News about the transformation of the Atlanta Civic Center into a mixed-use utopia has been scant since the initial announcement of the idea back in 2014.
While half-baked proposals for the land have ranged from a new movie studio to a basketball arena for the Hawks, by the fall of last year it became pretty clear that Texas-based Weingarten Realty Investors would be placing a mixed-use development on the site. The firm negotiated a $30 million sale price, with the promise of 250,000 square feet of office space, almost 225,000 square feet of retail and a whopping 656 housing units. The grand total: a possible $450 million investment.
But arguably the biggest news was that the development would bring a grocery store to serve downtown and the western edge of Old Fourth Ward, which has been a food desert for years.
Now, WABE reports the Publix is in talks to anchor the development, which will probably excite residents on this side of town. The Atlanta Business Chronicle estimates the new store could be 60,000 square feet — much larger than the existing store just up Piedmont at Ponce de Leon Avenue.
The paper also reports that Weingarten has revised their plans and offered the city an extra $1 million in exchange for a 90-day extension on the deal.
While the actual opening would be years away, likely 2019, the move indicates there's growing confidence among large businesses in the viability of downtown residential density.
- Publix Supermarkets Eyes Atlanta Civic Center Site [WABE]
- Publix in talks for Civic Center store [Atlanta Business Chronicle]
- Atlanta Civic Center archive [Curbed]
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