An official groundbreaking is set for an in-development retail project DeKalb County leaders have called “transformative” for a section of unincorporated Decatur.

Candler Crossing, as illustrated in a revised rendering, calls for a 7.2-acre redevelopment at the southeast corner of the Candler Road and Glenwood Road intersection in the Candler-McAfee neighborhood, located about four blocks from East Lake Golf Club. 

Anchored by a “high-end” Publix, the retail hub is meant to provide better grocery access, new jobs, and communal gathering space for the Candler Road corridor, according to project leaders Decide DeKalb Development Authority and developers Venture South Investments, a Decatur-based firm. 

As shown in an updated rendering, plans call for a retail outbuilding to front the major DeKalb County intersection, with Publix tucked beyond a large parking lot. Venture South Investments

The project’s official groundbreaking is set for June 11, with DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson, Decide DeKalb president and CEO Dorian Barr, and other dignitaries scheduled to attend. It’s expected to cost $28.9 million, with support from a $3.82-million Tax Allocation District grant approved by the Decide DeKalb board last year. 

Candler Crossing’s site plan calls for the 50,325-square-foot grocery store and an 11,200-square-foot multi-tenant retail building. 

Elsewhere, community amenities—including a walking trail, a hardscape plaza, pedestrian upgrades, and a renovated MARTA bus stop—have been designed “to serve South DeKalb residents for generations to come,” according to a Decide DeKalb announcement this week. 

The 7.2-acre corner site in question in spring 2025. Google Maps

Looking north, an overview of the corner where Publix will operate, where Candler Road meets Glenwood Road, as seen prior to construction. Google Maps

Included in the project will be a 2,000-square-foot, affordable retail space that will be reserved for local businesses at 60 percent of the going market rent for the first five years, per officials. 

Candler Crossing is expected to generate 100 construction jobs or more and 183 permanent ones. 

The project will use Decide DeKalb’s TAD “pay-as-you-go” grant structure. That means developers receive reimbursements only as tax-increment revenue is generated by finished projects. The tactic is meant to ensure taxpayers bear no upfront risk while still enabling important developments to move forward, per Decide DeKalb officials. 

The first tenants at Candler Crossing are expected to start opening in October next year. 

The grocery store will operate a mile and ½ from another Publix on Glenwood Road in East Lake. 

Venture South Investments

The 1816 Candler Road site in relation to East Lake Golf Club and other landmarks east of downtown Atlanta. Google Maps

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• DeKalb County News, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)