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Ardent Commercial Realty and Fuqua Development plan to begin pre-construction work soon on their joint venture at Northside Drive & 17th Street near IKEA. The new development, close to but not part of Atlantic Station, will be anchored by an approximately 82,000 square foot Kroger grocery store. The Kroger will be similar in size and offerings to the recently opened Kroger at Lindbergh Place, another Fuqua project, near the corner of Piedmont Road and Morosgo Drive. Among the "premium" amenities expected to be included in the new Kroger are a Starbucks, beer/wine bar, "ClickList" grocery ordering, The Little Clinic and assorted prepared and customizable meal options.

Avid readers of ToNeTo Atlanta will recall that earlier this summer I revealed Kroger's plans to expand their existing store at Howell Mill Square on Howell Mill Road. With the Howell Mill store less than two miles from the planned store at Northside & 17th, sources indicate that Kroger may have indefinitely tabled their expansion plans for the older store.

I contacted Glynn Jenkins, Public Relations Director for Kroger's Atlanta Division, about the company's Northside and Howell Mill plans. In response to my inquiry as to the status of each project and whether both are still in the works, Jenkins responded by indicating "There is currently no timeline for the expansion of this project."

A new Kroger store is opening in south Buckhead.

On Nov. 9, the Lindbergh/Piedmont Kroger at 2542 Morosgo Way will celebrate its grand opening. It is bringing more than 300 jobs to the area, according to an announcement.

Among its offerings, the 84,397-square-foot store will feature a pharmacy, Starbucks coffee shop, deli, salad bar, cheese shop, sushi bar, juice bar, beer and wine bar, and prepared foods section.

It will also offer The Kroger Co.'s (NYSE: KR) new online grocery service ClickList. Read more about that service here.

Ranked by RETAIL square feet developed in metro Atlanta in 2015-present

A 63-acre mixed-use project proposed by Atlanta-based real estate companies Fuqua Development and TPA Group is heading for a key vote before the Alpharetta planning commission.

In the latest huge development proposed along Georgia 400, Fuqua and TPA Group will ask city planning officials to allow 430 rental units, 70 for-sale townhomes, 51,200-square-feet of retail and restaurants, and 664,400 square feet of office space. A 200-room hotel is also proposed.

The planning commission will take up the project Nov. 3.

Last year, TPA Group and Long Wharf Real Estate Partners out of Boston reached an agreement to buy the development at Georgia 400 and Haynes Bridge Road, Lakeview and Morrison parkways. Fuqua was later announced as the retail developer.

Beer, barbecue and baseball are staples of summer in the south. Terrapin Beer Company and the Atlanta Braves plan to deliver them all through a brand-new taproom and microbrewery at The Battery Atlanta, adjacent to SunTrust Park, the soon-to-be new home of the Braves.

The Terrapin Taproom will be a restaurant operated by Delaware North, offering a rotating tap list that includes many of the signature beers that have elevated and defined Terrapin within the craft beer world since 2002. Fans of the Athens-based brewer can expect to enjoy classic Terrapin brews such as Hopsecutioner, HI-5, RecreationAle and Rye Pale Ale. The Taproom will also feature the world-famous Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q. Named the best barbecue in Atlanta by a host of publications, Fox Bros. will bring its special blend of Texas heat and southern spice to The Terrapin Taproom.

Alpharetta continues to blaze the trail for business growth and development wins in the North Atlanta area.

Just in the last three months, it has seen mega-million-dollar purchases of Sanctuary Park ($265 million), EndoChoice ($210 million), and Avalon ($500 million). With an improving economy and a shrinking supply of Class A office space, there may be much more to come.

Alpharetta's vacancy rate for Class A office space is a little more than 8 percent, which is both a blessing and a curse. While certainly preferable to the alternative, it also makes it harder to compete with other cities looking to attract the corporate campuses that Alpharetta has for years.

However, help is on the way. Near Windward Parkway a new project dubbed "Edison" will add over 200,000 square feet of office space in the form of corporate campuses, aimed at attracting a millennial workforce. Two buildings will house conference space, gyms and cafeterias in addition to outdoor recreations space.

Want to live next to SunTrust Park?

Pre-leasing of three apartment communities within The Battery Atlanta project will start in December, with units opening in March, just weeks before the opening of the Braves new Cobb County ballpark, the development team said Wednesday.

Apartment giant Pollack Shores said communities within the combined Home at the Battery Atlanta - The Residences, The Flats and Parkside - will each feature unique fixtures and amenities in one- and two-bedroom floor plans.

The Residences will be an 81-unit community set atop the Battery's terrace featuring a rooftop bar and launch and wraparound balcony overlooking SunTrust Park.

Parkside, a 211-unit development closest to the stadium, will feature a premium clubhouse.

