A mixed-use project that could transform the commercial heart of Inman Park is expected to break ground as early as July. Developers behind the 280 Elizabeth St. project expect the $45 million complex will be completed in the third quarter of next year, joining a groundswell of rental, dining and retail options in the area, reports East Atlanta Patch. Positioned about a block from the Beltline's Eastside Trail, the 3.4-acre property is bounded by Elizabeth Street, North Highland and Lake avenues and the Inman Park Village project — formerly a forlorn, post-industrial district that's been revitalized in recent years. Businesses such as Savi Urban Market, Pure Taqueria and the restaurant Fritti will all face the development, which project leaders say will incorporate different aesthetics to reflect the modern-meets-traditional pocket of Inman Park it will occupy.





Plans have changed slightly. Patch reports the project will have 201 apartments — down from 204 units — and 39,000 square feet of retail space. Some 19,000 square feet of that is designated for restaurants; initial plans call for at least three new restaurants, each with leafy "green roof" features. A "water wall" feature and public green spaces are meant to lure pedestrians through a public corridor into the heart of the project, which will connect to an existing small park and pond near IPV lofts.

The design also includes a swimming pool and a 570-space parking deck, which has been a bone of contention with neighbors. Since the concept was first presented to the neighborhood, the development team has promised the parking deck will be internalized and all but invisible from surrounding streets. Last year, residents against the project argued the Atlanta Urban Design Commission acted beyond the scope of its powers in granting 280 Elizabeth St. some variances. A judge ruled in favor of developers earlier this year.

South City Partners and JPX Works LLC, a partnership of Atlanta-based developers, brought the first official renderings of their vision before the Inman Park Neighborhood Association for a preview this week. Several businesses that call the current structures home have been ordered to leave by July 9 — "Please, please support them through that last day," one official pleaded — though the theatre group Dad's Garage will remain throughout July, to finish out its season before heading to a temporary home in Little Five Points.

Please, share your thoughts on the design and overall implications of this project. Is it a favorable alternative to what stands on that key piece of Atlanta real estate now?

· 280 Elizabeth St. Development to Break Ground in July [Patch]

· 280 Elizabeth coverage [Curbed Atlanta]