Three years after Robert De Niro was onsite swinging a ceremonial sledgehammer, Phipps Plaza leadership say they expect to welcome a multidimensional expansion that will “redefine the future of modern luxury” soon.
Alongside business partners Nobu Matsuhisa and Meir Teper, the acting legend helped lead the Buckhead groundbreaking in October 2018 that wiped out Phipps’ former Belk store for three new buildings and other facets of development at the Simon property.
De Niro is a partner in the Nobu Hotel and Restaurant concept, which expects to open its first Atlanta outpost at Phipps Plaza in late summer this year. That facet of Phipps’ expansion has reached a milestone with the installation of “Nobu” signs along Phipps Boulevard on the north side of the mall, project leaders said today.
Where new construction replaced Belk along Phipps Boulevard, as seen earlier in the redevelopment process. Courtesy of Simon Property Group
The Nobu portion aims to meld two concepts into a single unique experience, officials say. The 150-room hotel will include a rooftop pool, spa, and conference space, plus the 10,000-square-foot Nobu Atlanta Restaurant, which will dish Japanese cuisine described as iconic.
According to Simon, the rest of the expansion is on pace to open in 2022 as well.
That will include One Phipps Plaza, a 13-story Class A office building “designed for the workplace of the future,” as most new Atlanta offices are these days. Included in those plans are an outdoor greenspace for entertainment and dining.
Other new buildings will feature Life Time Athletic—billed as a fitness resort with the company’s first rooftop beach club in Atlanta—and Life Time Work, a 25,000-square-foot, membership-based office and workspace concept. (Members will also have access to the gym.)
The Phipps expansion also includes an upscale food concept called the Citizens Culinary Market. That 24,000-square-foot facet, a collaboration between Simon and Sam Nazarian’s C3, will use a ghost kitchen model to offer sit-down dining and pick-up meals. Some of C3’s popular brands—Umami Burger, Krispy Rice, Sam’s Crispy Chicken, and others—are expected to sign on.
Courtesy of Simon Property Group
Other recent upgrades at Phipps Plaza have included a modernized façade along Peachtree Road, the AC Hotel Atlanta Buckhead, and The Domain at Phipps Plaza, a stack of mid-rise luxury rentals.
Head up to the gallery for a closer look at where construction stands today—and what the finished Belk replacement is expected to be.
• Recent Buckhead news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)
