Developer: Old Fourth Ward project's pause is no sign of trouble

Recent idleness for a major construction project at a key Old Fourth Ward intersection is no indication that work has shut down for an extended period of time, as with numerous other sites around Atlanta, according to developers. 

Following four years of pre-development discussions and design tweaks, The Bowery at Old Fourth Ward kicked off earlier this year with site-clearing and other work at the southeast corner of Boulevard’s intersection with Highland Avenue, a gateway corner just east of downtown. The project is a joint venture between Atlanta’s Fuqua Development and Charlotte-based Northwood Ravin. 

A recent visit showed no construction activity or heavy equipment at the 3.3-acre site, however. 

According to Northwood Ravin, “nothing has changed or slowed down” in terms of The Bowery’s development, officials tell Urbanize Atlanta today. 

“[We] are just waiting on permits to allow [us] to encroach into the existing public right-of-way to complete some final utility and site work,” a spokesperson wrote via email. “Activity is about to ramp up quickly, as this process is almost complete.”

The Bowery is one of 10 projects listed on Northwood Ravin’s website as being in development now across the Southeast. The company is also currently building Decatur’s large-scale Halo and downtown Athens’ Magnolia project. 

In Old Fourth Ward, The Bowery calls for a 273-unit apartment building and two townhome blocks with 12 units total. (The neighborhood’s popular dog park in the area—Freedom Barkway Dog Park—is outside the boundaries of construction and will remain in place.) 

Roughly 10,000 square feet of retail with patio spaces will operate at street level, project officials have said. 

The project’s scope also calls for 2,000 square feet of retail or incubator space placed so that it faces the dog park next door. A 400-space parking deck will include 17 spaces reserved for dog park patrons, according to plans.

Fuqua and Northwood Ravin closed on the 3.3-acre site in summer 2023, paying about $4 million per acre. Also in 2023, Develop Fulton (formerly the Development Authority of Fulton County) approved the development team’s request for $5.7 million in tax savings across 10 years for the three-building project that’s consuming nearly a full block. 

At the time, The Bowery was expected to include a large grocery option for the neighborhood—reportedly a Publix. But according to Northwood Ravin, Wellstar’s sudden closure of nearby Atlanta Medical Center, which cost the area jobs and significant daytime population, along with the city’s subsequent clampdown on hospital property rezoning, later scared away potential grocery tenants.  

Residents in the area voiced concerns in 2025 The Bowery’s tax breaks were contingent on the inclusion of a grocery store. But Develop Fulton officials and developers have maintained that was never the case. 

Developers have said The Bowery project, following earlier delays, is expected to open in summer 2028. We’ve asked if that timeline has changed and will update this story if it has. [UPDATE: 3:33 p.m., Nov. 9: Northwood Ravin officials send the following: "We are looking closer to Q1 of 2029 for delivery."]

Find more context and images in the gallery above. 

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• Old Fourth Ward news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)