First look: Beltline-adjacent project bound for Southwest Atlanta

Atlanta urbanists and West End residents who’ve lobbied for residential development to accompany the vibrant former warehouse district that is Lee + White should take note.

Demolition along White Street signals the beginning of an infill townhome project from Ackerman & Co., the same developer that owns Lee + White and its expanding office, retail, and food offerings.

Ackerman reps tell Urbanize Atlanta the project will be called Hopkins and White Townhomes—named for the streets it will front—and that it will include 23 new residences eventually.

Overview of the full 23-unit townhome project between the Beltline and a Dunkin' in West End. Courtesy of Ackerman & Co.

Situated across the street from the Beltline’s Westside Trail and Gordon-White Park, just north of the Lee + White district, the properties in question were formerly home to two notable businesses: Best Friends Car Wash, which doubled as an outdoor art gallery for muralists, and Lean Draft House, once celebrated as the first new business to open on the Westside Trail eight years ago.

As of a Saturday visit, the former car wash was rubble.

Ackerman reps say the first phase of 13 townhomes is scheduled to be finished in spring 2026.

The former Best Friends Car Wash on White Street was recently demolished, making way for townhome construction. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

General scope of the properties in question, with the Beltline's Westside Trail shown at left. Google Maps

Each townhome will have three bedrooms and three and ½ bathrooms in 2,056 square feet, with two-car garages at the base and rooftop decks above.

The community will also feature a fenced-in dog park, according to project officials, who say it remains to be seen if Ackerman will use its name in association with the project.

Price ranges for the townhomes have yet to be determined, according to developers.

The lone available rendering shows two rows of units, with rooftops emphasizing views of the pocket park and Westside Trail, which is set to be expanded in former rail corridor nearby.

Maybe it's not the wave of new Beltline-adjacent housing in the area some have called for—but it's certainly a start.

The former Lean Draft House building stood next to recent demolition Saturday. Google Maps