It's been about a year since Curbed broke news that Poncey-Highland property owned by historic Druid Hills Baptist Church was being hawked to developers with hopes of bringing a mixed-use project to the area. Along the way, we've seen a few updates — renderings, generic descriptions and breakdowns — but now comes one of biblical proportions! After the jump, you'll find an updated progress report, timeline and breakdown of what the development will offer. Also, it has an official name now: 675 N. Highland.
· Developer Joe Laster said he and Abraham Properties officially closed on the land for the project last Friday, the same day chainlink fencing went up around the property. Plans for the building permit were submitted Wednesday.
· Some asbestos removal and demolition work began earlier this week, and grading and utility work is slated to begin, roughly, in mid-March.
· The project — which will rise along North Highland, Blue Ridge and Seminole avenues, across from Flip Burger — will feature "125 high-end residential units." Laster said they're purposely not committing to words like "condo" or "apartment" just yet.
· Below those so-called "residential units" will be 12,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space fronting North Highland Avenue. To be exact, two retail spaces and three restaurants are slated for the strip, with the eateries promising "lots of sidewalk dining." No news yet on tenants. But good news if you're a fan of urban vibrancy.
· Around the corner on Blue Ridge Avenue will be 7,000 square feet of "storefront office space … broken up into smaller suites for neighborhood businesses."
· Altogether, the Lord Aeck Sargent-designed project likely means the demolition of some church office space, at least two existing homes and some parking lots. (Officials have previously said the development will feature nearly 400 parking spaces).
· The goal is for everything to be "up and running" by June 30, 2016, six months later than the original, pie-in-the-sky date of January 2016.
Amid all this, the actual church — which recently turned 100 years old and sold only excess office space, parking lots and other property for the mixed-use project — is using some of the sale proceeds to renovate its main sanctuary building, Laster said.
— By Curbed Atlanta contributor Tyler Estep
· First Look: Condos, Retail, Offices Bound for Poncey-Highland [Curbed]
· Behold, New Look For Poncey-Highland Church Site [Curbed]
· Poncey-Highland Church Land Could Be Destined for Mixed-Use [Curbed]
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