Another prominent Atlanta developer has put its proverbial shovels in the ground at what used to be North DeKalb Mall. 

RangeWater Real Estate and first-time partners Nippon Steel Kowa Real Estate Co. have officially broken ground on Ellory House, the latest mixed-use component set for the 78-acre redevelopment of the former destination mall in DeKalb County. 

Ellory House calls for 274 apartments and 39,000 square feet of retail integrated into the broader Lulah Hills district.  

The project’s site is located on what will be Lulah Hills’ main street, Lulah Avenue. It will rise across from a facet called Lemon Park—the development’s largest greenspace—with a goal of placing apartment dwellers within steps of social areas, dining, and retail, according to RangeWater reps. 

Overview of 78-acre plans for Lulah Hills. The 274-unit Ellory House will be positioned at center near public greenspace. Edens/Lulah Hills

Ellory House will mark the 31st development deal in the metro for Atlanta-based RangeWater. Other recent ventures include the Camino project in Doraville, The Vivian community along the Beltline’s Southside Trail, and 21-acre The Greene in Gwinnett County. 

Brian Oates, RangeWater’s executive managing director of development, called Lulah Hills “one of the Atlanta region's most exciting developments” and predicted Ellory House “will set the standard for walkable, high-quality infill development in this market” in a project announcement. 

We’ve asked RangeWater reps for an Ellory House construction timeline and renderings, and this story will be updated should those come.  

Lulah Hills is aiming to introduce walkable, urban-style vibrancy to the area while capitalizing on what’s being called Atlanta’s “Eds & Meds” corridor. That’s a reference to nearby, major educational, medical, and research institutions, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emory University (and its hospital), Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory Decatur Hospital, and the Veterans Affairs Hospital. 

A centralized social space with seating planned near the center of mall redevelopment Lulah Hills. Edens/Lulah Hills

Edens, a national developer with regional headquarters in Atlanta, kicked off demolition efforts at the struggling former mall in summer 2024. Since then, several buildings have been erected, including an anchor space for large-scale grocery option Publix that’s set to open in the spring. 

The north Decatur project kept a Marshalls and AMC movie theater in place, which are up and running now. Refuge Coffee joined them amidst the new construction in July, claiming a former fuel station at 3861 North Druid Hills Road. 

A larger mixed-use building from Crescent Communities called Novel Lulah Hills began construction in December and is swiftly taking shape now, with 303 apartments in the pipeline. It calls for six total stories—five levels of rentals with retail including Anthropologie below—at the end of the main street, Lulah Avenue.

Other signed tenants include Design Within Reach, Herman Miller, Solidcore, Firepit Pizza Tavern (current operators of a Grant Park location), Atlanta-based Honeysuckle Gelato, Les Mains Nail Bar, LaserAway, and another café, Foxtail Coffee. Elsewhere, outdoors retailer L.L. Bean made news in July by announcing its first Georgia location is bound for Lulah Hills. (Plans call for opening that sizable, 15,000-square-foot store in 2028 as part of the district’s second phase.)  

Lulah Hills officials also recently announced they’ve signed the second ITP location (following Midtown’s Colony Square) of Oaxacan‑inspired restaurant Cuevacía, scheduled to open in late 2027.

A new rendering depicting Lulah Hills common spaces, retail, and apartments. Edens/Lulah Hills

When it debuted in 1965, North DeKalb Mall was the first in metro Atlanta to be fully enclosed, operating where North Druid Hills Road meets Lawrenceville Highway until it shuttered in 2020. Edens acquired the mall property the following year.

Big picture, Lulah Hills calls for 2.5-million-square-feet of new development in coming years. 

That will include 92 for-sale townhomes built by Empire Homes (formerly Empire Communities) and roughly 1,700 multifamily units, along with 320,000 square feet for retail, restaurants, and entertainment. Plans also call for 2 acres of public greenspace to be dotted around the property. 

Find more visuals and context in the gallery above. 

How the existing AMC theater building will relate to new shops and open-air social spaces at Lulah Hills. Edens/Lulah Hills

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