East Lake’s rising commercial district woos office tenant from Buckhead

Construction is well underway on the second phase of a commercial development serving ITP neighborhoods East Lake, Oakhurst, and Kirkwood, and soon, a national nonprofit founded nearby will set up shop inside.

The project, dubbed Hosea + 2nd, is being developed by the partnership of Mike Nelson and Clay Harper, owners of Fellini’s Pizza and La Fonda Latina, as well as Jay Martin and Nathan Bolster of ReDevStudio.

The team, which bought the site in 2015 after community members helped map out a master plan for the “troubled intersection”—Hosea Williams Drive and 2nd Avenue—has secured at least a bakery to join its existing tenant roster from Phase I.

Now, the development group announces the East Lake-founded nonprofit Purpose Built Communities has inked a five-year lease for nearly a whole floor of office space at Hosea + 2nd.

Purpose Built, a consulting organization, works with municipal leaders to combat poverty by helping create mixed-income housing, educational opportunities, and other wellness initiatives.

Operating in 17 cities, the organization is headed by ex-Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and other local leaders.

But it’s currently based in Buckhead—not exactly the mecca of equitable living.

Curbed Atlanta

Purpose Built will be taking second-floor space at Hosea + 2nd’s Phase II, which will include the cafe, a restaurant, and loft office spaces within a 7,800-square-foot, two-story structure.

The nonprofit will claim roughly 3,500 square feet, leaving around 500 square feet of office space for another potential lessee, according to Bolster.

“For our team at Hosea + 2nd, Purpose Built Communities is the ideal tenant—community-oriented with deep roots in the area,” Martin said in a press release. “Purpose Built Communities works around the country making a positive impact in some of the most challenging neighborhoods. Basing their headquarters in the heart of East Lake, where their successful model for revitalization was first realized, brings it all full circle.”

Phase II construction should wrap by the end of the year, and Purpose Built should be moving in at the beginning of 2019, officials said.

Plans to activate the last undeveloped corner of Hosea Williams Drive and 2nd Avenue—currently an empty lot—are expected to be announced in coming months.

Hosea + 2nd/ReDevStudio