at least nine feet, six inches tall), quartz countertops, and full-size washers and dryers in each unit. Amenities highlights include a rare outdoor gym, two outdoor kitchens, a pool deck with cabanas, a coffee lounge with WFH spaces, a dog spa, and a two-story fitness center inside. 

Courtesy of ECI Groups

The Averly project follows another large-scale infill development in the North Fulton County city, Southern Post, that also replaced a strip mall, albeit with denser mixed uses.

In the gallery above, find more context and a closer look at an infill concept that could theoretically be replicated hundreds of times across the metro. 

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• Roswell news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta) 

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2600 Holcomb Bridge Road Alpharetta Averly East Village KW Communications ECI Groups ECI Development ECI Group Roswell News Roswell Development Infill Infill Development Phoenix Capital Management OTP North Fulton County Fulton County Atlanta Suburbs Suburban Development Roswell Inc. Atlanta Development Atlanta apartments Atlanta Construction Noland Creative NIMBY Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio RJTR RJTR Design Truist Bank The Ardent Companies East Roswell East Village Shopping Center

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Averly East Village's location in the 2600 block of Holcomb Bridge Road, with Ga. Highway 400 shown at left. Google Maps

Layout of Averly East Village at the former shopping center. Courtesy of ECI Groups

Courtesy of ECI Groups

Coworking space at Averly East Village today. Courtesy of ECI Groups

Courtesy of ECI Groups

Inside an Averly East Village model unit. Courtesy of ECI Groups

Courtesy of ECI Groups

Courtesy of ECI Groups

Courtesy of ECI Groups

Courtesy of ECI Groups

Courtesy of ECI Groups

Courtesy of ECI Groups

Averly East Village's north OTP context. Google Maps

Subtitle Averly East Village project 70 percent leased at grand opening, per developers

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From the Atlanta Daily World:

Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty   For its 55th anniversary, Essence magazine is paying tribute to one of its most legendary figures, iconic journalist, mental health advocate, and former Editor-in-Chief, Susan L. Taylor. At 79, Taylor is still dropping gems, sharing timeless wisdom about faith, purpose, and the importance of community healing. Though it’s been 17 years since Taylor stepped down … Continued

The post National CARES Mentoring Movement’s 10th Annual For The Love Of Our Children Gala, Susan L. Taylor appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From the Saporta Report:

For much of history, physicians made disease diagnoses by simply using their senses. What does the skin look like? How do the lungs sound? Do any bodily fluids have a particular smell? As we have learned more about the nature of diseases and developed more advanced tools, testing has become one of our strongest defenses […]

The post How Testing Protects Us All appeared first on SaportaReport.

From the Atlanta Daily World:

The first week of summer ushered in oppressive heat, as temperatures soared into the 90s with the heat index approaching triple digits and extreme humidity causing many Atlanta residents to seek refuge indoors in air-conditioned spaces for cooling comfort. But for Black women these sweltering summer days not only impact personal comfort, the impact on … Continued

The post Summer Styles That Sizzle from Celebrated Stylist Miss Tee appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From WABE Politics News:

WASHINGTON (AP) — After a weekend of setbacks, the Senate is trying to sprint ahead Monday on President Donald Trump’s big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts despite a […]

From the New York Times:

Colorful boardwalks? Art classes? Stunning underwater parks? Great beaches can offer more than crystalline waters and soothing sand.

From the New York Times:

As businesses face economic uncertainty, seasonal work is harder to find, pushing the unemployment rate for teenagers above 13 percent.

From WABE Politics News:

Hours before a tumultuous nearing-midnight vote on President Donald Trump’s package of tax breaks, spending cuts and increased deportation money, a Republican senator stood on the chamber floor and implored the plan’s critics, […]

From WABE Politics News:

The Senate is preparing for a key procedural vote Saturday as Republicans race to pass President Donald Trump’s package of tax breaks, spending cuts and bolstered deportation funds by his July Fourth […]

From WABE Politics News:

 The legal battle over President Donald Trump’s move to end birthright citizenship is far from over despite the Republican administration’s major victory Friday limiting nationwide injunctions. Immigrant advocates are vowing to fight […]

From the New York Times:

States have spent at least $25 billion to attract movie and TV filming. Texas and New York are increasing their subsidies, while Georgia and Louisiana are broadening their programs.

