Five years after redevelopment plans first made headlines, a warehouse complex has begun ramping up marketing efforts in Southwest Atlanta in preparation for construction moving forward in coming months. 

Atlanta-based developers Urban Realty Partners hope to start construction by the end of this year on the initial phase of Oakland Exchange, an adaptive-reuse transformation of the former Cut Rate Box warehouse complex that dates to the early 1990s.

The 1088 Murphy Ave. property is located immediately west of the BeltLine’s Murphy Crossing redevelopment site, about a block from the Westside Trail in Oakland City. It had previously been used as box warehouses since the early 1970s; former redevelopment plans (originally dubbed “The Murphy”) came to light in spring 2019.

Urban Realty has partnered with Kronberg Urbanists + Architects and Praxis3 to design what’s described as a “multifaceted destination for residents, office and retail users, and community members” that will eventually span 5 acres, including vacant land adjacent to warehouses. Stream Realty Partners has been hired to lease the project.

Overview of Oakland Exchange's two early 1900s warehouse buildings remade with active uses. Oakland Exchange/Urban Realty Partners

How original, heavy-timber features at the warehouse buildings appear today. Renovation plans call for retaining them. Oakland Exchange/Urban Realty Partners

According to Stream Realty senior associate Malik Leaphart, the first phase of Oakland Exchange will include 126 loft residential units and 15,000 square feet of commercial space. All of that would take shape in existing, century-old buildings on site, which include features such as original heavy-timber infrastructure.

According to marketing materials, Oakland Exchange's initial phase is scheduled to deliver next year. 

The brick buildings in question stand three and four stories along a MARTA line, where an infill station is planned to take shape in coming years as a transit connection to the BeltLine.

Eventually, plans call for more than 200 residential lofts, plus 60,000 square feet of offices and 8,000 square feet of retail at Oakland Exchange.

Context of Oakland Exchange's BeltLine proximity and other investments in the general area. Oakland Exchange/Urban Realty Partners

Oakland Exchange's existing warehouse buildings and water tower, as seen along Murphy Avenue, looking toward downtown in early 2023. Google Maps

Other sizable developments nearby on the BeltLine have recently made news.

West End’s Lee + White district has begun opening its food hall and leased space to U.K.-based motorcycle manufacturer Triumph Motorcycles for a new North American headquarters, among other new signings.  

In March, Atlanta BeltLine Inc. and Invest Atlanta leaders officially selected Culdesac and Urban Oasis Development as developers for the vacant Murphy Crossing property, setting the stage for community engagement and redevelopment of the 20-acre site.

Meanwhile, just south of Murphy Crossing on Woodrow Street, another concept unveiled in 2022 for 7 dormant acres has yet to move forward. That project has called for a village’s worth of new housing—301 apartments and 25 townhomes—alongside roughly 20,000 square feet of commercial space in two buildings.

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