And even though the apartment buildings are not on any historic registry, the Atlanta Preservation Center plans to appeal the city's development order through the city review board later this month, area brokers following the controversy tell GlobeSt.com.

Apartment residents also oppose the demolition ruling, largely because of their affordable rents which are in the $600 to $800 monthly range. They would prefer the owner rehabilitate rather than replace the existing dwellings, brokers tell GlobeSt.com.

To appease the project's opponents, Coro Realty Advisors and Highlands Cos. revised architectural blueprints to make sure the building's exterior would blend into the neighborhood, brokers tell GlobeSt.com. "That move still hasn't satisfied the opposition," a broker following the project tells GlobeSt.com.