Photos: Touring Hapeville's city-wide push toward urbanization

As chronicled on these pages with almost obnoxious frequency, the little City of Hapeville continues to establish itself as a magnet for big-time investment and densification, with most of the changes consuming underused or totally empty land.

Counting fewer than 7,000 residents, Hapeville is reaping the benefits of a pro-growth attitude and proximity to the world’s busiest airport next door. At its so-called eastern gateway off Interstate 75, for instance, new and notable projects include the block-sized, under-construction Signal community and Porsche’s expanded North American Headquarters, which opened a substantially larger driving experience to the public this month.

The roots of Hapeville’s modern-era growth (some would say gentrification) trace back to the Virginia Park neighborhood, a community of about 200 bungalows and Craftsman-style residences that started coming together about 18 years ago.

In more recent years, changes around “Atlanta’s hippest borough”—as coined by one development firm—have hit overdrive, as the photo tour chronicles below.  

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Serenity 

Let's begin a few blocks west of Hapeville's historic downtown strip, where a 25-townhome project called Serenity is taking shape at the intersection of South Central and Colville avenues.

Billed as an artsy enclave (with prices from the mid-$500,000s), the Artisan Built Communities project indeed saw artists applying flowery paintings to exterior walls on a recent visit: 

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Paper Plane 

A popular lunch destination, Thai restaurant Paper Plane (sister concept to Spoon) replaced a defunct gas station on a wedge-shaped lot at 816 S. Central Avenue two years ago:

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Atlanta Printmaker Studio 

As recently chronicled on these pages, the nonprofit Atlanta Printmakers Studio has artfully revived this former Amoco at 748 Virginia Ave., basically across the street from Paper Plane: 

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Stillwood 

A few blocks northwest of Hapeville's main restaurant and retail hub, at a sprawling site near Interstate 85, Epic Development has brought the first homes at the Stillwood project out of the ground. Expect 58 standalone houses when finished, with prices starting from around $500,000: 

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781 North Central Avenue

Major changes along Hapeville's main drag are coming with this 4-acre townhome venture by BCDC and North and Central Ventures. Expect 68 new townhomes when the project finishes—all of them renting at market-rate, per project leaders: 

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The Landing

A boutique townhome project of 12 units called The Landing @ Hapeville has popped up along Elkins Street, touting proximity to Delta's corporate headquarters and Woodward Academy: 

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Commercial node

The Brass Tap gastropub, Moe's, and other businesses are relatively recent additions at this commercial hub where Virginia Avenue meets Elkins Street: 

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The Clyde 

Along King Arnold Street, a block from Hapeville's commercial strip, Miller Lowery Developments completed the first townhomes at The Clyde project in 2021. It counts 18 brick-clad units today:  

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The Dwarf House 

Last and maybe least, the birthplace of the Original Chick-fil-A® Chicken Sandwich was modernized and reopened on North Central Avenue in February last year, following a nine-month renovation, within earshot of Porsche's new track:  

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• Hapeville news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)