Following several stalls in development, Atlanta Beltline Inc. (ABI) has detailed an “aggressive” plan forward with its Murphy Crossing redevelopment project.
At a community stakeholders meeting on March 11, members of ABI discussed the path forward for Murphy Crossing, a 20-acre industrial site adjacent to the Beltline’s Westside Trail purchased by ABI in 2014. The move comes after ABI announced a notice of termination with development finalists Culdesac Inc. and Urban Oasis Development in January, following two years of negotiations.
Dennis Richards, the Vice President of Housing Policy and Development at ABI, attributed the termination to “material changes to the project” that included a change from two development phases to six and 300 units of development to 105. Richards also said excessive project delays and the inability by the developers to secure necessary capital to advance pre-development activities were also behind the termination.
“These factors… gave us little confidence that [the developers] would be able to advance all phases of this project in a timely manner and successfully deliver all promises made to you throughout their presentations,” Richards said at the meeting. “We decided that it’d be a more efficient use of public capital if we took a different approach to this.”
With two years of negotiation time down the drain, ABI is looking to move forward as efficiently as possible and minimize the risk for further stalls by taking on more of the development responsibility.
ABI will serve as the master planner and developer of the site; fund and lead site planning, entitlement, and community engagement; issue requests for proposals (RFPs) and select developer(s) and builders to execute all phases of the project; and fund and lead efforts to make the site developable, which include demolition, grading, putting in roadways and walkways, and putting in utilities like water, sewer, and buried electrical power.
With ABI acting as a co-developer on the project and off-loading some of the development risk and burden, the organization hopes to avoid another partnership collapse so that they can break ground by the end of 2026 or beginning of 2027, abiding by the following timeline:
• Q1 and Q2 of 2025: Continue planning and begin the Development of Regional Impact process.
• Q2 of 2025: Finalize the phasing plan and release RFP for Phase 1
• Q3 of 2025: Complete rezoning, select developer for Phase 1
• Q1-3 of 2026: Continue horizontal development, begin Land Development Permit planning activities for Phase 1
• Q4 of 2026/Q1 of 2027: Break ground on Phase 1
ABI will be looking for local developers “with a strong track record” to partner on the project moving forward, Richards said.
“There are a lot of great developers in and around Atlanta, in the state of Georgia, several of which have already been pre-qualified with us,” Richards said. “So, we’ll look at doing business with folks such as that.”
The plans for the Murphy Crossing redevelopment will prioritize the preservation of land for a pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly neighborhood, promote easy access to public transit and the Beltline, and include affordable housing, commercial spaces, and amenities with potential for job creation.
To keep up to date with the Murphy Crossing project and upcoming meetings, visit beltline.org/learn/current-projects/murphy-crossing.