The massive live-work-play development that will surround SunTrust Park in Cobb County is starting to take shape.

Check out the progress in the slideshow below.

The development of Battery Atlanta promises to bring numerous benefits to Cumberland-Galleria and the rest of Cobb County as it creates a year-round destination to accompany other attractions in the county. It opens in 2017 with the ballpark.

The restaurant/retail component of Battery Atlanta, being done by Brave's development partner Fuqua Development, leads off with a roster of restaurants that include Antico Pizza, Cru Food and Wine Bar, Tomahawk Taproom (featuring Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q), a Superica "Mex-Tex" concept by chef Ford Fry, and a steakhouse concept with chef Linton Hopkins. An additional 350,000 square feet-worth of retail is also on tap, according to Schiller.

You may not be aware, but competition for millennial-based tech companies is heating up. And two major developments in Alpharetta could likely help the "Technology City of the South" maintain its luster heading into the next decade.

The TPA Group, a private real estate investment, acquisitions and development firm headquartered in Atlanta, is involved in both projects, which will provide significant relief in an office market that is about full.

TPA is working with Fuqua Development LLC on a 62-acre, mixed-use project at the southwestern corner of Ga. 400 and Haynes Bridge Road. This is a relatively massive development that would include 430 apartments, 70 townhomes, 78,800 square feet of retail, 36,800 square feet of restaurants, 500,500 square feet of office space and 17 acres of greenspace. Initial renderings show 10-story office buildings and 5-story buildings with street-level retail with lofts, apartments and offices above.

Atlanta Braves on Wednesday announced a partnership agreement with sports equipment giant Mizuno, which will include a showroom "experience center" at the adjoining Battery Atlanta entertainment district.

Mizuno, which has its U.S. headquarters in metro Atlanta, will be the team's official "baseball gear partner," and the brand will have prominent advertising within the new SunTrust Park, and offer a unique program to loan baseball gloves to fans to catch foul balls, the partners said in a news release.

The Braves said the Mizuno will have multiple baseball glove kiosks throughout SunTrust Park where fans can check out gloves and return them at no charge or purchase them after games.

Atlanta-based Fuqua Development LLC is joining a major suburban mixed-use project.

Fuqua, one of Atlanta's most prolific retail developers, will work with TPA Group to develop a 62-acre project at Haynes Bridge Road and Georgia 400. The development team recently submitted plans in the city of Alpharetta.

The project would include 430 apartments, 70 townhomes, 78,800 square feet of retail, 36,800 square feet of restaurants, 500,500 square feet of office space and about 17 acres of greenspace.

The architect is Wakefield Beasley & Associates.

The project is seeking a rezoning and variances. It's set to go before Alpharetta's planning commission on Oct. 6.

Construction is expected to begin soon on Peachtree Corner's new town center, a $150 million project that will include restaurants, retail and residential space.

The city recently announced on Facebook that work is expected to begin this fall at the site on the southern corner of Peachtree Parkway and Medlock Bridge Road. Developer Fuqua Development is "currently in the process of coordinating and finalizing multiple leases," the Facebook post said.

No potential tenants have been announced.

Madison Yards, a major residential-commercial makeover of the Leggett & Platt industrial site on the Atlanta Beltline in southeast Atlanta, is scheduled to come before the City Council Zoning Committee on Wednesday.

Fuqua Development is seeking rezoning of the 17.5-acre site at 905 Memorial Drive SE in Reynoldstown to allow 400 multi-family units, 200 senior units and 130,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space anchored by a grocery store.

The project also will offer a theater, health club, parking in multiple on-site decks and retail space along the Beltline featuring two-sided glass storefronts, according to a Fuqua website on the development. Fuqua notes that 3,900 multi-family units are in development in the area.

Publix Super Markets Inc. looks like the latest grocer to become a fan of the Atlanta Beltline.

Publix would become the grocery anchor in the $250 million redevelopment of the Leggett & Platt site, according to sources familiar with the talks.

The site, which spans 17 acres on Memorial Drive and along the Beltline, is being redeveloped by Atlanta-based Fuqua Development LLC.

Publix has entered advanced discussions to become part of the project, known as Madison Yards, which will include 150,000 square feet of retail (including a movie theater and grocery store), 600 residential units, 85,000 square feet of office, and townhomes.

The Atlanta Braves' head honcho readily admits the team has "lost our way a little bit." But he pled with fans to have patience for upcoming seasons, especially as the team readies its more than $400M stadium in time for Opening Day 2017.

"I say that winning the World Series is back on the game plan for us," Braves president Mike Plant told the audience at our 2016 Cumberland Expansion event this week at the Cobb Galleria. "We'll get back to the promised land pretty quick here." Mike's comments come in light of criticism from many sports commentators that team owner Liberty Media lacks the desire to pump the dollars or attention into a winning team (also check out op-eds here, here, here, and here for John Schuerholz's views on the team's performance because we're just real estate reporters, not MLB commentators). Mike didn't delve into a strategy that could see the team turn around in seasons beyond this abysmal one, but instead thanked fans for their patience.