From the Atlanta Daily World:

Yelp’s Black-owned tag was designed to help business owners like Don Studvent attract more customers. His restaurant closed in 2018 after nine years in business. AP Photo/Carlos Osorio by Matthew Bui, University of Michigan and Cameron Moy, University of Pennsylvania When the online review platform Yelp added a “Black-owned” tag in 2020, it boosted the … Continued

The post Yelp’s addition of a ‘Black-owned’ tag led to a slight drop in business ratings in Detroit appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From the New York Times:

States have spent at least $25 billion to attract movie and TV filming. Texas and New York are increasing their subsidies, while Georgia and Louisiana are broadening their programs.

From the Saporta Report:

The Art in Action documentary festival on June 20 showcased the talent and expression of Black voices in the community. The festival featured four documentaries highlighting black experiences and real-life stories.

The post Art in Action festival puts Atlanta’s cultural legacy in the spotlight appeared first on SaportaReport.

From the Saporta Report:

Dozens of Metro Atlanta city and county leaders convened on June 26 for the Atlanta Regional Commission’s inaugural Regional Assembly of Public Officials in Cobb County to address key issues facing the area.  The day-long conference featured remarks from Atlanta Mayor and ARC Board Chair Andre Dickens, Executive Director & CEO Anna Roach and keynote […]

The post Regional leaders convene over key issues at ARC conference appeared first on SaportaReport.

From WABE Politics News:

This coverage is made possible through a partnership between WABE and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization. The Georgia Public Service Commission will make two major decisions next month, on […]

GA Tech tower to include surface parking lot on main Midtown street Josh Green Fri, 06/27/2025 - 14:41

A Georgia Tech project that’s been hailed as an epicenter of innovation will include a surface parking lot on one of Midtown’s most walkable and quickly developing thoroughfares. 

Eagle-eyed readers noticed what appeared to be the makings of a parking lot in an aerial tour this week detailing construction progress on Tech Square Phase 3. 

The section in question is at the eastern base of two-tower Phase 3, near the intersection of West Peachtree Street and Biltmore Place. 

Georgia Tech reps confirm to Urbanize Atlanta that a surface parking lot along West Peachtree Street is under construction. The 27-space lot will be “surrounded by trees” with ADA and electric-vehicle parking spots included, officials specified. 

Current state of the Tech Square Phase 3 parking lot along West Peachtree Street, with the project's courtyard section at left. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Georgia Tech’s previously released visuals and announcements for Phase 3 have mentioned the project’s underground parking deck component but not the parking lot. We’ve asked university media reps for more information on the parking deck’s size and will update this story should that come. 

Immediately south of the parking lot will be a large courtyard, also fronting West Peachtree Street, that’s been described by Georgia Tech as a lush “urban oasis” and an “inviting place for students, faculty, or anyone working in Tech Square to study, work, or meet.” 

The project's versatile courtyard social area will be implemented at left, with parking near the corner at right. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Around the corner from the courtyard on 5th Street will be another congregation space called The Porch, positioned along wide sidewalks. 

Phase 3 will include two buildings totaling 416,500 square feet, mostly filled with educational space across the street from another Georgia Tech-owned property undergoing a tech-focused repurposing, The Biltmore. The block in question is bounded by West Peachtree, Spring, and 5th streets, and Biltmore Place. It’s one block north of Tech Square’s Coda, a John Portman and Associates-designed office tower.

Considered the last phase of Tech Square, the two-building 828 W. Peachtree Street project broke ground in October 2023 and is scheduled to fully open in June next year. 

One goal of the third phase, as project leaders have said, is to enliven streets with retail and student activity, creating a more cohesive urban district where low-rise offices—and yes, a parking lot—were before. 

The project's eastern flank where it meets the courtyard space and parking lot below, at left. Urbanize Atlanta

 

How the two-tower development's eastern face meets West Peachtree Street. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

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The project's versatile courtyard social area will be implemented at left, with parking near the corner at right. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

How the two-tower development's eastern face meets West Peachtree Street. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Current state of the Tech Square Phase 3 parking lot along West Peachtree Street, with the project's courtyard section at left. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

How the project’s courtyard, positioned at its easternmost base, is expected to look and function where West Peachtree and 5th streets meet. EskewDumezRipple; RJTR; Georgia Tech

The project's eastern flank where it meets the courtyard space and parking lot below, at left. Urbanize Atlanta

Subtitle No, seriously

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From WABE Politics News:

A divided Supreme Court on Friday ruled that individual judges lack the authority to grant nationwide injunctions, but the decision left unclear the fate of President Donald Trump’s restrictions on birthright citizenship. The […]

From the Saporta Report:

The City of Atlanta is facing a budget crunch, and it likely will need to pass a property tax increase within the next several years to be able to provide ongoing services to a growing population. That was part of the message Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens shared with the influential Atlanta Committee for Progress at […]

The post Andre Dickens to ACP: City tax increase likely within the next few years appeared first on SaportaReport.

