







[Photos: Tyler Estep, Curbed Atlanta]

One thing we know: The apartments at 811 Briarcliff Road sure as hell don't exist anymore. The remnants about three blocks from Ponce de Leon Avenue are evidence of that. Why, though? That, well ? we're working on it. The apartment complex, previously comprised of three circa-1950, two-story brick buildings operated by Atlanta-based Connie Rose and Associates, was razed over the last two days after being emptied out, fenced off and gutted in recent weeks. We're making mildly educated assumptions, but the lot — across from St. Louis Place, backing up to Springdale Park Elementary — may be prime for some type of significant development, residential or otherwise. Here's where it gets complicated.

If you can follow us: An application was submitted Tuesday to consolidate into a single parcel the lot where the apartments once stood (811 Briarcliff) and the neighboring one where an aging house still stands (823 Briarcliff). This, obviously, would be good for planning and zoning purposes if everything was owned by the same folks. The House Lot, as we'll call it, seems to be owned by a gentleman named Rick Arogeti , and Arogeti appears to be the principal for a company called J-Mar Properties, which, according to a couple of websites, is an "operator of nonresidential buildings." The demolition order for The Apartment Lot is tied to Martin Steineker, a real estate developer with an LLC called Walnut Meadows. Everything appears to be, obviously, very preliminary.

The lots in question are flanked by apartments and condos of varying age and, ahem, prestige. They are, of course, on one of the city's key corridors and not far from Virginia-Highland, Little Five Points and Candler Park.

Can anyone share credible info about plans here? We can't help wondering: If a big-time development takes shape, would even more traffic near an already hellish intown intersection be totally crippling?

— By Curbed Atlanta contributor Tyler Estep