Seasoned Atlanta development wonks will probably recall when Florida-based Related Group unveiled plans for a gargantuan, $2-billion forest of condo towers near Lenox Square about 15 years ago.
Called CityPlace, it was set to rise on the biggest undeveloped tract of land—16 wooded acres—left in central Buckhead, like a mini Miami with MARTA walkability. Then came the Great Recession, and the land went back to the bank.
National apartment developer AMLI Residential swooped in and bought half that site, where East Paces Ferry and Roxboro roads meet, in 2013.
Now, eight years later, the final piece of AMLI’s vision for the acreage is beginning to take shape—with a very distinctive shape, no less.
How Flatiron, at center, will fit with existing buildings, including a separate condo tower, at top left. Courtesy of AMLI Residential; 2018
AMLI Flatiron is bringing 271 apartments in a seven-story building along Kingsboro Road, between Oak Valley Road and Lakeside Drive.
Construction launched last year, and the goal is to deliver in early 2023, but “it’s far too early to make any promises on that front,” Annie Hirst, AMLI’s vice president of development, wrote in an email to Urbanize Atlanta.
The irregular, sloped, 2.9-acre site drove the “iconic shape of the building and helped define the character of the Flatiron development,” according to designers with Cooper Carry architects. The interiors are expected to feature nods to classical design elements of old New York City banks and Grand Central Station.
A recent exterior rendering and planned AMLI Flatiron signage. Courtesy of AMLI Residential; designs, Cooper Carry
AMLI Flatiron will also add a little more than half an acre of public-accessible greenspace that's meant to function like an extension of nearby Marie Sims Park, which AMLI helped develop as the four-building campus’ centerpiece.
“We’re trying to rebrand the area from the old CityPlace name, which we don’t use at all, to be more focused on Marie Sims Park,” says Hirst. “The 1.5-acre oasis [is] the heart and soul of the area.”
Marie Sims Park. The HGOR-designed greenspace, which helps retain runoff water in the area, is named in honor of a longtime community activist. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta
AMLI Residential operates a dozen apartment communities in metro Atlanta, from Decatur to the AMLI Arts Center tower in Midtown and AMLI Westside on Howell Mill Road. Neighboring projects in Buckhead include AMLI 3646 and the AMLI Lenox tower.
Adjacent to the Flatiron building, Hirst said another outpost of local gourmet market Savi Provisions should be opening soon at the southern end of Marie Sims Park. She expects the area will benefit from the communal vibes of a neighborhood market.
“Our hope is Savi will be a place where neighbors can bump into each other,” says Hirst, “meet for a coffee or beer, or just relax on the patio overlooking the park.”
• Recent Buckhead news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)
