Today Please Build Here brings you an easily overlooked vacant property in the midst of a stretch of Peachtree Road we shall affectionately call the "Brookwood Desert." It feels like eons since any notable establishment opened in the south Buckhead vicinity. From Collier Road to 14th Street, Atlanta's grand thoroughfare is oddly quiet. This location, though it has some challenges, is ripe for conversion to a little oasis with a trendy bar-restaurant. Let's get the negatives out of the way: the building is a tear-down, and access is an issue- given its location at the intersection of Collier and Peachtree, if you're headed south, turning into the parking lot is a bit of a challenge. But we are not proposing a fast service restaurant here (there is, after all, a Wendy's next door and Chick-fil-A down the street). If you build it (right), they will come (and find somewhere to park). Have you been down the road to H&F recently? Granted it's a tight space, but the place is packed every night of the week. This area of Buckhead is desperate for more places with a little class... a little trendiness. A spot with a good scene were you can meet a buddy for a drink or take a date after dinner.
The Brookwood Desert seems primed for revitalization, and this may just become the Hot Corner. Watershed, formerly of Decatur, recently announced its relocation to the Brookwood just a few doors down which is a great indicator of the potential of the market. The immediately surrounding neighborhoods are under-served and ready to spend. Collier Hills and Brookwood Hills provide stable, high-income customers. Just down the way, the 26th Street neighborhood and Loring Heights crowd provide a young (and maybe slightly hipper) crowd. Midtown, Peachtree Hills, northern Buckhead and even the Westside are all a quick drive away.
The quietly stalwart Cafe Intermezzo is always humming along, and although more "chain-y," Ted's and Uncle Julio's bring a steady stream of dinner traffic. A little further down the street the short-lived Baroni (and before that Wolfgang Puck's casual concept) is converting to Fig Jam - a restaurant with small plates, an "industrial" feel and live entertainment. Maybe third time's a charm for that star-crossed space, but the Fig Jam concept sounds like a play that may work and could stand as the Southern Oasis of the Desert.
The stars just may be aligning for the Brookwood Desert, and this PBH lot has potential if the numbers can be made to work. The land is offered for sale or lease by Trillium Management. A Mr. James Comming bought the property in 1989 for $650,000, but it's a good bet the offering price is now substantially above that. Rumors have circled in the past that the lot was going to be consolidated along with adjacent lots into a mixed-use vertical development, but that ship has sailed (if it ever even docked).
We'd say we already have the name for the new establishment, the Oasis, but that might confuse patrons of another similarly named Atlanta establishment (you can Google it).
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