Given that the Art on the BeltLine is considered the largest temporary art exhibition in the south with more than 100 unique works, Edge's location will offer an opportunity to incorporate artful encounters along the Eastside Trail. During the groundbreaking, NAP featured street-folk artist and Georgia native Kyle Brooks, creative force behind BlackCatTips, who is known for his happy illustrations from whimsical roadside installations to murals on the BeltLine.

In the Atlanta metro area, transportation options, the BeltLine and the right mix of lifestyle amenities are fueling a new era of so-called urban densification. Multiple-family buildings and work-live-play spaces are drawing in significant development investment.

“There is very little large-scale development being done anywhere that doesn't involve mixed uses,” Steve Yenser, executive vice president of retail leasing and development with JLL, tells GlobeSt.com. “The days of building sprawling suburban retail-only projects are few and far between.”

(Are indoor shopping malls going the way of the dinosaur? Here's one perspective.)

ATLANTA—North American Properties (NAP) broke ground on Edge, an $80 million mixed-use community on the Atlanta BeltLine's Eastside Trail. In partnership with Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. and The Conservation Fund Partner, NAP is working to transform an environmentally contaminated site into a modern living and working environment.

“The BeltLine has spurred exciting growth as it continues to create unique and memorable destinations such as Ponce City Market and Krog Street Market,” says Richard Munger, partner and vice president of development with NAP, noting that “energy-driven developments” will help create a sense of place.

Edge will line both sides of the BeltLine's Eastside Trail with 29,000 square feet of experiential retail, indoor/outdoor dining, loft offices, and a pedestrian bridge over the trail to connect it all. Out of the 350 residential units, 30% will be dedicated to affordable workforce housing for the portion of the property purchased from ABI. The retail and residential components of Edge will open in early Spring of 2019.

“This initiative is the first redevelopment project on the Atlanta BeltLine where activation is occurring on three corridors: the Atlanta BeltLine, DeKalb Avenue, and Edgewood Avenue, and it represents the vision of building an Atlanta BeltLine that everyone can call home,” says Paul Morris, Atlanta BeltLine, president and CEO. He says the project reflects the company's goals of “affordability and equity, walkability, and smart growth for Atlanta.”

Given that the Art on the BeltLine is considered the largest temporary art exhibition in the south with more than 100 unique works, Edge's location will offer an opportunity to incorporate artful encounters along the Eastside Trail. During the groundbreaking, NAP featured street-folk artist and Georgia native Kyle Brooks, creative force behind BlackCatTips, who is known for his happy illustrations from whimsical roadside installations to murals on the BeltLine.

In the Atlanta metro area, transportation options, the BeltLine and the right mix of lifestyle amenities are fueling a new era of so-called urban densification. Multiple-family buildings and work-live-play spaces are drawing in significant development investment.

“There is very little large-scale development being done anywhere that doesn't involve mixed uses,” Steve Yenser, executive vice president of retail leasing and development with JLL, tells GlobeSt.com. “The days of building sprawling suburban retail-only projects are few and far between.”

(Are indoor shopping malls going the way of the dinosaur? Here's one perspective.)