What’s the backstory?
Before the Great Recession, developer Related Group planned to build a colossal, $2 billion condo community on 16 wooded acres where Roxboro and East Paces Ferry roads meet—the largest undeveloped tract in Buckhead. Plans faltered, the property went into foreclosure, and apartment builder AMLI bought half of the site in 2013.
What’s the big idea?
AMLI is building 640 luxury apartments in a 19-story tower and adjacent five-story building, expected to be completed in 2017. Annie Evans, AMLI’s vice president of development, says the site’s walkability to a MARTA station, Lenox Square, Phipps Plaza, and a Publix is crucial.
What about the new park?
AMLI helped build and will now manage a 1.5-acre greenspace that’s open to the public, with water features that also handle stormwater detention. It’s like a smaller version of Historic Fourth Ward Park, around which AMLI owns three multifamily properties. Water captured in the park’s standing ponds is used to irrigate its two lawns.
Who’s the namesake?
The park is dedicated to Marie Sims, a civic activist who lived nearby until her death in 2003. “She was a very big figure in fighting city hall on issues related to development and zoning,” says Evans, “and a voice that always fought for protecting neighborhoods across the city.”
This article originally appeared in our August 2016 issue.
