From Chamblee to Edgewood, projects adjacent to MARTA stations are changing the game for transit agency

The future for one Midtown MARTA station?

At multiple sites around Atlanta, former surface parking lots that neighbor transit hubs are springing to life.

Last year, MARTA began construction on an array of new mixed-use developments at stations across their network. Now, several of these transit oriented developments (that’s TODs, for short) are barreling toward completion, illustrating their transformative nature.

The result: As underutilized parking lots are turned into vibrant retail, residential, and office centers, MARTA is building a user base, and Atlantans are getting more housing options near transit.

A recent update from the transit organization offered a glimpse at how projects are progressing:

Chamblee Station

Gold Line—21 minutes from Five Points.

Trackside Partners, a joint venture of Parkside Partners and Pattillo Industrial Real Estate, is developing a 70,000-square-foot office building and 10,000 square feet of retail space on a two-acre site across from the MARTA station. Additionally, a new greenspace will add to the mix, linking the project to an array of new residential offerings in the area.

Completion is expected this spring.

Progress on the Chamblee TOD last year.

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Avondale Station

Blue Line—18 minutes from Five Points.

The Development Authority of Decatur, along with Columbia Ventures and Courtland Partners, is developing nearly 500 residential units adjacent to the station. The project includes 377 apartments, 92 affordable senior housing units, 34 condos, and more than 40,000 square feet of retail space. When complete, the development will boast a central plaza.

The project’s first phase should be done by year’s end, with future phases pending.

Dwell Design Studio via CoUrbanize

Recent progress on the Avondale TOD.

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Edgewood/Candler Park Station

Blue and Green Lines-—eight minutes from Five Points.

Meet MARTA’s first TOD to launch in recent years. Invest Atlanta and Columbia Residential are developing more than 200 residential units, commercial space, and a performing arts venue as part of the first phase of development. The current project will feature 10 percent affordable housing, while the next phase will reserve 20 percent.

The first phase is almost finished.

Progress on the Edgewood TOD.

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Arts Center Station

Red and Gold Lines—seven minutes from Five Points.

Plans are still in the works for a mega development to include multiple towers, which would house offices, residences, and retail spaces above the transit station in northern Midtown. Envisioned as a partnership between Cousins and Integral Group, the project could radically transform the station, making it one of the most urban in the network.

Environmental assessments are underway, with stakeholder meetings planned for this year.

A conceptual drawing for the Arts Center TOD.

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King Memorial Station

Blue and Green Lines—three minutes from Five Points.

Slated to be the first modular multifamily housing development in the city, this collaboration between Place Properties and H.J. Russell & Company should deliver 300 apartments—25 percent of them designated as affordable—and 10,00 square feet of retail space.

Due diligence is underway, officials say, but a timeline for construction of the Smith Dalia-designed project has yet to be determined.

The King Memorial TOD.

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Lindbergh Center Station

Red and Gold Lines—11 minutes from Five Points.

Preliminary planning is underway to continue development of one of MARTA’s first forays into TODs. Upper East Side is hoping to bring more than 200 residential units, a 143-room hotel, and 18,000 square feet of retail space to lots fronting Piedmont Road.

Negotiations with the developer are underway, but a timeline for the project hasn’t been determined.

The Lindbergh Center TOD.