Two years after breaking ground, a multifaceted development that’s been called English Avenue’s largest private investment in generations is marking a couple of construction milestones this month.

Dallas-based developer Lincoln Property Company announced Monday it has topped out the initial office component at Echo Street West, a 19-acre, village-like project taking shape along the BeltLine’s connecting trail between downtown and Westside Park.

Constructed with cross-laminated timber, the four-story, 300,000-square-foot office building has been christened 765 Echo and is scheduled to open in the spring. The placement of its last rooftop beam means all components of Echo Street West’s first $265-million phase have now topped out, Lincoln officials said this week.  

The 765 Echo office component as it stands today. Courtesy of Lincoln Property Company

Lincoln officials describe the 765 Echo project as Atlanta’s first spec exterior core office building, erected with timber that’s been proven to reduce carbon emissions versus more traditional large-scale construction materials.

Other features of the building include 15 to 20-foot windows, 360-degree views from core-free floors, and 29,000 square feet of tenant balconies large enough for social gatherings, fitness classes, and conferencing, per the developer.

Courtesy of Lincoln Property Company

Planned look of Echo Street West's first office component with adjacent retail space, once occupied. Courtesy of Lincoln Property Company

Meanwhile, along Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway, Echo Street West’s 3-acre food-and-drink hub, Westside Motor Lounge, has recently opened. That facet includes a beer garden with shuffleboard, cabanas, a food truck, and fire pits, plus a stage for music, a listening room, a bar, and restaurant.

Elsewhere on site, construction continues on the project’s first residential piece, Vibe, a six-story, 292-unit apartment community where 20 percent of rentals will be reserved for households earning up to 80 percent of the area’s median income. Lincoln reps say apartment pre-leasing is scheduled to begin this year.

As seen last month beside the offices, the 292-unit Vibe at Echo Street West apartments are the project's first residential component.

Vibe will include 20,000 square feet of retail at the base level, fronting the Westside BeltLine Connector trail and Echo Street with spaces meant for outdoor restaurant dining or "vibrant storefronts," per Lincoln. A storage and repair area with space for 100 bikes, a 4,000-square-foot rooftop amenity space, courtyard, podcast studio, maker’s room, and pet spa are also in the mix for Vibe.

Overall, Echo Street West’s first phase will bring 25,000 square feet of retail, according to Lincoln. Events space Guardian Works and artist hub Guardian Studios have also been operating in adaptively reused buildings on site since last year.

English Avenue news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)