The longtime site of one of ITP Atlanta’s nicknamed but bygone Kroger stores is actively being reborn. 

AMLI Residential has cleared a 2 and ½-acre property at 750 Commerce Drive and begun infrastructure work on a project called AMLI Market Square, where pint-sized “Baby Kroger” formerly stood in Downtown Decatur. 

Baby Kroger—so named for its 15,000-square-foot size, the smallest in the Atlanta market—was originally built in the 1960s as a Colonial grocery but operated as Kroger for more than two decades. It grappled with declining sales and closed in late 2022 (within days of legendary Disco Kroger in Buckhead), leaving a commercial void and lack of large-scale grocery options in Decatur’s historic core. 

The AMLI Market Square project is set to change that. 

Progress on site-clearing for the AMLI Market Square project, as of Sept. 4. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Main facade and retail plans for AMLI Market Square at 750 Commerce Drive in Decatur. AMLI Residential

Along with 358 new apartments, the development calls for 26,000 square feet of retail space at ground level, where a “walkable grocery store,” an interior retail courtyard, and public greenspace are in the works, according to AMLI officials. A new parking deck will see 165 spaces of more than 640 reserved for public use.   

AMLI has reportedly inked a lease with Trader Joe’s to fill the grocery space once it’s built, earning the development team a $13-million tax incentive from the Decatur Downtown Development Authority. 

AMLI purchased the land in January. Development kicked off in June, and preleasing is scheduled to start in late 2028. The first move-ins are also expected in a little more than two years. 

Rent pricing has yet to be released. Developers have said 36 units will qualify as affordable housing, to comply with Decatur’s inclusionary housing ordinance. 

The 720 Commerce Drive retailer is now closed, leaving a void in Downtown Decatur's commercial landscape. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Scope of the AMLI Market Square site next to Decatur Cemetery (at top). AMLI Residential

Along with Downtown Decatur’s general walkability, developers cite access to a MARTA station, the CDC, Emory University, and Emory Healthcare as selling points. 

Onsite amenities at AMLI Market Square call for a pool with two courtyards, a sauna, coworking space, a clubroom and lounge, and an indoor-outdoor gym with a yoga and Pilates studio.

"Pick up groceries downstairs or meet friends around Decatur Square for dinner all without turning every stop into a drive," reads a project marketing pitch. 

Swing up to the gallery for more images and context. 

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