City unveils surprise plans for redeveloping Mall West End

When it comes to remaking suburban-style Mall West End into a more active and vibrant urban hub, Atlanta city leaders unveiled ambitious plans Monday indicating the fourth time could be a charm—and that work could begin next year.

City of Atlanta officials announced surprise redevelopment plans for Mall West End that will mark the largest in a spate of new affordable housing initiatives put together through Atlanta Urban Development, a nonprofit entity that aims to develop underused public land into mixed-income housing.

The city plans to partner with BRP Companies—a New York-based real estate firm that was involved with a previous Mall West End redevelopment effort—to transform the 1970s mall property into a “culturally-rich, Atlanta iconic landmark” with 1.7 million square feet of mixed-use development spread across its 12 acres, according to the announcement.

Specifically, plans call for 120,000 square feet of retail spaces that would include a grocery store, fitness center, local boutiques, and food-and-beverage options, among other uses.

On the residential front, the project is expected to see 893 mixed-income rental units built, with 70 percent considered workforce housing; about one-third of the total, or 271 units, would be reserved as affordable housing (with 20 percent of the total units capped at 50 percent of the area median income, and 10 percent at 80 percent AMI), per city officials. 

Other facets around the mall property would include a project with 152 beds of student housing, a 150-key hotel, and 12,000 square feet of medial office space. Communal perks such as a public green, bike parking, and a pool and lounge for residents are also in the mix, according to city officials.  

Project leaders said redevelopment plans remain in early stages of initial assessments and groundwork that includes feasibility and design concepts, along with data gathering. Nonetheless, construction on Mall West End’s makeover is slated to kick off sometime in 2025.

We’ve asked officials with the city and BRP for estimated redevelopment costs and any available images that illustrate what the project could look like. This post will be updated with any further information that comes.  

“While this project will take time, this is an important milestone, and we are proud to partner with AUD, BRP Companies, and the community to deliver this vision for the West End,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a prepared statement Monday.

John Majors, the head of AUD, said the mall redevelopment will keep “affordable housing at the forefront” and will be able to yield more attainable living options than would otherwise be possible without AUD’s involvement.

According to city officials, AUD and BRP plan to conduct surveys and host town hall meetings and other public forums to collect input from legacy business owners, residents, and other stakeholders throughout the planning process.

With its location near MARTA’s West End station, the BeltLine’s Westside Trail, and Atlanta University Center, the mall property has had no trouble attracting developer interest in recent years—but each of three earlier visions has fallen apart.

Last fall, New York-based The Prusik Group and BRP terminated a contract for a mall redevelopment deal. Tentative plans had called for splitting the property into four blocks and creating two new streets, allowing for better access and flow to buildings with a maximum height of a few stories—unlike the glassy towers in previous proposals. The site could have seen up to 1.5-million square feet of new construction, per the developers, with between 650 and 900 mixed-income apartments and up to 250,000 square feet of “necessity-based retail.”

Another Mall West End redevelopment deal on a much larger scale—with an estimated price tag of $400 million—involving BeltLine visionary Ryan Gravel and venture capitalist Donray Von, a West End native, collapsed in 2021.

New York-based real estate giant Tishman Speyer also backed out of another mall contract.

Mall West End’s ownership group has been exploring options to offload the property for several years. The mall is dotted with vacancies but counts Planet Fitness, Foot Locker, Journey’s, and food-and-beverage options such as American Deli as primary attractions today.

In the gallery above, find more context and renderings illustrating the most recent (but not current) Mall West End redevelopment plans.

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