A push to fill retail spaces is underway at a Chamblee project expected to deliver in a few months, adding hundreds of renting options to a historic downtown core that's witnessing a transformative wave of development.
Chamblee officials are optimistic the changes will help the north ITP city move beyond an industrial past toward a more cohesively urban, people-focused commercial center. A big part of those plans is Lumen Chamblee, which is on pace to deliver 318 apartments described as luxury-grade in the third quarter of this year, officials said this week.
Chamblee’s Lumen project, a joint venture from Atlanta-based developers Atlantic Residential and Stein Investment Group, has claimed acreage at 2175 American Industrial Way formerly occupied by a few low-rise buildings.
It’s tucked off Chamblee’s retail and restaurant row on Peachtree Road, across the street from The Bristol, a newer pocket of modern townhomes.
Fortune-Johnson/Stein Investment Group/Atlantic Residential
Real estate advisory firm terra alma relayed this week that Lumen Chamblee’s 4,458 square feet of street-level retail and restaurant space is now open for hard hat tours. It'll be divided into two suites with outdoor patio areas: one meant for a restaurant with 3,033 square feet, the other more suited for coffee or dessert shops with 1,425 square feet.
The project’s retail “will add to the city's existing organic pull, enhancing… establishments that have already paved the way, including the Distillery of Modern Art, family favorites Vintage Pizza and Frosty Caboose, and the unique flavors from the team at Hopstix,” said terra alma founder Edie Weintraub in an announcement. “Chamblee has transformed from a small rail town to a vibrant, diverse, and rapidly growing city.”
How retail spaces are planned to meet American Industrial Way at Lumen Chamblee. Stein Investment Group/Atlantic Residential
Recent (in yellow) and ongoing development sites (green) clustered around downtown Chamblee, as shown early last year. Courtesy of Chamblee Downtown Development Authority
Chamblee’s population of more than 31,000 has tripled since 2010 (thanks in part to annexation), and a Town Center vision for the downtown area is striving to add cohesiveness and walkability—boosted by additions such as Chamblee’s Rail Trail—the area had been lacking. As of early 2022, Chamblee's Downtown Development Authority was forecasting that five developments within a couple blocks of each other near the city’s northern end, including Lumen Chamblee, would be moving forward at the same time.
Finished projects in the Lumen development team’s portfolio include Lumen Grant Park on Memorial Drive (237 units) and Lumen Doraville (320 units). Meanwhile, the three-building Lumen Briarcliff is currently taking shape with 264 apartments and retail at a site off Interstate 85 in northeast Atlanta.
Rents for Lumen Chamblee haven’t been specified, and a leasing website has yet to be launched.
The Chamblee Downtown Development Authority granted the project a $4.4-million tax break in 2021. Developers said then it was expected to be a $73-million investment in the city overall.
The completed portion of Chamblee's multi-use Rail Trail is in red, with the general placement of planned extensions in blue, per 2022 plans. Courtesy of Chamblee Downtown Development Authority
The Lumen project's retail suites in question. Stein Investment Group/Atlantic Residential
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