[Exclusive] Summer Groundbreaking Planned For The Lodge in East Atlanta – What Now Atlanta

Rea Ventures Group and its development partners have completed the acquisition of an eight-property assemblage comprising approximately 1.5 acres at the border of Ormewood Park and East Atlanta with plans to develop The Lodge, a mixed-use development anchored by affordable housing project Abbington at Ormewood and a new ground-up office building.

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The Lodge first announced in 2019 with the acquisition of the land is now expected to break ground in summer 2021 immediately across from the East Atlanta Village business district, at 525 Moreland Avenue. At the site sits the projects namesake, the 15,000 square-foot historic Masonic Lodge building which will be restored as part of the development. The project also includes a new office building at the corner of the intersection.

Abbington at Ormewood will offer 42 units of affordable housing geared toward households with a mix of incomes from 30 percent to 80 percent of area median income (AMI), with an average of 60 percent AMI. Were proud to be part of this collaborative effort to add a range of affordable housing options to an area where housing prices have escalated rapidly over the past 10 years, Trey Coogle, managing partner at Rea Ventures, said.

The commercial team, led by a partnership between local developers Clark Property R+D, King Properties, and Porch & Square, will develop approximately 30,000 square feet of office, retail, and restaurant space.

The development team worked closely with Ormewood Park and East Atlanta residents to explore design solutions and respond to community concerns: preservation of the historic Masonic Lodge building, affordable housing, outdoor public space, commercial amenities, and work centers. It also uses a transitional height strategy to concentrate density along the Moreland Avenue frontage, while scaling down at the edges adjacent to single-family homes.

After six months, 10 design charrettes, and 12 neighborhood meetings, a necessary rezoning of a portion of the site was unanimously approved by the community and the City of Atlanta in May 2019 but was delayed due to the pandemic.

The development team is now proceeding with finalizing the design, entitlement details, and site preparation before submitting their application for building permits. Construction is targeted to start by the Summer of this year, with the site work and the residential phase of the project completed by 2021. The commercial space is currently for lease by Perry King with King Properties and will break ground in phases as buildings are preleased.

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[Exclusive] Summer Groundbreaking Planned For The Lodge in East Atlanta - What Now Atlanta