Renderings: Mixed-use makeover in works for 1970s mall

The next extreme makeover of a dated mall is bound for one of metro Atlanta’s fastest-growing cities, developers announced today.

Branch Properties, an Atlanta-based real estate investment firm and developer behind such projects as Hugh Howell Marketplace in Tucker (completed in 2022) and Publix-anchored Summerhill Station, plans to create a new town center in Gainesville from Lakeshore Mall, a community staple that’s seen more vibrant days.  

Situated between Lake Lanier and Interstate 985, about an hour northeast of Atlanta in the Hall County seat, the nearly 500,000-square-foot Lakeshore Mall originally opened in 1970 along Dawsonville Highway, a main Gainesville artery.

Branch Properties’ multi-phase plans call for transforming the mall into an open-air, walkable destination that functions as a residential hub and communal gathering place.

Once fully built, that will include 652 multifamily residences, 38,200 square feet of outdoor greenspace, and a whopping 305,000 square feet for retail. (For context, Ponce City Market counts about 350,000 square feet dedicated to retail.)

The project—called simply “Lakeshore” in an announcement—will also have room for townhomes and a hotel in future phases, per officials. Branch Properties bought the mall in 2022.

Plans call for keeping the mall’s anchor tenants Belk and Dick’s Sporting Goods open throughout the development process, though Dick’s will eventually be relocated on site.

With its inclusion of residential, the project echoes other metro mall redevelopments moving forward at North DeKalb Mall, Mall West End, and Gwinnett Place, among others.

Branch Properties officials expect the mixed-use planning process to stretch for several years. As a first step toward redevelopment, the company is filing the project with the State of Georgia for review as a Development of Regional Impact. The DRI classification, which applies to projects large enough to effect multiple jurisdictions, is meant to streamline the development process and gather local input.

Elsewhere in Gainesville, Branch Properties is developing a 14-acre shopping center called Limestone Marketplace, which is also anchored by Publix.

Branch Properties’ construction schedule calls for breaking ground on the mall redevelopment in late 2026.

“The redesigned destination will fit seamlessly into the community, meeting the needs of Gainesville’s rapidly growing population,” Jesse Shannon, Branch Properties’ president, partner, and chief investment officer, said in an announcement today.

Branch Properties officials pointed to U.S. Census Bureau statistics indicating Gainesville’s population has swelled by 15 percent since 2020, attributable to farther migration from Atlanta’s suburbs and a desire to live closer to Lake Lanier, per the developer.

“This surging population growth,” notes the project announcement, “has created increased demand for community space and residential development.”

Find a closer look at Lakeshore Mall makeover plans in the gallery above.

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• Gainesville news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)