A seasoned Atlanta homebuilder is reporting gangbuster sales, relatively speaking, at a formerly vacant, brownfield corner site in Ormewood Park where modern-style townhomes have been sprouting.

Officials with homebuilder Monte Hewett say nearly half of townhomes under construction at its newest intown project, The Harman, have been presold, signaling sales momentum the company describes as “impressive” and “strong.”

Sales at the boutique community—located where Moreland Avenue meets Ormewood Avenue, about four blocks south of East Atlanta Village—began last summer.

According to Monte Hewett, the project will include 22 townhomes when finished. Fifteen of those are considered to be under construction now—with seven of them sold, priced from $559,000 to $630,000.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to witness the enthusiasm from homebuyers and how the community is coming together as construction progresses,” Monte Hewett, company founder and CEO, said in a prepared statement. “[The project] has come a long way from its start as a brownfield site with a gas station and dry cleaners.”

While hardly chump change, the asking prices represent a less expensive option versus, say, other new townhomes in a similar stylistic vein (and with similar square footages) in Summerhill.

Listings at The Harman offer just shy of 1,600 square feet in three or four-story layouts, each with three bedrooms. Floorplans include either three or two and ½ bathrooms, with rooftop terraces at the top level and two-car, rear-entry garages below.  

Courtesy of Monte Hewett

Courtesy of Monte Hewett

In-home perks include quartz countertops, hardwood floors, and JennAir appliances described as top-flight. Beyond EAV, walkable plusses in the area include Glenwood Park, the BeltLine’s Southside Trail corridor, and across the street, Little Azio Pizza and Pasta, Spoon Eastside, and (for better or worse) Morelli’s Gourmet Ice Cream.

Monte Hewett began work in earnest at the site in summer 2022.

Along with empty land, the .9-acre site was the former home of Jiffy Grocery, which gained notoriety after it’d been closed for several years and the “J” fell off its main signage, rendering it “Iffy Grocery.” The grocer’s former building was demolished in 2021.

The 1160 Ormewood Avenue site's location south of Interstate 20 and EAV. Google Maps

How facades have come together at The Harman off Moreland Avenue. Courtesy of Monte Hewett

Monte Hewett has built more than 35 neighborhoods in Atlanta and places such as Halcyon since its founding in the early 2000s. Beyond The Harman, recent projects include Alpharetta condos Findley Row and the townhome component at West Midtown’s growing The Interlock district.

The Harman neighbors the modern-style, six-townhome project by the Xmetrical firm called The Ormewood, located just to the north. And across Moreland Avenue, the 1960s Seville shopping center underwent a renovation in 2020 and sold the following year for $2.5 million, fully leased with tenants that include Japanese restaurant Ok Yaki.

It’s not the first time developers have envisioned more active uses for The Harman’s property. In 2017, the Third and Urban firm announced plans at the site for a “micro” mixed-use node called The Elway. That was expected to deliver in 2018 but never broke ground.

Find a closer look at how The Harman is turning out—inside and out—in the gallery above.

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