As of this spring, it’s been more than four years since the Skyhaven Quarry concept first emerged as a unique mashup of nature, housing, and retail on a moribund corner and vacant land near East Atlanta Village. 

The property’s newest ownership group, Atlanta-based Embry Development Company, says there’s reason to be optimistic the site will be activated in the near term, despite difficulties in gaining approvals and another intown developer backing away. 

Brett Embry, the company’s director of land development, said Skyhaven Quarry is financed and is part of ongoing negotiations with a partner development firm, essentially ready to break ground. 

The current hurdle, according to Embry, is trying to gain requisite approvals for tweaked plans from three different governing bodies—the City of Atlanta, Fulton County, and DeKalb County—that have a say in development at the assemblage of parcels at 1104 Moreland Ave., about a mile south of EAV. 

“Time is killing deals,” Embry said, in reference to the approval delay’s impact on current site development partnerships.

Overview of the acreage in question, in the broader context of southeast Atlanta. Courtesy of Clark Property R+D

Design for the corner of Moreland Avenue and Skyhaven Road, with today's Papa John's pictured in white. Adams Commercial Real Estate; designs, Xmetrical

Urban infill developer Clark Property R+D—the same firm spearheading The Lodge development a mile north on Moreland Avenue— spent a couple of years assembling properties, collecting community input, finalizing designs, and seeking development partners for a total of almost 12 vacant acres along Moreland Avenue. The developer had teamed with Xmetrical design architects, Perez Planning + Design landscape architects, and others with a goal of weaving retail and a variety of housing—including affordable options—with trails, nature conservation, and public space.

But Clark Property R+D later backed away from the proposal, blaming rising interest rates, and the Skyhaven Quarry site came back to the open market a year ago. 

Embry Development scooped up the project, as did they did in Reynoldstown with a former Toll Brothers site that’s seeing active construction now. 

The 9.79-acre project would encompass a former quarry site and commercial parcels along Moreland Avenue that include a shuttered Family Dollar and a cell tower near Skyhaven Road.

The site is a few blocks east of an Atlanta Beltline section scheduled to officially open this week.  

Potential look of Skyhaven Quarry townhomes. Adams Commercial Real Estate; designs, Xmetrical

A revised site plan for the Skyhaven Quarry site that emerged in 2023, with the multifamily component moved closer to Moreland Avenue. Adams Commercial Real Estate; designs, Xmetrical

According to the most recent marketing materials, the property has potential to house up to 180 apartments, 57 townhomes (for sale or rent), and 16 standalone houses, plus 9,000 square feet of commercial space. 

Another component would be an 8,000-square-foot plaza space, according to information provided by Embry Development Company. 

With its 40-foot cliffs, the abandoned and overgrown quarry would be at the center of the project, with new trails and Ripplewater Creek wending through. Including that would create a significant park and trail network in what’s been called a “park desert,” where residents have limited access to greenspace, per the previous development team. 

Head up to the gallery for more Skyhaven Quarry context and visuals. 

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