Visitors to recent downtown soccer matches or Atlanta Streets Alive may have noticed a significant deletion in the shadow of Mercedes-Benz Stadium: several blocks of former 1990s-era apartment buildings. 

That’s where years of quiet property acquisitions and recent demolition work is setting the stage for redevelopment across a significant swath of Castleberry Hill—eventually.

The land in question, formerly home to Northside Plaza apartments, totals about 8 acres across three different blocks, all directly south of the Atlanta Falcons and United’s home coliseum. Portions of the lots were formerly owned by Friendship Baptist Church, which was moved and cleared to make way for the stadium’s opening in 2017. 

The acreage is bounded by M.L.K. Jr. Drive, Northside Drive, Markham Street, and other streets.

A natural gas leak in November reportedly caused an explosion in one of the Northside Plaza buildings, and all structures have since been cleared, according to a recent site visit. 

Atlanta-based developer Carter, best known for resuscitating Summerhill’s retail district after the Braves’ ITP departure, is studying the site for potential redevelopment of housing and retail that would join a surge of investment in nearby blocks, according to recent city filings and a January AJC report.

The former Northside Plaza apartments site, as seen in late March. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Rough overview of approximately 8 acres cleared for eventual redevelopment in Castleberry Hill, immediately south of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Google Maps/UA

We’ve inquired with Carter officials this week for information on the project’s potential scope, timeline, and other details but haven’t heard back. This story will be updated with any additional info that comes. 

Both Carter and Integral Group, the apartments’ Atlanta-based property management company, confirmed to the news outlet the blocks are being analyzed for development, though who could be involved and in what capacity isn’t clear. The AJC reported that entities tied to Arthur Blank’s AMB Sports and Entertainment began assembling the properties in 2015 and eventually paid around $29 million for ownership. 

Carter’s filings indicate the sites could be remade as a destination with various uses that leans heavily on retail and residential, with a goal of further activating the area and supporting its growth in coming years. 

Not exactly concrete details, but it begs the question: Any requests, dear Atlantans, for what these blocks might one day become? 

Looking west into downtown, proximity of the former apartments' site in question (at right) to Atlanta's largest sports coliseum. Google Maps/UA

Demolition along the 400 block of M.L.K. Jr. Drive, as seen in late March. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Should the Northside Plaza site redevelopment come to fruition, it won’t mark the only recent, significant changes in the area. 

Downtown’s $5-billion megaproject Centennial Yards—the subject of a recent Bloomberg feature that’s gained national buzz—has debuted its first two high-rise towers, with a centerpiece of its entertainment district, Cosm, not far behind, among other components.

Along Markham Street, neighboring the former apartments, a row of four-story modern townhomes has recently taken shape. 

And just to the west, across Northside Drive, the nearly $20-million renovation of the 1950s Phillis Wheatley Westside YWCA is expected to finish this year. 

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