downtown Hapeville

Atlanta’s Porsche HQ is a tourism and jobs magnet—and BFF with Hapeville

Note to readers: Porsche article originally published October 1, 2020 and updated January 5, 2022. Long before he was a five-term mayor of Hapeville, a southside city of 6,500 bordering the world’s busiest airport today, Alan Hallman grew up there. He recalls the blue-collar Ford Motor Company plant, a Hapeville landmark, as one would an old neighbor. It was the city’s[...]

Shops at Downtown Woodstock

Spotlight: Explosive Growth Hasn’t Hampered Downtown Woodstock’s Charms

Back in the pre-Olympics early 1990s, as Deion Sanders enjoyed his “Prime Time” Falcons glory and a baby-faced Chipper Jones showed promise for the Braves, the City of Woodstock was little more than a quiet, flyspeck railroad town of 4,000 people, set inconspicuously amid the explosion of metro Atlanta’s northern suburbs. Thirty years later, the Cherokee County city’s population has grown[...]

Little Knot Cabin Sign North Georgia Rental Cottages

For Colorado Expats, New North Georgia Rental Cottages are a Labor of Love

When Rochelle Miller set out to rescue an ailing little community of cottages beside a babbling Blairsville creek, she wanted to buck the typical North Georgia rental property aesthetic of carved bears, pull-out couches, and lacquered pine. She wanted luxury but not too luxe. Approachable pampering, you might call it. “I love design and the beauty of it, and how it[...]

Northlake Mall

A year after splashy announcement, Northlake Mall rebirth stalls

In the world of retail leasing, restaurant development, and shopping mall repurposing, October 2019 seems like a few decades ago. As such, a year after its splashy announcement, Northlake Mall’s rebirth has stalled, but the beleaguered property's owners remain hopeful That’s when Texas-based ATR Corinth Partners announced a deal they hoped would kickstart the salvation of Northlake Mall, a former regional[...]

downtown Marietta Square

Spotlight: Downtown Marietta isn’t just weathering the pandemic—it’s flourishing

Cobb County’s marquee city downtown Marietta was recently ranked No. 8 in the U.S. for affordable suburbs with urban sensibilities It’s a pristine fall weekday at the Historic Marietta Square, and a spread-out group of bluegrass musicians is plucking away outside the Australian Bakery Café. The music continues beside the Square’s famous fountain, a magnet for Hollywood film productions, where[...]

Huntley Hills house at Atlanta Perimeter

What $400K (or less) buys around the Atlanta Perimeter now

There’s more to Atlanta’s residential real estate classifications than the famous (or infamous) dividing line that is the Interstate 285 loop. Traditionally, the Atlanta Perimeter has been the demarcation point, generally speaking, between ITP convenience, walkability, and cool, versus OTP affordability, roominess, and strong public schools. But what about those addresses that can offer the best of both worlds—what’s been[...]

Despite ‘curveballs,’ The Battery Atlanta called a success 5 years after concept’s unveiling  

The Battery Atlanta, a Cobb County ‘lifestyle hub’ touts pandemic comeback and continued growth as Braves surge through postseason More than a half-dozen times per year, traveling nurse Jacob Tompkins makes the four-hour drive up from Moultrie in South Georgia to The Battery Atlanta. As Tompkins cheers on the Braves, his squad since boyhood, his wife typically goes shopping. That[...]

olter Homes amenities

New suburban communities step up their amenities game (pickleball, anyone?)

Around metro Atlanta, projects both massive and relatively small are offering model parks and eye popping attractions and amenities in the pandemic era    When Tony Adams describes the planned resident clubhouse at the Cresswind Georgia at Twin Lakes community, it sounds like a grown-up version of Great Wolf Lodge, if not a slice of Walt Disney World. Adams is Kolter Homes’[...]

Broadstone Commons

In growing Gwinnett, upscale rentals aim to boost two distinctive downtowns

Tucked between Peachtree Industrial Boulevard’s interstate-like hum and Buford Highway’s commercial bonanza, downtown Norcross proudly maintains a quiet Mayberry vibe. During a recent visit, American flags flapped on telephone poles, the rosebushes and elephant-ear plants thrived around Thrasher Park’s kid-free playground, and stately old Victorians stood sentinel around Norcross’ version of Main Street, where tenants of the vintage brick storefronts[...]

Pittsburgh Yards Ariel shot

BeltLine-fronting Pittsburgh Yards project is about to start opening

The community-led, BeltLine-fronting Pittsburgh Yards project is about to start opening. Here’s what to expect   For decades, residents of the Pittsburgh neighborhood have waited for signs of life and job creation at a sprawling, abandoned former trucking hub about two miles south of downtown, in the shadow of the Connector. Within days, after many years of planning and construction, that’s[...]