Avondale Estates, GA — Construction on the Town Green commercial development in Avondale Estates is slated to begin in the fourth quarter of the year.
The development will be completed in about a year and the Town Green will be fronted with retail space, restaurants, and outdoor seating. The Dale will be a 24,000-square-foot mixed-use commercial development. It is being built by ATG Partners, which is the development team of Fabric Developers, LLC, and Healey Weatherholtz Properties, according to a press release.
Fabric Developers developed the two-acre park portion of the Town Green project. Peter Constructive, Inc. will be the contractor for this $13 million development.
The Town Green is located along Highway 278/ North Avondale Road between Lake and Oak Streets.
The Dale will consist of two adjacent two-story buildings fronting the Town Green next to the open-air Market Pavilion along North Avondale Road. There will also be a rooftop bar and event space on the second level overlooking the park, retail opportunities fronting North Avondale Road, and second-floor space devoted to a variety of tenants including co-working or office space. The buildings will include restroom facilities available to the public during the Town Green’s operating hours.
The Avondale Estates Downtown Development Authority approved the development contract with ATG Partners, LLC in January. The Town Green project has been a joint venture between the Avondale Estates City Commission, the Downtown Development Authority, and the Urban Redevelopment Agency.
The city, the DDA, and the development team have created a community-oriented space designed to align with the city’s Downtown Master Plan to build a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly downtown, according to the press release.
“We are thrilled to witness the next phase of growth for Avondale Estates as the new commercial construction prepares to break ground next to our sparkling new and already beloved Town Green,” DDA Chair Dave Deiters said. “Our intent was to invest in the Town Green to attract development to our downtown that would not only be enjoyed by our residents, but would also serve to even out the city’s tax base so that more of the tax burden would be carried by the commercial properties. This development represents an additional and very important step in that direction.”
Mayor Jonathan Elmore said the project is more than just buildings. It’s also a reflection of a vision that has been created over many years with community input.
“We’ve been working really hard to get here,” Elmore said. “The new development symbolizes progress with a purpose. This development serves as a testament to our dedication to smart urban planning and reflects our vision for a dynamic and inclusive downtown.”
The city broke ground on the Town Green project in June 2021 and construction began on the park. The work on the park and market pavilion was completed last year.
The city’s 2014 downtown master plan included converting this acreage into a park. In 2018, Avondale launched an open, public process to determine the best use of the land. Mayor Pro Tem Brian Fisher previously told Decaturish the city received about 13 designs and the thought originally was to take pieces of each design and combine them. But when the commissioners and staff looked at all the designs hanging on the walls of City Hall, “entry number nine” was the favorite.
The concept was submitted by Avondale resident and local architect Sheri Locke in May 2019. Locke’s design included commercial buildings next to the road and a public green space behind them, Decaturish previously reported.
SSOE, the engineering and architecture firm that hatched the original concept design of the Town Green, master planned the site, and designed the performance pavilion, has created an adaptation of Avondale’s distinctive Tudor style for the commercial buildings. The two-story development is designed to maintain a human scale along North Avondale Road, complementing the improvements that will be made to U.S. 278 including the 10-foot path for pedestrians and bikes. It will reinforce the city’s open-air market pavilion.
Through its design, the team has focused on injecting energy into the Town Green, reinforcing the city’s $5 million investment in the nucleus of downtown Avondale Estates.
“We’ve designed The Dale to be Avondale’s living room – the place where the community can relax and recharge,” said Quill Healey, Healey Weatherholtz Properties managing partner.
Jerry Miller of Fabric Developers noted, “This project has been community-driven from the outset. It’s a testament to the city’s vision. It was always our goal to build a downtown that will be here one hundred years from now.”
A rendering of the Town Green commercial development in Avondale Estates that will front the park along North Avondale Road. Photo courtesy of the city of Avondale Estates.
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