Metro Atlanta’s landscape is dotted with flashy new plans for dated old malls. Here’s an example of mall redevelopment that’s actually happening—and more visibly so by the day. 

Two years (and change) since North DeKalb Mall’s demolition kicked off with a celebratory press conference, the suburban-style property’s replacement, Lulah Hills, has erected several buildings including a large-scale grocery, with its first residential component on its way to topping out. 

The north Decatur project by developer Edens—a national firm with regional headquarters in Atlanta—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. 

Anchoring a section of the 78-acre site off Lawrenceville Highway, a Publix prototype store is set to open in the spring, according to Edens officials. That building is fully standing now. 

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 a new street, Lulah Avenue.

Current state of Novel Lulah Hills apartments, left, in relation to the forthcoming Publix. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Approximation of the Lulah Hills section under construction now, tucked off Lawrenceville Highway, including six-story Novel Lulah Hills and smaller retail buildings ringing the Publix parking lot. Edens/Lulah Hills

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. 

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. 

Alongside Edens and Crescent Communities, NTT Urban Development is a capital partner in the project. The latter company, a Japan-based real estate developer, is marking its Atlanta debut with Novel Lulah Hills, following projects in other major U.S. markets including Dallas, New York, and Boston. 

Where smaller-scale retail buildings are coming together near the site's northern rim, off North Druid Hills Road. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Where construction stands at the 78-acre project's first multifamily component, the six-story Novel Lulah Hills.Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Prior to demo, the 1960s mall property was vacant, apart from the Marshalls clothing retailer and AMC movie theater, echoing the plight of many traditional, suburban-style malls in the metro. 

As with Gwinnett Place Mall and other formerly popular shopping destinations ringed with parking lots, North DeKalb Mall had been the subject of redevelopment talks for years as tenants slipped away.

Decide DeKalb relayed in May last year that Publix will relocate from a nearby location to anchor the $850-million Lulah Hills project. Decide DeKalb previously approved a $70-million tax break for the project in hopes of helping revitalize the area. 

Planned look of L.L. Bean's 15,000-square-foot Lulah Hills outpost. 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.

In 2022, DeKalb’s Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a Market Square Tax Allocation District, or TAD, to help kickstart the mall’s redevelopment. The TAD also covers areas near the mall property, including North Druid Hills Road and Lawrenceville Highway, with a goal of spurring economic development similar to what other parts of DeKalb have seen in recent years. 

Swing up to the gallery for more visuals and context.  

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