New tenants to add music to former CNN Center, Underground Atlanta

The streets of downtown Atlanta are set to be more alive with the sound of music soon. 

And surely some questionable vocal performances, too. 

Two of downtown’s major redevelopment projects—Underground Atlanta and The CTR, CP Group’s overhaul of the former CNN Center—today announced tenant updates involving music, both professional and not, to join a growing roster of attractions near MARTA transit and pro sports coliseums. 

Karaoke on tap 

At The CTR (pronounced “The Center”), Live-K Karaoke has signed a 10,500-square-foot lease to expand the conversion project’s entertainment, retail, and dining offerings, which include the 11-concept CTR Food Works that debuted before 2026 FIFA World Cup. 

Live-K’s first Georgia location, Live-K Atlanta, is scheduled to open in the fall of 2027. It’ll take the former Dantanna’s space along Andrew Young International Boulevard, across the street from the Georgia World Congress Center. 

Live-K currently operates locations at The Wharf in Washington, D.C. and National Harbor in Maryland, with another on tap soon in Baltimore.

The karaoke announcement comes as CP Group’s third phase of The CTR construction kicks off to expand the 1.2-million-square-foot property’s attractions for downtown visitors, office tenants, and locals. New construction is focusing on luring office tenants with a slate of amenities including a fitness center, conference center, and tenant lounge.

Chris Eachus, a CP Group founding partner, called Live-K in today’s announcement “exactly the kind of concept we want at The CTR because it gives people another reason to come downtown, stay longer, and come back… not just when there’s a game or convention, but on an ordinary Tuesday night.”

Chris Zhu, Live-K Karaoke owner, said The CTR’s location and vision stood out in Atlanta, adding: “You’re steps from the Georgia World Congress Center, Centennial Olympic Park, and Atlanta’s biggest sports and entertainment venues with incredible visibility in the heart of downtown.”

The karaoke concept will join a tenant lineup that includes steak and seafood hotspot Mastro’s Ocean Club, on pace to open in November, and The Looking Glass, an “immersive social destination” from the team behind Your 3rd Spot at The Works. The latter is scheduled to open sometime next year.

Elsewhere, the CTR is fielding more than 500,000 square feet of interest from potential office tenants right now, according to CP Group. CBRE is leading office leasing efforts and offering floorplans of up to 317,000 square feet. 

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Underground ATL happenings

Meanwhile, Underground Atlanta owners Lalani Ventures say they’re building momentum on their goal to bring the historic district to 90 percent occupancy soon, up from 65 percent today and 5 percent when they purchased the property in 2020. 

Officials revealed today that Loca Luna, a legendary Atlanta Latin tapas restaurant and live music venue, is under construction at Underground and set to open next year. (Loca Luna last operated at Amsterdam Walk, where its lease was terminated in 2022 after a series of shootings.) 

Also on tap for Underground next year is two-stage live music venue Ravine, which is converting a former parking garage on Lower Wall Street into a concert and event space spanning about 180,000 square feet. (Previous plans called for Ravine to open last fall; it formerly operated from 2018 to 2021 at the building where Peachtree Street meets 11th Street, currently home to Prime on Peachtree.) 

Elsewhere on the musical front, Underground recently opened a two-stage, retro-style music venue, club, and bar called Lunchbox designed to host two shows at once. It’s consumed a 10,000-square-foot space near MJQ nightclub.

Lalani Ventures, which tabulates it’s spent more than $50 million on Underground’s revival, says the district is now one of Georgia’s largest live music hubs, with a total of 10 performance stages set to come online before the end of 2027. 

Other attractions in the Underground pipeline include a six-stall food hall planned for the corner of Alabama and Pryor streets (a former Foot Locker space), where Underground officials say Letters of Intent have been signed with four local operators. 

The food hall is scheduled to open sometime next year, too.   

In the near term, Underground expects to welcome Ela Rey—a coffee shop from the sisters behind Daiquiriville—on Lower Alabama Street in October.

On Oct. 2, an immersive pop-up called “Haunted Underground: The Bar Experience” is set to open with five bars, live music, and “spooky drinks,” per officials. 

“We’ve spent six years building the foundation, bringing this historic district back to life,” Shaneel Lalani, Lalani Ventures CEO, said in today’s update. “Now we’re in a stretch where a lot of that work is visible, with new restaurants, new music venues, and new reasons to come downtown beyond a single event.”

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