When Atlantic Station residents discovered that the Publix grocery store and pharmacy was leaving the 20-year-old mixed-use development, they jumped into action by organizing a petition and requesting meetings with elected officials.
Satya Bham, president of the Atlantic Station Civic Association (ASCA), said residents were shocked to hear that the small-scale Publix store, which opened in October 2005, would close on Dec. 27.
“A lot of people move here specifically for a walkable neighborhood, and access to a walkable grocery store is obviously a big part of that,” Bham said.
Atlantic Station is also accessible by bike, MARTA bus, shuttle, and car. Two hours of free parking has been in effect at the complex for years.
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A dense, urban development towering above the Connector to the west, Atlantic Station is home to around 6,000 residents. Once considered a shopping destination in the heart of Atlanta, major retailers for years have opted out of renewing leases there, including West Elm, Gap, Athleta, Banana Republic, and DSW. Gap, Inc. has been closing hundreds of stores nationwide to consolidate and strengthen the company. Atlantic Station, along with Lenox and Perimeter malls, were among the closure locations.
Once Publix shutters, the closest, most accessible grocery store to Atlantic Station residents is Lidl on Northside Drive near 14th Street, nearly one mile away.
ASCA was told that businesses have not renewed their leases, choosing to leave Atlantic Station instead. “I don’t know much about why the retail side of things is so in flux, but obviously for us, food access is the bigger problem right now,” Bham said.
According to a petition to keep Publix open, Atlantic Station residents have documented years of “ongoing safety and security failures, rampant theft impacting store operations, escalating rents, deteriorating retail conditions, and management issues” under property management company Hines and capital partner Morgan Stanley.
A five-member board made up of Morgan Stanley and Hines employees governs the property. According to Bham, residents have applied for board positions and been unequivocally denied. Hines did not return Rough Draft’s call for comment.
“They were all denied seats without any explanation. We requested vote tallies and everything, but didn’t get anything from Hines,” Bham said. “None of the board members live in Georgia.”
Bham and members of ASCA have been building a neighborhood coalition since 2024 to connect residents, business owners, and commercial partners. “They’re finally coming to the table. So the communication channels are opening up. They have promised us that they’re going to be working more closely with us,” Bham said.
At a Dec. 15 meeting, however, Hines promised Atlantic Station residents they would look into short-term solutions to Publix’s departure. The closure is “a big loss for the community,” including for officer workers who buy lunch and groceries at Publix.
Hines is considering adding a grocery stop to the Atlantic Station shuttle route.
“A lot of the community that lives in Atlantic Station doesn’t have cars anymore because that was the whole point of moving to this part of town,” said Bham. “The biggest issue here is the very, very short notice. We are trying to urge Publix to reconsider closing their store, or keeping it open until another grocery store can be identified to take their place.”
But Publix spokesperson Nicole Krauss told Rough Draft that the store will close as planned on Dec. 27.
“We’ve been privileged to serve the Midtown community at the Publix at Atlantic Station for almost two decades. As one might imagine, there are a number of factors that go into determining whether we will continue to operate a store location,” Krauss said. “In our 95-year history, Publix has never had a layoff. We will offer associates at the Atlantic Station location positions at neighboring stores, if they so desire.”
There are five Publix locations within a two-mile proximity of Atlantic Station, Krauss added.
Residents in Atlantic Station, Home Park, and Loring Heights are served by this Publix, along with residents living nearby in Midtown and Berkeley Park and around Georgia Tech. Bham estimates the store has a base of nearly 10,000 local customers.
A small rally held at the store on Dec. 16 in support of keeping Publix open at Atlantic Station garnered media attention. Publix is standing firm on the closure.
Residents have also been working closely with Atlanta City Council members. Current District 9 council member, Dustin Hillis, and incoming District 2 council member, Kelsea Bond, did not return Rough Draft’s calls for comment on the Publix closure.
“We’re really just looking for another grocer to urgently bring [shopping for] food back to Atlantic Station,” Bham said.