Changes along Main Street continue in an upscale metro Atlanta place recently declared one of America’s top “city-like” suburbs.

Parkland Communities, a prominent suburban developer, has started the conversion of a former grocery store that once served as a communal gathering place at 363 Main Street into its offices and headquarters.

The TSW-design project is located along a winding stretch of Main Street, about a half-mile from Alpharetta’s growing downtown.

The project's Main Street location, in relation to downtown Alpharetta, at top right. Google Maps

The building was originally constructed in the 1950s as Thompson’s Grocery, back when Main Street was a two-lane country road and Alpharetta was rural. It’s expected to serve later this year as the headquarters and offices for Parkland Communities and affiliated businesses Parkland Residential and Parkland Homes.

“If only walls could talk, the stories and history this building would tell,” Jim Jacobi, Parkland Communities president, said in a project announcement. “The grocery store was the heart of the community in the 1950s ... We admire the provenance of the building and are very excited to move in around Thanksgiving.”

Since it was founded two decades ago, Parkland has developed nearly 1,800 homes across more than 700 acres in Atlanta’s suburbs. That includes for-rent townhomes in Gwinnett County under construction now to meet what’s been called a “surging demand” for that product, per company reps.

The former 1950s grocery building and new residential construction along Main Street, as seen in April. Google Maps

Courtesy of Parkland Communities; designs, TSW

Eagle-eyed observers will notice the office project is taking shape next to an Italian-inspired, fast-selling collection of single-family homes called Village Magnolia that caused a stir on these pages last year.

Known for its densifying City Center and relatively pricey housing, the North Fulton County city of 68,000 charted earlier this year in the top 20 of a STORAGECafé study titled, “The Best U.S. Suburbs For City-Like Living.”

Alpharetta joined Gwinnett County’s Suwanee in the analysis’ top 25, and four metro Atlanta cities in the top 100 overall.

Alpharetta news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)