A massive mixed-use development large enough to fundamentally change a section of Southwest Atlanta is percolating a few blocks from the Beltline corridor, according to plans filed this week with the State of Georgia. 

The proposal put together by Atlanta-based Abebe Ventures would bring 3,032 residential units and more than 716,000 square feet of commercial and restaurant space to what are currently vacant or industrial properties along Sylvan Road in Capitol View. 

The assemblage of properties—1313 and 1215 Sylvan Road, plus 984, 985, and 997 Cox Ave.—are located just south of the closely watched Murphy Crossing site, a Beltline-owned property where redevelopment plans led by an Arizona firm recently collapsed, following protracted disputes.  

Abebe filed plans Thursday with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, requesting a Development of Regional Impact review for the Capitol View development. The DRI classification, which applies to projects large enough to effect multiple jurisdictions, is meant to streamline the development process and help gather local input. 

The site is roughly three blocks from a finished section of the Beltline’s Southside Trail. But a proposed Beltline spur trail—dubbed the “Murphy and Oakland City Connector Trail”—that came to light last fall would be built alongside the mixed-use project for several blocks, with access to the Oakland City MARTA station at one end. 

Rough breakdown of the Capitol View properties in question along Sylvan Road and area landmarks. Google Maps

Plans were filed in January with the City of Atlanta Department of Zoning and Development to rezone the properties in question from light industrial uses to MRC-3/BL, or mixed-residential commercial/Beltline Overlay. 

At the center of the project site is what’s listed as “Empire townhomes development.” Active intown developer Empire Communities in 2022 put plans forward for 124 townhomes that would take shape on a 4-acre portion of the Sylvan Road sites occupied by Georgia Auto Salvage. 

According to the DRI filing, the Capitol View project wouldn’t be finished for a decade, with December 2035 being the target date for completion. 

Overview of mixed-use rezoning plans filed in January showing potential scope. The lighter area at center is listed as "Empire townhomes development" and gray-shaded spaces are called more generically development sites. Office of Zoning and Development; Eberly & Associates

The company was founded by Mike Abebe, who is listed on the firm’s website as “one of the largest private land owners in the City of Atlanta with a concentration of assets in West Atlanta,” who got his start by acquiring a single, small convenience store on Bankhead Highway (now Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway). 

Abebe has 20 years of real estate development and construction experience, which includes more than 1,000 homes built around Atlanta, Baltimore, and Minneapolis, with 70 percent of those qualifying as affordable housing, per the company’s website.  

We’ve reached out to Abebe today for more information, including potential construction timelines. This story will be updated with any additional details that come. 

Among the company’s holdings are seven lots totaling 22.5 acres collectively called “Avon Crossing” in the Westside Beltline Overlay District, which Abebe’s website says have potential for housing more than 3,700 homes. 

That would appear to match at least part of the properties covered by the DRI filing, which are located near Avon Avenue.

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