The developer behind West Midtown’s skyline-altering Star Metals District is pursuing plans for a new tower that would rise significantly higher over the formerly industrial zones just west of Georgia Tech.

The Allen Morris Company filed development plans with the City of Atlanta just before the July 4th holiday that indicate a potential strategy change for the final phases of Star Metals’ construction.  

The Florida-based real estate firm is seeking a variance to increase the allowable height from 225 to 435 feet for one of three buildings planned across what’s considered Star Metals' phases four, five, and six, situated where Howell Mill Road meets 11th Street.

Should the tallest building be allowed to proceed as Allen Morris hopes, it would stand just 18 feet shorter than downtown’s 100 Peachtree (traditionally known as the Equitable Building) and 28 feet shorter than the new Signia Hilton Atlanta tower that peers down on Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The 3.27-acre property in question spans a full city block, next to the rising, 21-story Stella at Star Metals residential project. Allen Morris in late 2022 succeeded in having the property rezoned MRC-3 to allow for mixed uses.  

Blocks where Star Metals District is expected to expand (in yellow), between Howell Mill Road (left) and Northside Drive. Red stars represent existing Star Metals buildings, while the section marked "1" is where the 22-story Stella building is under construction. Google Maps/Urbanize ATL

For the final Star Metals phases, the developer’s plans call for a significant injection of new housing—roughly 775 multifamily residences. Elsewhere would be 372,600 square feet for offices, hotel, and commercial uses. That will include more than 58,000 square feet of retail uses alone, with most of it placed at sidewalk level, according to permit filings.

Allen Morris is requesting the height variance in hopes of increasing “aesthetically inviting” spaces activated by pedestrians at the base of each building, with restaurant patios, plazas, and other spaces for people on foot. Project reps tell Urbanize Atlanta the variance would allow for more than 40 percent of the site to remain open space.

No other building in the Star Metals expansion would exceed 225 feet, according to the permit filings.

Revised renderings for the final Star Metals phase have yet to be compiled, which means images released in early 2023 are the most updated available, according to project reps. (See the gallery above for more.)

According to the most recent images available, how Star Metals' development phases along Howell Mill Road (at bottom) would relate to the existing Star Metals Offices building, shown at bottom left. (Note: The scope is no longer accurate.)Courtesy of The Allen Morris Company; designs, Oppenheim Architecture

Example of how a tiered plaza could function at the corner of Howell Mill Road and 11th Street beside retail spaces. Courtesy of The Allen Morris Company; designs, Oppenheim Architecture

A timeline for construction is not yet available.

When Allen Morris officials first detailed conceptual expansion plans in early 2023, the schedule called for breaking ground on two of the final three buildings in the third quarter of this year.

W. A. Spencer Morris, the development firm’s president, told Urbanize last year the next Star Metals phases will incorporate green elements to echo Atlanta’s dense tree canopy and contribute to an urban forest feel, “blending the motifs of a lush botanical garden and the industrial context and grid of the neighborhood.”

To date, Star Metals counts two completed buildings that stand out for their atypical architecture in the Howell Mill Road corridor: Star Metals Offices and flex-living concept Sentral West Midtown across the street.

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