An Old Fourth Ward infill project of considerable scale is finally moving toward construction, three years after it was first proposed.
Paperwork filed this week with Atlanta's Department of City Planning seeks building permits for a retail-anchored apartment complex put forward in 2022 by Fuqua Development and its Charlotte-based partner, Northwood Ravin.
The numbers
Filings made by Atlanta-based Cooper Carry describe 273 units across three buildings on the vacant block along Boulevard between Highland Avenue and John Lewis Freedom Parkway, at a total cost of $78 million.
The apartment buildings would stand up to seven stories. In addition to retail, the plans include an unspecified amount of office space and 12 townhomes.
Where it stands
A Special Administrative Permit for the overall project was approved by the city in early 2023. Northwood Ravin's website identifies the development only as Highland and lists it as coming soon. Neither Fuqua nor Northwood Ravin responded to inquiries about a construction timeline.
The three-acre assemblage sat idle for years, most recently occupied by the shuttered Desperate Housewares Atlanta furniture store, which has since been demolished. The site sits next to the Freedom Barkway dog park, just east of downtown.
Why the block matters
Boulevard between Highland and Freedom Parkway is one of the last large gaps in an otherwise continuously redeveloping corridor, sitting between Ponce City Market to the north and the Old Fourth Ward's residential core to the west.
Filling it with 273 apartments, 12 townhomes and ground-floor retail would close the seam between two parts of the neighborhood that currently have a three-acre hole between them.
Original reporting by Josh Green for Urbanize Atlanta, published July 2025.
