Hundreds of more apartments are moving forward in Grant Park at what’s planned to be a gateway to the BeltLine’s Southside Trail.   

For its first Atlanta project, Charleston-based Middle Street Partners has broken ground on 323 rentals on a former industrial site covering 3.5 acres at 1015 Boulevard SE. That's where Boulevard meets the BeltLine at the southern edge of Grant Park, a few blocks south of Zoo Atlanta.

It’s another sign developers are bullish on the Southside Trail’s prospects in the Grant and Chosewood Park neighborhoods. Nearly 450 condos (Pratt Stacks) and upscale rentals (1099 Boulevard SE) have popped up in the vicinity within the past couple of years.

Where the interim BeltLine Southside Trail crosses Boulevard, as seen from the north. The new apartments are being built at right.
Google Maps

Under construction now is a six-story building that will feature 5,000 square feet of retail and commercial space lining 350 feet of the BeltLine. It's replacing a small industrial complex built in 1963 that was formerly home to Waken Meat Company, according to LoopNet.

The 4.5-mile Southside Trail opened in an interim state in 2019 but has yet to finish any paved sections.

Middle Street Partners reps noted the apartments will be the Southside Trail’s first to feature underground parking. That’s typically an expensive step that helps improve aesthetics.

How Grant Park's latest rentals are planned to meet the Southside Trail with retail.
Middle Street Partners; designs, Brock Hudgins Architects

The apartment building, a partnership with Pacific Coast Capital Partners, will bring a mix of units ranging from studios to two-bedrooms, with an average of 729 square feet.

Fifteen percent of the rentals will meet the city’s inclusionary zoning guidelines, which means about 50 homes will be designated as affordable for anyone earning 80 percent of the area’s median income, officials said. 

“We’re big believers in intown Atlanta and the Atlanta BeltLine,” Johnson Bazzel, an Atlanta native with Middle Street Partners, said in a press release. “I believe the strength of our region and the strength of our intown neighborhoods will continue to outperform over time.”

The Grant Park apartments were devised with WFH culture in mind, with dedicated office spaces in each unit, plus a dog park, coworking spaces, and a 24-hour gym on site. The building and its amenities have also been "designed in harmony” with the Southside Trail, officials noted.

It's expected to finish in 2023, with first move-ins a year from November. 

The project will join more than 300 Class A apartment built across the BeltLine in Chosewood Park by Pollack Shores Real Estate Group. That community includes rare micro units of just 500 square feet, plus 15,000 square feet of retail.

Another perk for the immediate area is 5-acre Boulevard Crossing Park. Atlanta BeltLine Inc. has plans cooking to quintuple that greenspace's acreage, adding features such as a dog park, community garden, and splash pad.

• Grant Park (Urbanize Atlanta) 

• Photos: Grant Park's 'Gateway' takes parking garages to next level (Urbanize Atlanta)