After a run that spanned more than 50 years, West End’s shopping mall is slated to close by the end of January.

According to developers The Prusik Group and BRP Companies, the demolition and construction phase is on the horizon for Mall West End, a suburban-style shopping enclave and longtime community cornerstone that’s struggled in recent years with vacancies like many traditional malls.

The mall is set to be replaced in coming years with a multifaceted project called One West End, which will include some 1.7 million square feet of development and cost in the ballpark of $450 million.

The initial phase is scheduled to debut in about three years.

Before the mall locks up for good this month, developers say four longtime tenants are being relocated to a temporary onsite location at 850 Oak St. that will allow them to continue operating throughout the entirety of One West End’s development.

Those businesses—apparel store The Burning Sands, Dendera Cosmetics, True Hair, and American Deli—will be allowed to open in fresh, permanent retail spaces once development is complete, according to project officials.

Meanwhile, a Planet Fitness location situated near the middle of the 12-acre site will continue operating where it stands during phase one of construction, per officials.

The most recent proposed redevelopment of parking lots at Oak and Dunn streets. Prusik Group/BRP Companies; One West End

Broader look at proposed mid-rise construction and a new through-street where Mall West End currently stands. Prusik Group/BRP Companies; One West End

BRP Companies and The Prusik Group, both New York City-based real estate companies, closed on Mall West End’s property in October for an undisclosed price. 

Those firms are redeveloping the retail center in partnership with the City of Atlanta, Atlanta Beltline Inc., and Atlanta Urban Development Corporation, a local nonprofit entity that aims to develop underused public land into mixed-income housing.

The mall originally opened in 1973, replacing a commercial district and numerous West End houses.

One West End’s first components are scheduled to open in 2028, leveraging the site’s proximity to downtown, MARTA, the Beltline, and Atlanta University Center, among other attractions. Developers have said upcoming rounds of community input will help shape what the project becomes.

Key facets of the redevelopment are set to include roughly 125,000 square feet of retail with a grocery store, local boutiques, a fitness center, and food-and-beverage options. At least 10,000 square feet of commercial space that leases at affordable rates will also be in the mix for qualified local small businesses, along with 12,000 square feet of medical office space, per the city.

Other sections would see a 150-room hotel built, plus roughly 900 units of mixed-income rental housing.

According to city officials, 70 percent of those rentals would be reserved as workforce housing, while 20 percent would rent at 50 percent of the area median income or less, and 10 percent at 80 percent AMI.

Elsewhere would be student housing and communal perks that include bike parking, a public greenspace, resident lounges, and activated streetscapes, per the city.

General scope of the 1970s mall property and its 12 acres, with MARTA rail shown at right. Google Maps

Three earlier visions for a mall site revival in West End fell apart, including a slightly smaller proposal (1.5 million square feet of total development) from The Prusik Group and BRP.  

The development team has vowed to contribute at least $500,000 to a fund that will help qualifying commercial tenants with rent credits and tenant improvement allowances.

Funding for the deal includes $19 million in acquisition financing provided by Merchants Capital, plus a $5 million acquisition loan from Atlanta Urban Development and another $5 million from Beltline coffers, city officials have said.

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