East Point may take lumps for being relatively stagnant compared to development-friendly southside brethren such as Hapeville, but another sign that could be changing has recently come to light.

Safe and Green Development Corp, a New York-based company focused on modular construction using former shipping containers, reports this week it has landed “substantial financing” for a residential project called Norman Berry Village near downtown East Point.

The 6-acre site in question is located along Norman Berry Drive near Washington Road, just south of Parklane Elementary School, a few blocks east of the city’s MARTA hub and downtown eateries.

According to SGD, the joint venture with CMC Development will produce 132 market-rate apartments in two new buildings, next to communal greenspaces and resident parking lots. Exactly what the project will cost and how much of that is funded wasn’t specified.

Approximate location of the Norman Berry Drive proposal in East Point, according to a site plan. Google Maps

Two-building site plan for Norman Berry Village. Safe and Green Development Corp

SGD announced in summer 2021 it had acquired the Norman Berry Drive property for $390,000, predicting then its East Point development would cost roughly $21 million. Plans at the time called for constructing the apartments in Oklahoma and shipping them to Atlanta for assembly, with work forecasted to start in the third quarter of that year.

SGD’s breakdown in 2021 called for one and two-bedroom apartments, totaling about 125,000 square feet, with amenities that would include a gym, greenspaces, and a clubhouse.

The company claims that building with shipping containers is significantly cheaper and can cut construction time and waste in half, while reducing shipping emissions by 90 percent.

What East Point’s modular-built rentals might look like isn’t yet clear. We reached out to SGD officials this week for Norman Berry Village renderings and information on a construction timeline and rents. The company hadn’t responded as of press time, but this story will be updated with any additional details that come.

SGD’s website lists a number of modular projects as being in development from New York state to Texas (including a South Georgia concept called Cumberland Inlet with more than 3,500 units), totaling more than 3.2 million square feet with a value of $765 million.

Facade of a modular, multifamily SGD project outside Austin called Lago Vista. Safe and Green Development Corp

Courtyard at an SGD project near Austin. Safe and Green Development Corp

SGD’s isn’t the only recent East Point project to show signs of life.

City officials in November approved a real estate deal with Atlanta-based Mynd Match Development Group that green-lights the redevelopment of 9 acres in the 2700 block of Main Street into a mixed-use hub called The Commons.

Those plans call for roughly 79,000 square feet of commercial space in the form of offices, shops, and restaurants, situated just north of East Point’s downtown and MARTA hub.

On The Commons’ residential side, 316 multifamily units and 23 single-family townhomes are in the works, alongside 11,440 square feet of amenity areas. Plans also call for 403 parking spaces for residents and visitors in two garages, with more parking at street level.

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