Florida’s Crooked Can to operate brewery, food hall in Snellville
A new brewery and food hall is set for Snellville’s $140 million town center project. Winter Park, Florida-based Crooked Can Brewing Co. has signed a long-term lease at The Grove at Towne Center. The 18-acre development sits off U.S. Route 78, about 25 miles northeast of Downtown Atlanta. Crooked Can will take roughly 12,000 square feet at the project, operating both a brewery and a food hall with about 10 vendors. It’s a concept the company first developed in Florida when taking over a space that was just too big for a brewery alone, said Crooked Can founder Andy Sheeter. It’s since expanded to Ohio, and now is coming to Georgia. “The idea is the brewery will attract people to the food hall. The food hall will attract people to the brewery;’ Sheeter said in an interview Monday. “It really keeps people engaged … It’s kind of one-stop shopping;’ Founded about a decade ago, Crooked Can is known for brews including its Florida Sunshine Lager and High Stepper American IPA. In Snellville, it will also begin producing cider and mead, Sheeter said. The brewer wants to fill the food hall with local concepts, bringing new options to the 100-year-old suburb of Gwinnett County. “Hopefully, it’s going to be something, because of that local flair, that people are going to embrace;’ Sheeter said. Crooked Can will anchor a prime spot at The Grove, taking the first floor of the brick “Market” building, the final piece of the major redevelopment that has created a walkable downtown for Snellville. Sheeter anticipates launching around Thanksgiving or Christmas. The Grove is a public-private partnership between the city of Snellville, Gwinnett County and two master developers: Atlanta-based MidCity Real Estate Partners and Columbus, Ohio-based Casto. The Grove spans nine buildings. It includes a 288-unit apartment building called The Tomlin, along with a library, shops, restaurants and public spaces. Other tenants include THRIVE Coworking, Great American Cookie, Marble Slab Creamery and Mexican restaurant Parkside at The Grove. Northside Hospital also operates a medical complex that opened last year with a surgery center and other services. The Grove serves as an homage to Snellville’s history, bearing the name of a gathering spot for travelers and traders during the early 20th century. “From the beginning, our commitment has been to create a vibrant and dynamic gathering space for our community:’ Snellville Mayor Barbara Bender said in an announcement. “Having an amazing operator like Crooked Can decide to bring their first location in the state to Snellville and The Grove at Towne Center is so exciting to witness and be a part of.” This article first appeared in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on July 23, 2024. To see the original article, click...
read moreSnellville food hall underway at new town center
Construction is starting on the brick centerpiece of The Grove at Towne Center, a major redevelopment project aimed at creating a downtown environment in Snellville. A two-story food and entertainment hall known as The Market is now underway. The 24,000-square-foot building will be one of the final pieces of the town center, which will comprise of a library, shops, restaurants, apartments, public space and other uses. In 2019, Snellville tapped CASTO and MidCity Real Estate Partners to develop the town center near U.S. 78. City leaders have spent decades pushing for the creation of a de facto downtown, an effort sweeping through Atlanta’s suburbs. Doraville and Johns Creek are a few of the other communities in the midst of adding similar projects. “Being in the retail business, you see the decline of malls, where people used to spend a lot of their time,” said Shannon Dixon, executive vice president of asset management, development and leasing at CASTO. “Now, people want to be able to shop, go to a brewery, be outside, work and live in the same place.” The Market is expected to reach completion in spring 2024, Dixon said, with a goal of attracting local and regional tenants. It will be built in front of The Grove Commons, a I-acre greenspace for events. The grass is already laid, while a stage with a tree-shaped canopy is now under construction. A shared parking deck with 750 spaces opened last year, followed by the completion of a mid-rise apartment building called The Tomlin. The units are nearing 95% occupancy after opening to residents in December. An additional 26 apartments will be available for move-in later this year. A collection of six buildings with shops, restaurants and other businesses are expected to be completed by the end of this year. Great American Cookie, Marble Slab Creamery, restaurant Parkside District and nail spa The Solan are among the first tenants to claim retail space. Gwinnett County Public Library is opening a new branch beside the future home of The Market. THRIVE Coworking is filling the top floor with 26 private offices, three conference rooms and phone booths. The rest of the library will be filled with meeting and collaboration rooms, learning labs, computer stations and study rooms. On the opposite side of Wisteria Drive from The Grove, Northside Hospital is close to wrapping up construction on a medical office building with an ambulatory surgery center, urgent care and other outpatient facilities. It plans to start assisting patients in November. Snellville is located 30 miles to the east of Atlanta. The Grove serves as an homage to the city’s history, as it bears the same name of a gathering spot for travelers and traders during the early 20th century. “It checked all the boxes for us as far as everything it could offer a community,” Dixon said. “It’s within 20 minutes of Atlanta, yet it’s close to scenic areas such as Stone Mountain.” This article first appeared in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Aug 2, 2023 by Tyler Wilkins. To see the original article, click...
