Formerly woodsy or post-industrial barren, the stretch of the BeltLine’s Eastside Trail between Edgewood Avenue and Irwin Street could now be described as a canyon of housing, offices, and retail options, with more to come.  

Adding most noticeably to a sense of new investment in all directions is the 678 Edgewood project, which has topped out alongside its namesake bridge with frontage along the popular trail.

Dillon Baynes, Columbia Ventures’ managing partner, tells Urbanize Atlanta the seven-story apartment project completed vertical construction about a month ago and is on track to open in the second quarter of next year. It broke ground in fall 2021 and, upon last check in July, was just starting to come out of the ground.

The $37-million Studioplex project is claiming one of the last remaining open parcels for large-scale development on the Eastside Trail. Its ground-floor plans call for continuing a row of retail facing the BeltLine that includes Shake Shack, Pour Taproom, Guac y Margys, and Nina and Rafi pizza, among other establishments.

How the recently erected, seven-story 678 Edgewood project fronts the Eastside Trail, as seen this month. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The same stretch of the Eastside Trail, as seen under construction in May 2017, when adjoining areas in Old Fourth Ward and Inman Park were less developed. Courtesy of Jonathan Phillips

Earlier this year, Columbia Ventures signed leases with Emerald City Bagels and fit-boxing gym VESTA to occupy spaces at the base of 678 Edgewood.  

For the popular New York-style bagel shop, the Eastside Trail-adjacent location will be the first outside of East Atlanta Village, where the former pop-up business opened its first brick-and-mortar in 2018. Meanwhile VESTA, the fitness concept, is vacating the 774 Ponce de Leon Avenue gym location it opened in 2015 in light of potential redevelopment that could also claim Ponce stalwarts such as The Local and MJQ.

Baynes has previously said the signings mean 678 Edgewood’s 12,000-square-foot retail portion is 51 percent rented. Either two or three retail slots remain, depending on who the retailers are and what space they require. Emerald City Bagels will occupy a corner space, while VESTA will open in the middle of other retailers.  

Atop the retail at 678 Edgewood Avenue will be 114 apartments, with sizes ranging from 400 to about 1,200 square feet. Fifteen percent of those rentals will be reserved as affordable housing, per BeltLine inclusionary housing rules. Developers have said those units will likely be reserved for households earning 80 percent of the area median income or less.

Columbia Ventures previously developed retail hub SPX Alley next door, with townhomes above built by Thrive Homes.

Now, the 678 Edgewood venture continues that groundswell of investment along Old Fourth Ward and Inman Park’s BeltLine frontage.

Other projects under construction in the corridor include Portman Holdings’ rising, six-story office concept at Irwin Street, now called Junction Krog District.

Next door, an anchor component of Asana Partners’ growing Krog District, the sprawling BrewDog Atlanta brewery, opened its doors to the public Friday. 

See photos for more context and the latest 678 Edgewood project renderings in the gallery above.

• Recent Old Fourth Ward news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)