Atlanta IKEA is getting hundreds of new neighbors

Site work is making a mark at a 17th Street property where hundreds of new residences will replace land that’s been empty for years despite close proximity to shopping and primo skyline views.

The apartment community by developer Southeastern is dubbed “UrbA ATL” as part of a larger UrbA-branded network of properties. It broke ground last year at a 7-acre parcel along 17th Street, just east of Northside Drive.

Located in Loring Heights, the 480 17th St. site is also situated across railroad tracks from IKEA, near 17th Street’s western entry to Atlantic Station. The property was most recently a large parking lot for office buildings along Northside Drive but was cleared about six years ago as Fuqua Development’s suburban-style chain emporium, West Midtown Center, took shape next door.

Planned UrbA ATL frontage along 17th Street, with retail tucked off the street to the right, according to the developer. UrbA ATL; Southeastern

This angle helps illustrate Midtown views the 480 17th St. project will enjoy to the east. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Building permit records indicate the UrbA ATL project will include two separate, five-story apartment buildings, each with a parking deck. At least one of those decks will have six tiers, per 2022 filings.

A recent site visit suggests the project is running behind schedule, in that Southeastern officials told Urbanize Atlanta last year site work at the property would be finished six months ago.

According to Southeastern—a consulting, brokerage, and development firm with projects dotted from Texas to Virginia—UrbA ATL will include 321 luxury apartments and roughly 27,000 square feet of space for shops and restaurants once. UrbA ATL’s retail and restaurant spaces are planned for ground floors, facing existing retailers next door.

Above all that, designs call for a rooftop pool and clubroom overlooking skylines of Midtown and downtown to the east.

Looking southwest, construction near the Howell Mill Road corridor is seen in the distance. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

As seen looking northeast, the 6.9-acre property in question, in relation to IKEA and Atlantic Station. Google Maps

Other building amenities will include a large coworking space, an e-sports gaming room and lounge, a large elevated dog park, rooms for bike storage and repair, and EV charging stations, along with what’s described as “multiple outdoor zen and activity gardens” and “a state-of-the-art gym with on-demand fitness,” according to Southeastern.

Earlier plans for the site called for a new intown Amtrak rail hub and grocery store, but that failed to materialize.

Kroger had previously owned the property before selling in 2022 to developers.

UrbA ATL site work along 17th Street, as seen on Monday. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta