Replacement for fire-ravaged apartment block rises up

Two and 1/2 years after a three-alarm fire onsite made headlines and disrupted lives, and just three months after vertical construction kicked off, a LaVista Road apartment venture that’s melding renovation work with new construction is nearing top-out stages.

The 1155 LaVista Road NE property, now called Union Eleven, is taking shape in the Lindridge-Martin Manor neighborhood between Midtown and Buckhead, across the street from Atlanta’s landmark Tara Theatre. It’s being developed and will be managed by new ownership, Atlanta-based Fortis Property Management.

The property was formerly home to The Reserve at LaVista Walk, originally developed by Atlantic Residential in 2008 with a landmark clock tower feature. A fire in November 2023 blamed on celebratory birthday fireworks displaced more than 300 people, sparking a class action lawsuit against management company Avenium that remains in the courts, as Atlanta magazine chronicled last year.

Union Eleven's construction today along LaVista Road, where The Reserve's recognizable clock tower used to stand and retail operated at base levels. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Breakdown of the Union Eleven site plan with renovated apartments at left, and the section with new construction along LaVista Road at right. Union Eleven/Fortis Property Management

The blaze marked one of three fires that ravaged large intown apartment complexes within the span of about four years, including the Bell Collier Village property in Buckhead, which has started reopening in recent weeks. (Another apartment fire at a large complex on Sunday has displaced dozens in Chamblee, with no injuries reported.)

According to the Union Eleven project’s contractor, Chamblee-based Buckhaven construction, nearly half of the property’s former rentals—155 of 283 total—had to be demolished. Company leaders shared last month that all 128 original units have been renovated and are more than 70 percent leased.

Meanwhile, along LaVista Road, 211 new apartments will climb to five and six levels, for a higher total of apartments (339) than before.

Example of a living room at the renovated section of Union Eleven. Union Eleven/Fortis Property Management

The project's LaVista Road frontage, with Cheshire Bridge Road at right. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

According to Apartments.com, Union Eleven rentals will range from studios to three-bedroom units, with between 582 and 1,314 square feet.

Rent prices for the renovated units ready today start at $2,394, which gets two bedrooms and two bathrooms in 1,047 square feet. “These residences feature some of the most spacious, sought-after floorplans and high-end finishes in the market,” per the contractor, “combining modern design with premium livability.”

Union Eleven is expected to fully deliver next year.

Amenities call for a second onsite swimming pool, a full game room, a yoga and wellness studio, a “grand clubroom” with WFH nooks, and what’s described in marketing materials as a “sophisticated rooftop terrace with captivating skyline views.”

Fortis, the developer and new ownership group, counts more than 50 communities with 13,000 residential units in its portfolio around the Southeast, from Texas to Florida and Maryland.

Kitchen sample for a renovated property at Union Eleven. Union Eleven/Fortis Property Management