A cove of residential buildings off Memorial Drive that was once in such desperate shape DeKalb County leaders were determined to bulldoze it has been given a second chance at life.

Following extensive, ongoing renovations, a garden-style apartment community rechristened Canopy has begun leasing efforts at 3106 Memorial Drive, located between East Lake and Interstate 285 in the Belvedere Park neighborhood south of downtown Decatur.  

Spread across more than a dozen low-rise buildings, the gated complex is being marketed as a charming, quaint, and self-contained neighborhood where rentals ranging from studios to three-bedroom units “offer a serene escape from the hustle and bustle of city life.”

Projected look of white-painted facades at the garden-style, low-rise apartment community. Liveatcanopyatl.com

Liveatcanopyatl.com

That’s a stark contrast from what the complex—formerly called Sky Blue Condominiums—used to be.

In 2010, DeKalb County government leaders singled out the vacant, 146-unit condo community as a victim of mortgage fraud that had devolved into a haven for squatters and the drug trade. It was part of a DeKalb initiative to remove blight and slums with funding from the federal government’s Great Recession-era Neighborhood Stabilization Program, but plans to raze the complex never materialized. The 11-acre property came up for sale a couple of years ago.

Today, the pet-friendly Canopy rentals might not technically qualify as affordable housing. But they’d allow renters to save a few hundred bucks per month off many new apartments of similar sizes in highly amenitized buildings in places like Midtown and Old Fourth Ward.  

The smallest Canopy rental options—studios with 420 square feet—start at $1,350 per month.

The largest three-bedroom, two-bathroom offerings listed to date start at $2,100 monthly for 1,185 square feet.

Example of a Canopy living room. Liveatcanopyatl.com

Example of the largest, three-bedroom plan currently offered at Canopy. Liveatcanopyatl.com

Onsite amenities are listed as a dog park, an outdoor gathering space, and the aforementioned front gate. In-unit perks include stainless steel appliances, laundry rooms, and “wood-style flooring,” according to marketing materials.

Proximity to Avondale Estates, Kirkwood, and shopping and dining along the Memorial Drive corridor is also cited as a plus.  

Head up to the gallery for Canopy context and images.  

[UPDATE: 12:30 p.m., June 20: Regarding the companies behind this project, Stryant Construction officials reach out to say they purchased the Memorial Drive property from DeKalb County, remedied its legal issues, and sold to Atlanta developer Braden Fellman Group two years ago. The full property is also larger than previously advertised onsite and reported here.] 

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