From WABE Local News:

Rodney Taylor moved from Liberia to the United States at just two years old to receive medical treatment. Now 46, Taylor, has built a life for himself in Georgia. He […]

CNN Center’s conversion aims to boost Atlanta creatives, nonprofits Josh Green Fri, 06/27/2025 - 12:19

There’s a new opportunity afoot for creative and kindhearted Atlantans hoping to literally see their name in lights soon. 

Commercial real estate titan CP Group has partnered with local arts and culture consultants ASHA Advisory to launch a program called “CTR Culture” at The Center, the ongoing remake of downtown’s former CNN Center. 

CTR Culture will aim to capitalize on the iconic and highly trafficked downtown property as a platform for boosting arts, culture, and creative community storytelling, per officials. 

As part of those efforts, a limited number of Media Placement Grants are now being offered for exposure on The Center’s new high-profile digital signage at main entryways, which project officials say will reach thousands of visitors each day. The Center is being positioned as a main activity hub for 2026 FIFA World Cup matches beginning in Atlanta next June. 

“There are three of these monumental structures being added to the facade of the building,” Neda Abghari, ASHA Advisory principal and lead curator, wrote to Urbanize Atlanta via email. “It will have a pretty great impact on not only the building but the surrounding environment.”

Two recent examples of CTR Culture’s inaugural billboard campaign.Courtesy of ASHA Advisory

Chris Eachus, a CP Group founding partner, said The Center’s digital screens are the largest in the Southeast. Along with advertising opportunities, they’ll serve to host soccer watch parties, per Eachus. 

With free billboard exposure, the grant program will aim to spotlight “changemakers, creatives, and mission-driven organizations who are shaping Atlanta's cultural landscape” during a time of rising costs and shrinking resources, especially as crowds flock downtown during World Cup hoopla and conventions at neighboring Georgia World Congress Center, according to a program announcement. 

ASHA Advisory is now accepting applications here. The window to apply closes Aug. 31. 

CP Group announced plans in early 2024 to remake the 1970s landmark known for its soaring atrium into a modernized hub of dining, retail, entertainment, and content creation. Timelines for openings haven’t been specified, but the developer in March did hint that “a confidential high-end restaurant tenant” had agreed to lease 10,000 square feet. 

A new social area called “Hawks Plaza” is in the works for the building’s southernmost entry, nearest to State Farm Arena’s main entrance, according to marketing materials. Connected to that will be a remade atrium and reimagined retail corridors leading to arenas, the recently renovated Omni hotel, and downtown lynchpin GWCC. 

Plans for The Center's revised Marietta Street facade.Courtesy of CP Group

Courtesy of CP Group; via Vimeo

Overall, CP Group’s renovations call for 130,000 square feet of retail space, alongside 920,000 square feet of creative office and media production spaces, officials said last year. It’s all part of a massive portfolio the Boca Raton, Fla.-based company has amassed in Atlanta in recent years that now includes Buckhead’s 14-building Piedmont Center, where significant upgrades are planned. 

On the downtown project, CP Group is working with architecture and interior design firm TVS, general contractor Holder Construction, and marketing firm Core Twelve for branding of The Center. 

CNN departed the 1.2-million-square-foot building last year and stripped off its branding as its offices were moved to Midtown’s Techwood, ending a four-decade era of the media company being headquartered downtown.  

