Big plans are cooking for relatively small acreage in the heart of Kirkwood’s historic commercial district. 

Where barbecue concepts had operated for a decade, a “transformative redevelopment” is in the works by a local team that aims to meld attainable housing, retail space, and offices with AI-powered, innovative designs, officials tell Urbanize Atlanta. 

Led by Atlanta-based developer Stryant, the mixed-use proposal calls for turning a standalone restaurant building and parking lot at 1976 Hosea L. Williams Drive into two eateries, an office headquarters, and what’s described as “52 professionally managed micro units,” all beneath a solar-shaded rooftop event area, according to project leaders. 

The half-acre site was long home to Anna’s BBQ and another barbecue restaurant more recently. Stryant closed on the property in May for $910,000, per listings. 

How the mixed-use proposal with retail, offices, and micro housing would front Hosea Williams Drive in the heart of Kirkwood's commercial district. Courtesy of Stryant

The 1976 Hosea L. Williams Drive lot in question, as seen from the same angle as the lone available rendering, in January this year. Google Maps

The micro units will be managed by co-living platform PadSplit and designed to provide affordable, quality living options. According to Stryant cofounder Stan Sugarman, the furnished apartments will have flexible terms—six months or longer—with internet and utilities included in monthly rents. (We’ve asked for details on rents and size of units and will update this story should those come.)

The office portion will be Stryant’s customer meeting space but will also be available for other local businesses to rent, Sugarman tells Urbanize Atlanta. 

Beyond the solar panels, sustainable features call for both EV charging stations and no parking requirements, a means to encourage alternate forms of transportation for a site served by city buses and bike lanes. 

Sugarman said his company’s goal is to break ground in summer 2026 and deliver the project late the following year. 

Overview of the .47-acre property recently purchased by Stryant in Kirkwood. Google Maps

Atlanta-based tech company Cove employed its AI-powered feasibility tool called Vitras.ai to help boost the building’s density, “tripling the unit count from 16 to 52 without zoning delays, providing attainable housing in a highly walkable, downtown location,” according to a project description. 

Elsewhere on Atlanta’s eastside, Stryant’s recent projects have included affordable housing ventures Ralph David House and an infill corner build at 111 Moreland Ave., both in Reynoldstown. Other Stryant projects in the city include the adaptive-reuse conversion of the 1912 George W. Adair School in Adair Park.  

Elsewhere in Kirkwood, around the corner from the downtown proposal, the company’s preliminary plans for an affordable housing venture for formerly homeless people on church-owned property on one of Kirkwood’s best-known residential streets have caused a stir among some neighbors. 

The central Kirkwood property, at right, in proximity to Kirkwood Station across the street. Google Maps

Anna’s, the popular barbecue joint, was in business in Kirkwood for nine years but shuttered in 2022 when owner Anna Phelps decided to retire and open a food truck. Following Anna’s closure, the building operated for a while as Georgia Boy BBQ. 

The property is situated across the street from another mixed-use hub, Kirkwood Station, built in the mid-aughts. 

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• Kirkwood news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)