Atlanta-based Fuqua Development LLC is planning a roughly 4-acre mixed-use project overlooking Piedmont Park and the Beltline's Eastside Trail.

Early iterations of the project along Monroe Drive near 10th Street and next to Park Tavern restaurant include apartments, townhomes and a boutique hotel, according to people familiar with the discussions. It could also include a natural foods grocer and several chef-driven restaurants lining the Beltline, the sources said.

The project would rise along a high-profile site in Virginia-Highland with impressive views of the Atlanta skyline.

City officials have eyed some of the land for redevelopment for a while. A little more than a year ago, Atlanta BeltLine Inc. and the city's economic development arm Invest Atlanta issued a request for proposals for the redevelopment of 1.7 acres next to Park Tavern and sought a "best in class" mixed-use project with at least 20 percent affordable housing.

Atlanta-based Fuqua Development LLC is planning a roughly 4-acre mixed-use project overlooking Piedmont Park and the Beltline's Eastside Trail, according to a report at the Atlanta Business Chronicle. The development, which would be along Monroe Drive next to Park Tavern, would include apartments, townhomes, boutique hotel, supermarket and restaurants.

The Atlanta BeltLine continues to attract new development. The latest project on the drawing board is a four-acre project next to Piedmont Park.

Atlanta-based Fuqua Development is looking to build a project along Monroe Drive near 10th Street. According to this week's Atlanta Business Chronicle, the development would include apartments, townhomes and a boutique hotel. Developers are also considering including a natural foods grocery store and chef-inspired restaurants next to Park Tavern restaurant overlooking Piedmont Park and the BeltLine's Eastside Trail.

City officials have eyed some of the land for redevelopment for a while. A little more than a year ago, Atlanta BeltLine Inc. and the city's economic development arm Invest Atlanta issued a request for proposals for the redevelopment of 1.7 acres next to Park Tavern and sought a "best in class" mixed-use project with at least 20 percent affordable housing. The site owned by Invest Atlanta could now become part of Fuqua's project if the development team can acquire it.

It's no secret that mixed-use developments are incorporating an increasing amount of entertainment uses and experience-centric concepts into their projects. Gone are the days of shopping-only destinations. Developers and local municipalities are focusing more and more on complex retail-led mixed-use formats to attain a focal point for social, commercial and economic growth.

How consumers want to spend their free time has changed; shopping by itself isn't considered an experience anymore. Instead, people want to spend quality time with their family and friends, and crave new and unique food offerings, interactive retail and an ever-changing offering of activities to engage in within their shopping destinations. People are seeking out activities, not just things to buy or homogenized places to eat. To accommodate this growing desire, developers have adapted and are creating properties that are entertainment and experience driven which ultimately results in driving retail sales.

The Atlanta Braves are enlisting some star power to launch the entertainment district next to SunTrust Park.

The Braves and partner Fuqua Development on Thursday announced several new signed tenants at The Battery Atlanta, including burger concept Wahlburgers by chef Paul Wahlberg and his actor brothers Mark and Donnie Wahlberg.

The opening of the restaurant outside the Braves' new Cobb County ballpark is expected to be featured prominently in "Wahlburgers," the brothers' A&E reality television show about the business, Mark Wahlberg told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

"We don't only want to promote the restaurant in Atlanta, but the whole development in full, the new park, the Braves and everybody else," Wahlberg said of the show.

Reynoldstown has given the nod to what should be the biggest single post-industrial redevelopment on Memorial Drive, by OKing "Madison Yards," Fuqua Development's 17.5-acre mixed-use transformation of the former Legget and Platt facility at Bill Kennedy Way along the Atlanta Beltline.

The vote wasn't even close: about three-fourths of residents at the Reynoldstown Civic Improvement League meeting on Monday night voted in favor of the zoning change the project needs to start moving dirt.

Under the developer's plan, the old Leggett and Platt facility would be replaced by a grocery store, an eight-screen theater, a fitness center, an office, other shops and restaurants, and apartments and condos for about 700 new neighbors. Several renderings showing different site configurations have popped up in the past few weeks; the images here are the most recent. (If you're wondering, the development's name is a tribute to Madison Reynolds, the 19th century landowner after whom the neighborhood is named.)

When finished, Fuqua Development's mixed-use project at Scott Boulevard and North Decatur Road, just outside Decatur, will include about 960 apartments. During Fuqua's recent presentation before the Decatur Heights Neighborhood Association, many expressed concern over the anticipated traffic increase.