Courtesy of CP Group; via Vimeo

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• Downtown news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)

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CNN Center The Center Downtown Atlanta CP Group World Cup 2026 Healey Weatherholtz Properties Adaptive-Reuse Adaptive-Reuse Development Omni Atlanta Hotel Atlanta Hotels Atlanta Landmarks ASD|SKY CBRE Kimley Horn Kimley-Horn & Associates Kimley-Horn ASHA Advisory CTR Culture

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Two recent examples of CTR Culture’s inaugural billboard campaign.Courtesy of ASHA Advisory

Subtitle CP Group offering free ad space on “monumental” billboards with pre-World Cup grant program

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From the Atlanta Daily World:

Because the only thing better than dancing in hard times is doing it alongside the people you want to feel loved, lifted, and overjoyed. by Tracy Chiles McGhee   “Hard times require furious dancing.” – Alice Walker Welcome to the season of line dancing, where Black Music Month meets Juneteenth meets every backyard cookout from D.C. … Continued

The post The Art of Line Dancing: Sliding Into Joy With ‘Boots on the Ground’ appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From the Atlanta Daily World:

Outgoing Morehouse College president David Thomas, alumnus Chad Rhodes and incoming president Dr. F. DuBois Bowman. Photo: Samuel Robinson The distinguished Men of Morehouse from the Morehouse Alumni Association Detroit Chapter gathered at Chandelier downtown on Thursday to raise money for the HBCU and honor the school’s outgoing president. The Detroit alumni chapter held its … Continued

The post Detroit Morehouse Men Celebrate Outgoing President David Thomas appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From WABE Politics News:

Georgia is joining the Texas A&M System and university systems from four other Republican-led states to create a new agency to set quality standards for their schools. The move comes […]

MARTA's new railcar manufacturer plants flag near Lindbergh station Josh Green Fri, 06/27/2025 - 11:25

The Swiss company building MARTA’s modernized new railcar fleet will soon have a front-row seat to the vehicles in action. 

Stadler announced this week the first major international expansion of its Stadler Signalling Division will set up shop in Uptown Atlanta, the retooled mixed-use hub formerly called Lindbergh that’s credited as being Atlanta’s first large-scale, transit-focused development. 

Company reps tell Urbanize Atlanta that Stadler is leasing 7,236 square feet on the eighth floor of Uptown’s east office tower. The signaling office will include laboratory space and a hub for Stadler’s growing US team with space for future expansion, all steps from MARTA’s Lindbergh Center station. 

Stadler’s signaling division provides custom and digital signaling solutions—that is, systems that control railway vehicles and prevent collisions—for mainline railways, metro systems, branch lines, and depots.

Courtesy of Stadler

The Uptown district's Main Street today. Courtesy of Stadler

MARTA awarded Stadler a $500 million contract last year to replace its current signaling system with a more tech-driven one that’s communications-based. That followed a larger, $646-million contract between Atlanta’s transit agency and Stadler in 2019 for 224 railcars scheduled to start replacing MARTA’s aging fleet this year. The latter marked the largest expenditure in MARTA history. 

Stadler officials called the MARTA signaling deal a driving factor in the company’s decision to plant roots in Atlanta at Uptown, near MARTA’s headquarters. 

The location was picked “strategically… to strengthen the partnership with MARTA and help facilitate close operational and technical collaboration with the customer and ensure optimal project management,” per a Stadler announcement. 

The Uptown office is described as a key part of Stadler Signalling’s growth plan in the U.S. Access to skilled professionals, “robust” infrastructure, a “growing network of other Swiss companies,” and Uptown’s slate of food, beverage, fitness, and leisure options were cited as other factors for choosing the location. 

One of the new CQ400 railcars on MARTA's tracks. Courtesy of MARTA

"With the new office in Atlanta, we are not only establishing a physical presence near our existing customer and other North American customers but also providing our employees with a modern, flexible, and scalable work environment,” Marc Trippel, Stadler’s executive vice president division signaling, said in a statement. 

Spread across 47 acres, Uptown includes nearly 1 million square feet of office space, 120,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space, access to growing multi-use greenway PATH400, and communal gathering spaces. 

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• Uptown Atlanta project welcomes wave of retailers, with more on way(Urbanize Atlanta) 

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The Uptown district's Main Street today. Courtesy of Stadler

Courtesy of Stadler

One of the new CQ400 railcars on MARTA's tracks. Courtesy of MARTA

How the new MARTA railcars' open gangway designs allow for passenger travel throughout the train. Courtesy of MARTA

The front exteriors of railcars will have a lighted “smile” in either red, gold, blue, or green that denotes the color of each approaching rail line, per MARTA. Courtesy of MARTA

A juxtaposition of MARTA's first CQ400 train to be operational on tracks (left) and a current railcar. Courtesy of MARTA

Subtitle Stadler inks deal for signaling office at rebranded Uptown Atlanta district

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