Name, fresh details emerge for large-scale Marietta Boulevard project

A multifaceted project that could reshape three lots in an industrial, growing section of northwest Atlanta continues to move forward, with a groundbreaking potentially on the horizon. 

Atlanta-based Vida, a multifamily and build-to-rent real estate development firm, has coined the 2085 Marietta Boulevard project “GuildHouse at Upper Westside.”

The mixed-use venture in the Bolton neighborhood would rise on a 6.68-acre assemblage of three properties, replacing lots used for bus and truck storage, a café building, and a one-story NAPA Auto Parts store with a range of residential and retail development. 

The properties are situated across the street from Crest Lawn Memorial Park and around the corner from popular Mexican restaurant Nuevo Laredo Cantina on Chattahoochee Avenue.

The GuildHouse site plan calls for a blend of BTR townhomes, traditional apartments, and commercial space for the neighborhood, all situated around a pocket park. 

According to Vida president Joe Martinez, the project has completed its seed funding round for what’s called Vida Opportunities Fund I. The $47-million fund—which is seeking qualified investors—would pay for construction of GuildHouse and another multifamily project Vida is putting together in Buford. (The latter project, Carrena at Mall of Georgia, would see 332 apartments take shape at 3172 Financial Center Way.)

“Peak supply of apartments in Atlanta hit in the third quarter of last year, and there is a lack of new deliveries in the next three years to handle the absorption we’ve historically had,” Martinez noted in a release provided to Urbanize Atlanta. “We think this presents a tremendous investment opportunity.” 

Vida’s goal is to break ground on the GuildHouse project in Atlanta this year, as CoStar first reported. 

Plans call for 39 BTR townhomes, each standing three stories with three bedroom and two-car garages. Adjacent to that would be 354 apartments, ranging from 550 to 1,350 square feet, with a parking deck. Amenities call for a saltwater pool, coffee bar, sky lounge, pet spa, and two courtyards, according to Vida. 

The project’s 7,200 square feet of commercial space would face the pocket park. Another perk, as Vida notes, is the next phase of PATH Foundation’s Silver Comet Connector project, which will link the property to adaptive-reuse hub The Works.

Atlanta-based commercial advisory firm Terra Alma has been brought on to lead retail leasing at the GuildHouse project. According to Martinez, that could include a restaurant and other retail in commercial spaces. 

The sales price for the three parcels in 2023 was $13.05 million, according to the Marcus and Millichap real estate investment firm, the deal's brokers.

Coined “Upper Westside,” the area in question has evolved in recent years from an industrial zone into a brewery and loft-office district with a wave of new housing, located between Atlantic Station and Interstate 285. 

Newer residential developments within a few blocks of the GuildHouse site include Broadstone Upper Westside, Altus at the Quarter, and a more recent mixed-use project called BRYKS Upper Westside, which is delivering 600 more apartments in two buildings. 

Across Georgia, Vida’s other current projects include Verona in Fairburn and Solara in Powder Springs. Previously the company was part of a team working to build a village-like mix of commercial and residential structures on a 7-acre Oakland City site about a block from the Beltline’s Westside Trail.

Along with large-scale retail and office projects, Vida’s leadership team has developed more than 7,000 housing units worth more than $1.7 billion over the past two decades, according to Martinez.  

Swing up to the gallery for more context and visuals for what could be in store along Marietta Boulevard. 

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