At long last, Ormewood Park townhomes rise on highly visible corner

A high-profile corner in Ormewood Park that’s been the subject of redevelopment talks for at least six years is finally seeing vertical development.

Monte Hewett Homes began construction in earnest last summer on 22 for-sale townhomes where Moreland Avenue meets Ormewood Avenue, about four blocks south of East Atlanta Village.

Alongside empty land, the site was the former home of Jiffy Grocery, which gained something of a cult following after it’d been closed for several years and the “J” fell off its main signage, rendering it “Iffy Grocery.” That consonant-challenged former grocer was demolished in 2021.

Modern townhome facades along Ormewood Avenue today. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The 1160 Ormewood Avenue site's location south of Interstate 20 and EAV. Google Maps

According to planning documents filed with the city in 2021, an LLC called 1160 Ormewood Ave. planned to build all 22 townhomes on site as three-bedroom units. Property records indicate the .9-acre site sold again for $1.35 million in January 2022.

Briana Garcia, Monte Hewett’s vice president of land acquisition, tells Urbanize Atlanta a marketing packet for the project with pricing and updated visuals should be ready for release next month.

For now, Garcia could confirm the 22 residences will each span about 1,700 square feet, with the first three buildings scheduled to be finished in August.

According to building permits, the units will all stand three stories with two-car garages and rear decks.

The grocery's "IFFY" signage after the building had shuttered. It'd been closed about seven years before its demolition in 2021. Google Maps

An example of townhome facades planned along Moreland Avenue, according to filings made with the city in 2021. 1160 Ormewood LLC, City of Atlanta Planning Department; 2021

It’s not the first time developers have envisioned more active uses for the corner property, which is surrounded by commercial and residential nodes on each corner of the intersection.

In 2017, developers Third & Urban announced plans at the site for a “micro” mixed-use node called The Elway. It was expected to deliver in late 2018 but never broke ground.

The townhome project neighbors the modern-style, six-townhome project by the Xmetrical firm called The Ormewood, located just to the north. And across Moreland Avenue, the 1960s Seville shopping center underwent a renovation in 2020 and sold the following year for $2.5 million, fully leased with tenants that include Japanese restaurant Ok Yaki.

The community's planned 22-home layout. 1160 Ormewood LLC, City of Atlanta Planning Department; 2021