Development breaks ground near Atlanta Beltline spur trail

A mixed-use development has officially joined an English Avenue growth spurt that’s seeing hundreds of residences come together in projects both large and not.

The Proctor, a mixed-income building, broke ground Thursday on vacant land at 698 Oliver St. That’s roughly a block south of the Westside Beltline Connector greenway trail, a link between the main Beltline loop and downtown Atlanta.

The joint venture between Atlanta Housing and Atlanta-based developer Windsor Stevens Holdings calls for 137 units total, with 41 of them reserved as affordable housing for residents earning at most 80 percent of the area median income.

According to Atlanta Housing, those rent-capped apartments will be reserved exclusively for AH Housing Choice Voucher participants, a means to guarantee their affordability for at least 30 years.

Atlanta Housing officials describe the $55.6-million project as a “visionary [and] monumental step forward” in the creation of attainable housing intown.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens addresses the crowd at last week's The Proctor groundbreaking. Courtesy of Cornerstone Creative Studios/Essayon Construction Group

Planned lighting scheme at The Proctor. Windsor Stevens Holdings; designs, Niles Bolton Associates architects

Beyond the apartments—which will average 813 square feet, per city officials—the eight-story building will also include 10,000 square feet of retail space at ground level and a three-level parking deck.

Amenities in the works include a pool deck, fitness and yoga room, dog spa, and a “chill room” equipped with a full kitchen, according to permitting paperwork filed with the city’s Office of Buildings in May.

Windsor Stevens was founded by Atlanta developer Rod Mullice, whose portfolio includes transit-focused projects such as The Pad on Harvard in College Park and forthcoming The Frazier at Old Towne Gordon in Chamblee. Mullice has called The Proctor’s proximity to Georgia Tech’s campus another selling point.

Mullice tells Urbanize Atlanta the project remains on pace to open in the second quarter of 2026. The building’s retail component will be reserved for tenants focused on health, wellness, and beauty, Mullice says.

A mural perspective on the backside of the project. Windsor Stevens Holdings; designs, Niles Bolton Associates architects

How the 137-unit The Proctor building's balconies and retail will face cross streets. Windsor Stevens Holdings; designs, Niles Bolton Associates architects

Promotional materials point to MARTA’s Bankhead station a mile west, and Microsoft’s 90-acre property about 1.8 miles away, as walkable plusses of the location. The development is described as being transit-focused overall.

The Proctor is being put together through Atlanta Urban Development, a nonprofit entity that aims to develop underused public land into mixed-income housing. An LLC called WS Proctor Co. purchased the assemblage of properties for $3.75 million in March 2022.

The development team also includes Essayon Progress Management (construction), Niles Bolton Associates (architecture), Eberly and Associates (engineering), Southface (sustainable consulting), Troutman Pepper (legal), and Banks, Finley, White and Co. (accounting).

According to Atlanta Housing, the project marks the agency’s first financial closing using HUD’s streamlined Local, Non-Traditional/Moving to Work process, which has allowed The Proctor to move forward quicker and with greater efficiency.

The English Avenue site in question is tucked off Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway, immediately west of Brock Built Homes’ 30-unit Oliver Street Townhomes. Other landmarks in the area include The Salvation Army Bellwood Boys and Girls Club (about two block east) and the Echo Street West project (also two blocks east).

The 698 Oliver St. site in question, just north of DLH Parkway and a few blocks from Westside Motor Lounge. Google Maps