Midtown Atlanta’s Colony Square overhaul is cleared for takeoff

The long-discussed reimagining of Midtown’s pioneering but aged Colony Square cleared a permitting hurdle in recent days and is still on track to celebrate a significant anniversary next summer with scissored ribbons, officials tell Curbed Atlanta.

North American Properties—the developer who purchased Colony Square in 2015 and then announced radical plans to peel the roof off its retail nucleus—received City of Atlanta permits in late April that will clear the way for the property’s redevelopment, beginning this fall, officials said.

The first phase of Colony Square reincarnate is expected to deliver in July 2018 to mark the 50th anniversary of the iconic property’s official groundbreaking.

A fresh rendering was provided (see above and below) that illustrates how retail at Colony Square’s prominent Building 100 will interact with the bustling corner of Peachtree and 14th streets.

Reps for North American Properties couldn’t yet confirm any signed tenants.

Developers have previously said the street-facing retail slots and reimagined inner courtyard could host an upscale theater, spacious public areas, bountiful outdoor seating, a water feature, and possibly an Atlanta outpost of the Italian market empire Eataly.

New York-based architecture firm Beyer Blinder Belle is leading the redevelopment’s charge, with help from Atlanta-based Lord Aeck Sargent.

Built in the late 1960s and early ‘70s, Colony Square comprises two office towers totaling about 720,000 square feet, plus 163,000 square feet of retail space, as well as condos and the W Hotel.

Developers say this intersection—i.e., the "Main and Main" of Atlanta—has the highest density in the Southeast.

In related news, NAP last week won the 2017 LOCUS Developer of the Year Award in Washington D.C. “for their outstanding work in developing properties that transform the community and create lasting value for the citizens who live there,” according to a press release.

Along with the Colony Square redo, NAP is developing Avalon in Alpharetta and is credited with revamping Atlantic Station.

Each year, LOCUS: Responsible Real Estate Developers and Investors—a program of Smart Growth America—recognizes real estate professionals who have “demonstrated exemplary leadership in creating sustainable, equitable, walkable urban neighborhoods with our annual LOCUS Leadership Awards,” per the release.

• Colony Square overhaul could see new tower, reworked entries [Curbed Atlanta]
• After 50 years, is Colony Square finally ready to grow up? [Atlanta magazine]