A unique, 15-building project on the cusp of breaking ground will aim to create a permanent, partially throwback feel in a part of Atlanta transformed by residential construction in recent years, developers tell Urbanize Atlanta. 

Meet: “Downtown Chosewood.”  

Planned as a ground-up, mixed-use venture with Main Street vibes and functionality, Downtown Chosewood is scheduled to break ground in coming weeks on vacant acreage at 531 Englewood Ave. SE, roughly a block from the Atlanta Beltline’s under-construction Southside Trail corridor. 

Plans call for small-scale retail, commercial spaces, and “home occupancy live-works” across the street from the Beltline’s planned (but currently unfunded) 20-acre Boulevard Crossing Park expansion, project officials tell Urbanize. 

How commercial storefronts will aim to create Main Street vibes in Chosewood Park. Courtesy of Under New Management

The Downtown Chosewood site in relation to Empire Zephyr (bottom left), ongoing Atlanta Housing builds (left), and other projects in the rapidly developing area. Photo by Peter Ewing, courtesy of Under New Management

The developer and builder is a company called Under New Management, led by veteran intown developer Saba Loghman, formerly a longtime executive with Empire Communities. The development firm is also working on an infill project in Kirkwood near Pullman Yards, among other intown ventures. 

Loghman anticipates a quick construction timeline, with groundbreaking on Downtown Chosewood happening “soon” and the project being finished in late 2026. The goal is to create small, human-scale commercial storefronts that all great neighborhoods have, he said. 

“The project sits at the center of the most transformative location and neighborhood in the City of Atlanta,” Loghman wrote via email. “More than 4,000 housing units are in development, under construction, or recently completed. Everything around us is new—we’re making the part that feels permanent.”

Planned contemporary look of Downtown Chosewood's residential section. Courtesy of Under New Management

Courtesy of Under New Management

Indeed, blocks in virtually every direction from Downtown Chosewood’s site are unrecognizable from a few years ago. 

The largest project, Empire Zephyr’s 800-unit mix of townhomes and planned stacked units, is situated immediately to the south. Atlanta Housing’s growing Englewood development is next door, and the nearly 400-unit The Upton complex opened early this year just beyond that. 

But so far, new retail development in the immediate area has been nonexistent. Loghman said his goal will be to sign independent and neighborhood operators for retail spaces. 

“We’re not chasing brands,” he said. “We’re looking for neighbors.”

The Downtown Chosewood breakdown: seven retail buildings and nine live-work units, ranging from one to three stories. All residential units will be for rent. Exactly how much retail will be offered has yet to be determined, Loghman said. 

Courtesy of Under New Management

Loghman said Under New Management has applied for funding via the Atlanta Beltline Local Developer Incentive Fund. Announced last month, the fund offers up to $500,000 in recoverable grants to support below-market commercial spaces for local businesses in the Beltline corridor.

At Empire’s Atlanta division, Loghman has helped lead major redevelopments of underused sites across the city, from The Swift in nearby Boulevard Heights to Stein Steel in Reynoldstown and Longreen in Blandtown, among other projects. 

The Downtown Chosewood project's 531 Englewood Ave. SE location, in relation to the Beltline corridor, Grant Park, downtown Atlanta, and other landmarks. Google Maps

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