Progress check: Centennial Park apartments still months away from completion

Post is bringing more than 400 units to downtown, but don’t expect them soon

By Michael Kahn Jun 26, 2017, 10:10am EDT

Six-story apartment building, with one floor of cladding completed. — Brick and concrete block have been added to the first level of the northern building.

A long-anticipated apartment project in downtown, across Centennial Olympic Park Drive from the World of Coca-Cola, is slowly marching toward completion.

Post Centennial Park has been under construction for more than a year, and at the current pace, will be under construction for a while longer.

The project fills nearly two blocks, straddling Simpson Street between West Peachtree Place and Baker Street.

The northernmost building is nearest to completion, with brick and concrete block cladding being applied to the six-story structure. On the southern side of Simpson Street, construction is still a long way from being done, with large sections of the wood-framed structure still missing, revealing the concrete parking deck within.

When done, the community will feature 407 apartments, ranging from under 500 square feet to more than 1,350 square feet.

Prices will average more than $1,600 per month, while 10 percent of the units will be set aside for workforce housing, averaging just under $1,100 per month.

A pool will sit atop the parking deck on the southern side of the site, while a large courtyard will be enclosed by the northern building. There will be no connection between the two, meaning residents in the north building will have to walk out on the street to access parking and the pool—likely an irksome arrangement for many.

Another perplexing design decision was the elimination of retail space from the project. With seven street frontages and plenty of foot traffic between adjacent attractions and hotels, it’s a shame no stores or restaurants will be included.

Look for construction to continue into next year.