The City of Brookhaven has landed a major southeastern developer to convert an old office park into the largest mixed-use project the city has seen since Town Brookhaven was built in 2010.
Corporate Square is set to be developed by real estate developer Third & Urban, the company responsible for Bankhead MARTA, adjacent to the 90-acre Microsoft campus, and Westside Paper, the mixed-use property that connects to the Beltline on the West side.
A block off Buford Highway, Corporate Square hugs the Peachtree Creek Greenway and runs right up to the I-85 Frontage Road.
Brookhaven City Council member John Funny said the development at Corporate Square is the “jewel project of the Greenway.”
“We can create a destination for people to engage with the Greenway,” he said. “Not just hang out on the Greenway, but have ice cream, or coffee or have dinner. And walk the Greenway.”
Town Brookhaven is a self-described “pedestrian-friendly urban village” boasting 460,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, 950 residential apartments, and a central greenspace, with Corporate Square adding 32 acres of residential, retail, restaurants, and recreation. It has not yet been renamed for this project’s purpose.
Funny told Rough Draft Atlanta how a project of this size is drafted.
In January 2023, Tellus Partners presented a plan to the Brookhaven Planning Commission to redevelop a seven-story office building at 3 Corporate Square into 165 residential units. Plans included a dog park, swimming pool, volleyball court, and public art.
Funny said he doesn’t know why the 2023 plan with Tellus failed. When a developer converts an office building into residences, known as adaptive reuse, it’s an intrusive process, he said. For example, if the elevator bank is in a poor location, the whole project can fall apart.
One year later, in January 2024, with no plans on deck for Corporate Square, Funny hosted the Buford Highway Summit. It was a sold-out event: a hotel ballroom packed with developers, builders, bankers, community organizations, and housing experts who talked for hours about re-envisioning the Buford Highway corridor.
Nationally, conversations in real estate development have been increasing over office space conversion, connectivity between neighborhoods, increasing greenspace, and encouraging residents to walk and bike to school and errands. Combined with employees pushing to continue post-pandemic work from home, office parks are on the decline.
At the summit, Sheba Ross, cities and communities partner at HKS, Inc., suggested reconfiguring buildings, housing, and recreational areas around the area’s biggest asset, Peachtree Creek. The Buford Highway corridor is deficient in parks and gardens because of the number of large parking lots, Ross said.
This message matches the Buford Highway Activity Nodes Master Plan, published in July 2023. It includes feedback from residents and planners who encouraged the city to “flip the script.” Instead of focusing on Buford Highway, Funny said, the city was challenged to focus on the area’s natural resource, Peachtree Creek.
“I’ve heard from constituents in Vista Park and Pine Hills that we need to reposition Buford Highway to be an attractive corridor with mixed-use development,” Funny said. “My job as district representative is to make it happen, because I agree: Buford Highway needs some attention.”
Funny is adamant that “attention” does not mean detracting from the culture of Buford Highway. It means “retaining the international brothers and sisters” while “enhancing the quality of the community.”
Enter Third & Urban, approved to rezone Corporate Square by the Brookhaven City Council in April when they presented a vision for townhomes, multi-family housing, age-restricted housing, hotels, workforce housing, corporate housing, commercial space and medical offices.
The firm purchased the buildings from multiple owners for an undisclosed amount. It held community meetings and worked with the city of Brookhaven, Georgia Department of Transportation, MARTA, Atlanta Regional Commission, and state-level officials.
With an entrance to the property from the Peachtree Creek Greenway, Third & Urban has conducted environmental impact studies and site analysis. A large oak canopy will be preserved, and paths and sidewalks will run throughout the property.
“It adds a level of quality to the community, providing amenities and services for the city as a whole. So although it’s District 4, although it’s along the Greenway, we want that to be an attractive quality area for anyone throughout the entire city,” Funny said. “We want to draw people just like the Atlanta Beltline.”
The project is expected to kick off in 2026.