Clearer vision emerges for O4W townhomes tucked off Edgewood Avenue

As multifaceted Waldo’s finally begins its ascent over a bustling Old Fourth Ward block, plans are becoming clearer for a facet of the project that aims to capitalize on the quietude of a skinny residential street.

A row of nine more O4W townhouses is planned as part of the Waldo’s mixed-use venture that’s consuming nearly a block along Boulevard near Edgewood Avenue. Each modern-style dwelling would be tucked away from Boulevard along one-way Daniel Street, just down the block from Chrome Yellow Trading Co. coffeeshop.

Allen Snow, an Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty associate broker representing the townhome portion, provides more detailed renderings illustrating decorative features and how the four-story dwellings would meet the street.

Each townhome will offer three bedrooms and three and ½ bathrooms with rooftop terraces, all atop rear-entry, two-car garages, per Snow. A green wall is planned at the north-facing corner, where a Waldo's entry would be placed.

Townhome facades that would comprise the backside of Waldo's, tucked away from Boulevard. Courtesy of Lucror Resources; designs, TSW

Snow says one of the townhome project’s main goals, as designed by the TSW architecture firm, is to "create a sense of place" along Daniel Street. Brick facades at lower levels are meant to feel warm and inviting, while nodding to history and permanence. Tree-lined sidewalks will function to create “a natural and peaceful atmosphere, provide shade, and add an element of greenery” to the quiet street, according to Snow.

“We think, once completed, Daniel Street will feel welcoming for new residents and visitors alike... which is the goal,” Snow wrote via email this week.

Construction of the townhomes is forecasted to start in the late third quarter or early fourth quarter of this year, Snow says. Estimated sales prices haven’t been determined.

Plans for the nine units, looking north along Gartrell Street. Courtesy of Lucror Resources; designs, TSW

Like the remainder of Waldo’s, Snow says Lucror Resources is developing the townhomes, but a builder has yet to be selected.

Lucror Resources, best known for the adaptive-reuse revival of downtown’s FlatironCity building, initially broke ground at the 40 Boulevard NE site in November 2019. The 1.5-acre lot was cleared of trees and a corner grocery store but soon went quiet as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded. Work restarted in earnest in late-summer 2021.

Waldo’s unconventional name is a nod to transcendentalist poet Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Beyond the townhomes, Waldo’s revised plans call for a 119,000-square-foot, six-story office building to be erected with heavy timber—a more environmentally friendly alternative to concrete and steel that lends a vintage feel—like Hines’s T3 West Midtown at Atlantic Station and 619 Ponce, the forthcoming boutique office building at Ponce City Market.

Planned look of Waldo's facades along Boulevard. (Not shown is a newly built boutique building for retail with residential above at the corner.) Courtesy of Lucror Resources; designs, TVS

A 100-room, eight-story Motto hotel is still planned to include a restaurant, speakeasy, and retail in a courtyard space that connects each facet of the property, project leaders have told Urbanize Atlanta. Like that room count, the food-and-beverage portion has been scaled back to 6,000 square feet.

The office portion is scheduled to deliver in the second quarter of 2024, and the hotel in the third quarter of 2024, project reps said last month.

The Waldo’s hotel was initially expected to be the country’s first Motto By Hilton, but lodges under that brand have since opened in Washington D.C. and New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood.

Planned interior courtyard at Waldo's. Courtesy of Lucror Resources; designs, TVS