Part 1 - Remembering the Old Days of Roswell Plaza
Part 2 - Efforts to Revive a Struggling Roswell Plaza
Part 3 - It Takes a Village to Redevelop the Roswell Plaza
Part 4
The Developer’s Vision for 2020
If you walk into Crazy Love Coffee House on a Thursday morning around 10 a.m., you’ll see about 50 people with laptops and enjoying a cup of coffee. Doesn’t this sound like the ole days at the Southern Skillet?
Crazy Love Coffe House (Circa 2019)
Skillet Restaurant (Circa 1980s)
That’s one of the main images that inspired developers Armada Hoffler Properties’ (AHP) and S.J. Collins Enterprises (SJC) vision of what is soon to transform the overall downtown Roswell space.
“There is a high demand for office and co-working space for a younger demographic throughout the city and that is what we plan to create; as well as, a space where all can live, work and play.”
The new name Southern Post is a nod to Roswell’s rich history. The name stems from a combination of Roswell’s southern historical roots, particularly the Southern Skillet, and the desire for the redevelopment project to become a post or central meeting point for the city.
Site selection is a tricky process, and is one that may differ from your typical expectation of a mixed-use development firm.
“We look to current business and restaurant sales and energy along the street when selecting a site to develop and try to put together the pieces of what’s missing in the market,” says Garrison.
“We search for locations with a great community energy like what you see at Alive in Roswell, Atlanta’s Streets Alive and other nearby events; as well as, the charm of residential communities that border a property.
We also look for places where visitors will benefit from our parking space during events and providing places that have good walkability to shop, play and dine.”
Roswell restaurant sales continue to grow over the past 10 years, and Atlanta-based businesses are beginning to migrate toward the suburbs. Recently, the team has seen a lot of older run-down businesses starting to convert to places like Pure Taqueria, Lily Sage and Grub Burger, and they say those are big signs that the market is willing to evolve.
The Roswell Plaza, while now seems dark and unwelcoming, is situated in the perfect place to transform into a community connection point, with the right vision. The major modification creates the opportunity to become a true catalyst of positive change.
“The site’s current condition was holding people back from investing here, but the new space and it’s walkable connections will create a new energy and certainly drive sales for existing restaurants in the market and raise property values nearby, We also definitely saw a huge need for office space to accommodate tech companies, investment offices, healthcare and real estate firms, etc. Plus, with so many people now working at home, we knew we needed to provide a place for co-working, and that means you need to provide resources for those workers – all without ever needing your car.”
For the developers, community engagement is key.
“We know that any neighborhood we design has to be supported by the community, and we want to give residents what they’re asking for when it comes to the vision for the future. The community vision is more important than our vision, but ultimately, working together to forge forward will create a great balance.”
That’s why before designing any plans for Southern Post, the developer spent a great deal of time meeting with neighbors and store owners, talking with community activists and engaging with city leaders about how to frame the future of the historical site that holds a special place in the hearts of Roswell residents.
The Ripple Effect
The developers are also working to connect adjacent business owners with others who want to invest in the region but can’t be accommodated at Southern Post. “We only have space for so many tenants, but in our travels to other states while developing other properties, we come across a lot of investors and business owners who want to be here,” Garrison says. “We’ve been able to introduce those people with current business owners nearby who know they want to expand or evolve but don’t necessarily have the vision for how it can all connect together. If we can help create the synergy to move the adjacent properties forward together with Southern Post, we know that will benefit the region as a whole.”
Fueling redevelopment in surrounding areas is only one benefit to come from Southern Post. Due to its location, the developers saw a tremendous opportunity to improve infrastructure and pedestrian connection points with walkability.
Part of those improvements will include
New traffic signal to allow people to walk freely
Access to ample parking
Power lines will be buried
Multi-modal pathways will be added to create an entirely new streetscape on both sides of Hwy. 9
Modern elements of the property will include carefully curated architectural designs for the facades along Highway 9, high glass windows and upgraded landscaping.
Whether its streetscape or architecture, everything the Southern Post project entails includes one common goal of staying consistent to historical aspects of Roswell while also bringing the area into a new era. Even from creating the logo, the developer collaborated with Roswell-based interior design company Linen & Flax Home.
“We know it’s critical to honor the past here, Southern Post will be respectful of what was here before while morphing into something residents and visitors can be proud of and become an integral part of Roswell’s future.”
“We know it’s critical to honor the past here,” says Garrison. “Southern Post will be respectful of what was here before while morphing into something residents and visitors can be proud of and become an integral part of Roswell’s future.”
Construction is slated to begin in February 2020.
When complete, Southern Post will offer 40,000 square feet of stylish retail space and eateries, 90,000 square feet of loft style, open-concept office space, 128 luxury apartments and an exclusive offering of 10 high-end townhomes with garages. Plus, the retail portion of the development will include 260 parking spaces and a parking deck. That 260 spaces plus a deck or is the 260 spaces include a deck, and how many of these are allocated for the residents only? Plus, beautiful green spaces and gathering points are also planned for the development.
Retail and office spaces are now available for lease. For more information on office leasing, contact Preston Manning with Cushman Wakefield at 404-682-3423 and contact Justin Latone with S.J. Collins Enterprises at 404-788-0679 for retail leasing.