Mixed-uses bound for prime corner on Virginia-Highland retail strip

Days could be numbered for a paid parking lot in the middle of Virginia-Highland’s otherwise vibrant retail and restaurant nodes along North Highland Avenue.

That’s the indication from Colliers marketing materials that recently emerged for 841 North Highland Avenue NE, a paved corner lot where splashy redevelopment ideas have fizzled in the past.

The mixed-use building would rise with two and three stories one lot south of CVS Pharmacy, on the North Highland Avenue retail strip that includes Dark Horse Tavern and Neighbor’s Pub, according to marketers.    

Plans call for 7,300 square feet of retail at street level (with floor-to-ceiling windows and floorplans as small as 3,650 square feet) topped with residences, according to Colliers. Building permit paperwork indicates the homes would be for-sale condominiums.

A parking deck with 48 spaces would serve the commercial component, alongside five street-parking spaces. A separate deck would be built for the residential section.

An application for land development permits is under review, according to city records.

The roughly .9-acre site has been owned by an LLC named for the property’s address for at least a decade, records indicate.

Way back in 2009, a different mixed-use proposal coined “The Mix” was also floated for the site.

With stiff competition for retail tenants from the likes of Ponce City Market, Va-Hi’s strip has struggled at times in recent years to maintain a full roster of occupied storefronts. Per marketing materials, the 841 North Highland building’s ideal tenants would be in medical, tech, creative, or professional services fields.

According to Colliers, the building is expected to deliver in the fourth quarter of 2022.

We’re reached out to a project rep for information on an anticipated groundbreaking and other details, and we’ll update this story should that come.

• Recent Virginia-Highland news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)