Exclusive: The Lodge development announces first tenants, ETA

After years of planning, funding hurdles, and construction, a multifaceted development billed as a new gateway to East Atlanta Village and Ormewood Park is nearing completion, and the development team is lending the clearest idea yet what’s in store. 

Officials with The Lodge redevelopment tell Urbanize Atlanta the project has signed an anchor tenant in Atlanta nonprofit Purpose Built Communities, while the restauranteurs behind Victory Sandwich Bar, Lloyd's Restaurant & Lounge, and other popular local spots will operate elsewhere in the complex. 

Situated where Moreland and Glenwood avenues meet, The Lodge is on pace to fully deliver this summer, according to project spearheads King Properties and Clark Property R+D. 

One key new component is a vintage-style, brick building at 505 Moreland Ave. that overlooks EAV and is drawing applause online and from neighbors for its intricate, refreshingly throwback appeal.  

That 16,000-square-foot facet of The Lodge project is described by architects Gentle Works as “a study in masonry, combining traditional bricklaying techniques (such as Flemish bonds and pigeonhole corners) with more abstracted patterns of contrasting, green-glazed bricks and projected coursings,” for an infill building “that grounds a key intersection and feels both fresh and familiar.”

Purpose Built Communities—a national nonprofit with roots in East Lake that aims to revitalize neighborhoods, formerly housed at the Hosea + 2nd complex—will lease the top two floors of The Lodge’s corner commercial building. 

Project heads are still seeking one or two retail tenants to lease the space at the ground floor of the commercial building, which features an arched main entryway and abundant windows. 

Next door to that building, at what’s considered the development’s heart, a “meticulous restoration” of the project’s 1947 Masonic Lodge (listed on the National Register of Historic Places) is also coming together. 

According to development officials, Atlanta-based hospitality group Victory Brands will operate a coffee bar, bar, and event space on the upper floor of that building, the historic Mason ballroom, or “the crown jewel of the restoration,” according to update provided to Urbanize Atlanta. 

Victory Brands operates the sandwich concept of the same name, Lloyd’s pizza and bar, Decatur’s S.O.S. tiki bar, and Stereo café and bar in Inman Park. 

For events, overflow parking will be offered at First Iconium Baptist Church across Moreland Avenue, per officials. 

Developers are still searching for “a few” additional restaurant tenants for the former Masonic Lodge’s ground floor and are “open to a local market operator should the right fit emerge,” per the emailed update. 

But wait—there’s more. 

At the northwest corner of The Lodge property, a standalone bungalow along Glenwood Avenue is being converted to a 1,500-square-foot boutique retail concept. Additional details will be announced, according to developers, as that facet of the project is finalized.

Tucked between the new buildings and Masonic Lodge, a centralized public plaza is also taking shape. That component is designed to provide outdoor seating for The Lodge’s restaurants and retail and a communal link to the rest of Ormewood Park, per project officials. 

Elsewhere, The Lodge’s residential component developed by workforce housing specialists Rea Ventures includes 42 units overall for tenants earning between 30 and 80 percent of the Area Median Income (the project average is 58 percent AMI), according to Partners for Home. Georgia’s Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program helped provide financing. 

“This project had its fair share of challenges, but we held the course on the commitment we made to this community and to delivering the quality of development our neighborhood deserves,” Jesse Clark, Clark Property R+D principal, said in a prepared statement. “It may have taken a while, but it will be here forever—and we’re proud of how it’s taking shape. The early feedback from the community has been overwhelmingly positive, and that makes it all worth it.”

The commercial development is a partnership between King Properties and Clark Property R+D, in collaboration with RAD Group and Porch & Square. Gentle Works is the design firm, and it's built by Peter Constructive. 

The development team also includes Peter Constructive (general contractor), Macmillan Pazden Smith (urban design), Atlas Engineering (civil engineering), Sturgis Construction (housing contractor), and Martin Riley Architects (housing architects). 

The Lodge initially broke ground with demolition in 2021, combining eight parcels that had previously housed individual homes, a parking lot, and ancillary buildings. Then came funding delays caused by spiking construction costs in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic; the site went idle for well over a year before housing construction eventually picked back up. 

Find a photo tour and more context, now that The Lodge has entered its construction homestretch, in the gallery above. 

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• Ormewood Park news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)