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Partner George Banks with STHRN Hospitality Co. joins the Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio podcast to share the inspiration behind Westside Motor Lounge and the property’s history while touching on placemaking, amenities and more. Banks joins host Carol Morgan on the Around Atlanta segment.
With a background in commercial real estate, Banks has been a developer in the metro Atlanta area for over 20 years. Founder of Revel, a retail real estate development firm, Banks has a history with Paces Properties conducting intown adaptive reuse projects and collectively formed STHRN Hospitality Co. with the aid of Elizabeth Feichter and Kelly Campbell. STHRN Hospitality Co. runs bars, restaurants and various hospitality venues on behalf of commercial real estate owners.
Formed ahead of the pandemic, STHRN Hospitality Co. benefits from the background of Feichter and Campbell, both containing ample experience in large-scale events, design and operations. Both Feichter and Campbell have already made incredible progress in the Atlanta market with the creation and production of the Atlanta Food and Wine Festival.
Banks said, “We thought there was a real opportunity to bring some of that event and activation expertise to commercial real estate.”
With the realization that many events and activations in the Atlanta area are beyond the scope of a day-to-day property management group, STHRN Hospitality Co. became involved with the Echo Street West project headed by Lincoln Property Management Company.
In its role as a retail development consultant for the project, Revel recognized the necessary presence of a restaurant and bar at the front corner of the property. Ordinarily, the property would be redeveloped into a midrise residential complex or something similar. In the meantime, Echo Street West was in need of a front door – Westside Motor Lounge.
Revel approached Lincoln Property Management Company with the idea for a restaurant backed by the expertise of what would become STHRN Hospitality Co. to run operations. From that process came the finalization of the company and the formation of the team that will run Westside Motor Lounge when it opens at the end of June.
Banks said, “[Placemaking] is incredibly important… We started Revel six years ago because of this realization that the fun restaurants and retail that we want to do is often really in demand but frankly…as a standalone entity, doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
In a placemaking world, Revel and STHRN Hospitality Co. simultaneously believe that if you construct, program and market the ground floor as a high activity and interest space, residents and visitors will flock to the development.
Situated at the corner of Northside Drive and Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway, Westside Motor Lounge acts as the front door of Echo Street West, a 10-year development project. The Lounge was originally three dilapidated auto repair shops and now stands as a three-acre outdoor space featuring a half-acre courtyard, beer garden, event space, game room and so much more! The development also connects Mercedes Benz Stadium to Westside Park and the Westside BeltLine.
Tune in to the full interview above for more details on Westside Motor Lounge or visit www.WestsideMotorLounge.com.
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Georgia Residential Mortgage Licensee, License #22564. NMLS ID #6606. Subject to borrower and property qualifications. Not all applicants will qualify. New American Funding, STHRN Hospitality Co. and Westside Motor Lounge are not associated. Click here to view the terms and conditions of products mentioned during the show. Corporate office 14511 Myford Rd., Suite 100, Tustin, CA 92780. Phone: (800) 450-2010. (June/2022)
New American Funding is a family-owned mortgage lender with a servicing portfolio of over 216,000+ loans for $56.8 billion, 171 branches and about 4,500+ employees. The company offers several niche loan products and has made Inc. 5000’s list of Fastest-Growing Companies in America seven times. For more information, call 678-898-3540 or visit https://branch.newamericanfunding.com/Atlanta.
The Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio “All About Real Estate” segment, presented by Denim Marketing, highlights the movers and shakers in the Atlanta real estate industry – the home builders, developers, Realtors and suppliers working to provide the American dream for Atlantans. For more information on how you can be featured as a guest, contact Denim Marketing at 770-383-3360 or fill out the Atlanta Real Estate Forum contact form. Subscribe to the Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio podcast on iTunes, and if you like this week’s show, be sure to rate it.