Bruce Fernald, spokesperson for the proposed redevelopment of a 19-acre site between Atlantic and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, said his team’s rezoning effort will proceed after they complete new designs for owner-occupied condos.
After hearing from some in the community about their opposition to apartments and preference for owner-occupied housing, Fernald said he’s listening and banking on market demand.
“We were originally planning another 150 units of age-targeted apartments behind Jefferson Plaza,” Fernald said. “What we learned and how we’re pivoting is that there is a real need in Norcross and surrounding communities for condominium flats that would be ownership, rather than rental, for those of us empty nesters.”
The current plan for The Canopy at Crooked Creek is to redevelop the obsolete office park next to the Jefferson Plaza office building into a 320-unit, Class-A apartment building, 30 for-sale townhomes, and a walkable retail and restaurant village along Holcomb Bridge Road.
Townhomes, condos and apartments
Crooked Creek runs through a wooded area between the Jefferson Plaza property and The Station office park, a collection of nine two-story office buildings at Holcomb Bridge Road and Atlantic Boulevard, the focal point of the Canopy project.
Fernald said about 50 condominiums will be built behind Jefferson Plaza, depending on how much surface parking the office building owner and management agree to concede. Because those plans are being drawn, the rezoning timeline is unknown.
“We can locate it right against the canopy, which would not only preserve the major trees, but we’re going to install the western terminus of a multi-modal trail,” Fernald said. “So a resident there could ultimately walk to dinner and walk to downtown.”
Fernald said the first phase of the project is “at least two years from fruition,” beginning with the demolition of the office park and construction of a market-rate apartment building.
“The Station’s wood-frame buildings are both functionally and physically obsolete … that no longer is a powerful draw to office tenants,” he said. “However, Jefferson Plaza is a very significant, well-managed, well-invested-in, tall office building, and that does merit a program that enhances long-term viability.”
The Canopy at Crooked Creek development team is working with Cooper Carry on the design of its mixed-use hub at the Norcross-Peachtree Corners border. Plans include woodland, Scandinavian architecture, and paths and trails connecting retail, commercial, and residential areas.
The proposed site plan moves the Holcomb Bridge Road entrance to the office building parking lot further from Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and includes two new internal street connections.
Working on path to downtown
From the proposed site at Jefferson Plaza and The Station, Holcomb Bridge Road runs less than a mile into historic downtown Norcross. While there’s an existing sidewalk, the development team is pitching a wider multi-use path for pedestrians and cyclists.
Fernald said his team is working on agreements with property owners to build a trail connecting The Canopy redevelopment to downtown. The plan involves neighboring property owners to the east on the south side of Holcomb Bridge Road.
He mentioned productive conversations with Taylor Morrison/APCO Holdings at 610 Atlantic Blvd. and United Consulting Group at 625 Holcomb Bridge Road. The proposed project includes a signalized crossing near United Group Consulting’s entrance and sidewalk upgrades on the north side of Holcomb Bridge Road.
“Because Holcomb Bridge is such an important means of ingress/egress to downtown, I think I’m going to create a wonderful 21st-century branding opportunity for the city,” Fernald said.
