Corner project anchored by ‘high-end Publix’ moves forward

A DeKalb County project that would remake part of a prominent intersection and boost fresh food access took a step toward breaking ground this week.

The Decide DeKalb Development Authority, the county’s economic development arm, approved $3.8 million in Tax Allocation District funding Thursday for a retail project called Candler Crossing at 1816 Candler Road in unincorporated Decatur.

Plans for the 7.2-acre redevelopment call for overhauling 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.

The Decide DeKalb board described the project by Venture South Investments, a shopping center developer, as “transformative” for Southwest DeKalb.

Looking north, an overview of the corner where Publix will operate, where Candler Road meets Glenwood Road. Google Maps

Plans call for a retail outbuilding to front the major DeKalb County intersection, with Publix tucked beyond a large surface parking lot. Venture South Investments

According to VSI, Candler Crossing will be anchored by a “high-end Publix,” with 11,200 square feet of retail shops and restaurant space set in another building at the corner. It will “fill a neighborhood need for groceries, restaurants, and service providers in this Atlanta submarket,” per the developer.

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

According to Decide DeKalb, the $28.9-million project’s grocery component will span 50,300 square feet, and other features will include a walking trail, a plaza, greenspace, and a renovated MARTA bus stop. The core of the project would be a large surface parking lot, per renderings.

Venture South Investments

One of the retail spaces (2,000 square feet) will be reserved for a local business at 60 percent of the market-rate rent for the first years. After that, annual rent increases would be limited to 8 percent between years six and 10, per Decide DeKalb officials.

Construction on Candler Crossing is scheduled to begin next spring, with the first tenants moving in by October 2027. It’s expected to create at least 100 construction jobs and 183 permanent positions, per Decide DeKalb.

Evan Conder, a VSI partner, called Candler Crossing “a walkable, sustainable community gathering space that will benefit people in this neighborhood for decades to come” in an announcement, adding: “We're proud to invest in this corner of DeKalb.”

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, ensuring “taxpayers bear no upfront risk while enabling transformative development,” per Decide DeKalb officials.

The award to Candler Crossing was part of $6 million in TAD financing OK’d this week. Throughout the county, Decide DeKalb counts five TADs established to help catalyze redevelopment along key corridors.

The 7.2-acre corner site in question in April. Google Maps