Some even got irritated when Davis Fox, Policy and Projects Manager for DeKalb Commissioner Kathie Gannon, countered that the additional automobiles caused by the new units would be "a drop in the bucket."

But Fox explained that with two proposed transit stops at nearby Suburban Plaza and DeKalb Medical - neither station has yet received funding - he doesn't believe the development will add significantly to the 60,000 cars traversing Scott daily.

Several upscale movie theater operators are scouting metro Atlanta for their first locations, helping shopping center owners and developers lure more people with experience-rich entertainment options.

The new-to0market operators looking to open in the city include Mexico's largest cinema company Cinepolis, which has its U.S. headquarters in Los Angeles and now is expanding across the country.

Florida-based iPic Theaters is also in talks to open its first metro Atlanta locations, as is Silverspot Cinema, which is the U.S. sister company to large Venezuelan movie operator Cines Unidos.

A new outdoor sporting goods retailer is targeting Georgia as more consumers desire products that support active lifestyles.

Midvale, Utah-based Sportsman's Warehouse(Nasdaq:SPWH) is scouting the state for its first stores as the company focuses its expansion on the South.

"I think there are all kinds of opportunities along that I-10 corridor through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama into Georgia," CEO John Schaefer said in a March 23 earnings call. "I think there are opportunities in the Southeast that are no different than the opportunities we see in the West ... We're targeting the South, and we'll continue to do that as we get into 2016."

Since early 2014, the two-mile stretch of Memorial Drive east of the Downtown Connector has become the site of one of Atlanta's biggest development booms. Given its proximity to both downtown and the Atlanta BeltLine's Eastside Trail, an assortment of builders plans to spend north of $600 million-more than double the expected redevelopment costs for Turner Field-on more than two dozen projects along the former industrial corridor.

"We're going to see investment in this area for the foreseeable future," says Greg Giuffrida, Central Atlanta Progress's point person for Memorial Drive planning and outreach.

With more than 1,300 apartments and condos under development, Paces Properties CEO David Cochran envisions the strip becoming "the next Inman Park." But it's more than housing: Proposals include everything from freestanding restaurants (Grindhouse Killer Burgers) to basic services like dry cleaning and daycare (Larkin on Memorial) to the state's mammoth new judicial complex. And, who knows, maybe that momentum will help push pie-in-the-sky projects into motion, such as a proposal to "cap" the Connector with a grassy park.

Four hundred of Atlanta's top commercial real estate execs crowded the Atlanta History Center on the evening of March 3 for the 2016 Best in Atlanta Real Estate awards, honoring last year's top projects and deals.

Winners included Fuqua Development L.P. for Mixed Use Deal of the Year

Construction is moving along at the Atlanta Braves' new SunTrust Park home north of Atlanta in Cobb County, Ga.

Rain has caused delays, but the organization says the stadium will be ready for Opening Day 2017.

Fuqua is the founder of Fuqua Development LP. He was previously board member, partner and president of The Sembler Co. In his nearly 25-year tenure there, Fuqua developed in excess of 14 million square feet in over 80 projects valued at $4 billion. Fuqua in March 2012 began Fuqua Development. It is on the development team for the $400 million mixed-use project that will surround the Atlanta Braves' SunTrust Park.

An aging industrial corridor nestled among historic neighborhoods is rapidly evolving into a walkable, mixed-use district that could bridge Atlanta's eastside to downtown.

Memorial Drive has become a destination for top Atlanta developers. As much as $1 billion in new investment is planned within a half-mile of Memorial, according to real estate observers, from the State Capitol to Moreland Avenue.

In the works are new apartments, shops, restaurants, offices and even a music venue for the corridor surrounded by coveted neighborhoods including Grant Park, Cabbagetown and Reynoldstown.

Last week, Fuqua Development unveiled its plans for "Phase III" of what's become an impressive sized "Decatur Crossing" development along Scott Boulevard.

As reported in December, Fuqua has acquired the long-vacant Ford dealership along Scott Boulevard and has big plans for the weedy parking lot.

At a January 6th community meeting, Fuqua unveiled their plan. According to the Medlock Area Neighborhood Association website, Fuqua is planning the following for what's being termed "Phase III"...

Representatives from Fuqua Development held a community meeting at the Decatur United Methodist Church on Wednesday, Jan. 6, to answer questions about the latest proposed addition to its Decatur Crossing project.

The development is located at the intersection of Scott Boulevard and North Decatur Road.

Phase III will be built on the 9-acre site currently occupied by a vacant Ford dealership. Den Webb, Land Use Attorney for Smith, Gambrell & Russell, told Decaturish that the zoning applications for the project will be filed today, Jan. 7. Phase III will include 260 residential units and there will be affordable senior housing, as well as space for a new restaurant and a new grocery store.