read moreSandy Springs nears plan for city center expansion
Sandy Springs is keen on a southern expansion of City Springs, a project aimed at creating a downtown environment in the North Fulton suburb. Local leaders recently agreed to consider selecting a master developer for the 4-acre expansion, which would take shape along Mount Vernon Highway and Hildebrand Drive near Sandy Springs Circle. The city will choose between five real estate companies, mostly comprised of Atlanta-based firms with experience creating mixed-use projects in the metro area. These are the firms considered for the project: The Atlantic Cos. MidCity Real Estate Partners with ASD|SKY Mill Creek Residential Trust with Westbridge Regent Partners with Morris and Fellows RocaPoint Partners and The Georgetown Co. The expansion involves redeveloping city-owned buildings — including a fleet facility for vehicles and gym used by Sandy Springs Police Department — and 108 surface parking spaces. The site is located to the south of the existing City Springs campus, a 14-acre project anchored by a five-story city hall, performing arts center, town green, shops, restaurants and apartments. In recent years, Atlanta’s suburbs have embraced the concept of creating city centers or vibrant downtowns. Suwanee, Woodstock and Duluth have all centered residential units, shops and restaurants around public space. Mixed-use developments such as Avalon in Alpharetta or Halcyon in Forsyth County serve a similar purpose for those communities. Johns Creek recently tapped Toro Development Co. to transform an empty State Farm office campus into a mixed-use destination with apartments, shops, restaurants, townhomes, offices and ample public space. A town center built from scratch is also underway in Snellville. Peachtree Corners, Avondale Estates, Tucker and Roswell are a few of other cities in the midst of expanding their downtown areas. The five firms will now pitch development proposals to Sandy Springs with the projected financial performance of their plans, said Mayor Rusty Paul at a late January meeting. Sandy Springs expects to select a master developer and award a contract by April, added City Manager Eden Freeman. A concept plan for the 4-acre expansion depicts a 120-room boutique hotel, 56,000 square feet of offices, 27,000 square feet of retail space, 149 residential units and 750 private and shared parking spaces. The final project approved by the city could deviate from the preliminary ideas for the site. This article first appeared in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on February 8th, 2023 by Tyler Wilkins. To see the original article, click...
read moreSnellville picks MidCity as developer for $85 million Towne Center project
Snellville is partnering with two developers on an $85 million first phase of its new town center, the latest suburban Atlanta city embracing the chance to create a vibrant downtown. The Grove at Towne Center will be led by a joint venture of Casto, a more than 90-year-old real estate company based in Columbus, Ohio, and MidCity Real Estate Partners, an Atlanta firm that brought walkable, mixed-use development to downtown Alpharetta. The first phase is set to begin in 2020, depending on the development team’s ability to secure construction financing in coming months. It will include 250 apartments and over 50,000 square feet of retail, restaurant, office and entertainment space. Paths for pedestrians and cyclists will also connect to the Snellville Greenway. The Market Center will anchor the project. Early ideas for the building include a brew pub and upscale event space. The Commons area will also allow the city to create a public gathering space for festivals and other events. The Grove at Towne Center is a microcosm of widespread downtown revitalization underway across the country, with local examples in Alpharetta, Duluth, Suwanee, Lawrenceville and other cities. As more people return to downtowns, it’s also a reminder of how many regional power retail centers and malls that flourished in the 80s and 90s are under pressure to stay relevant with consumers. “Historically, in areas of the Northeast, the Midwest and Europe, the town center was everything,” said Kirk Demetrops, president of MidCity. “There was a 20-year trend where land was cheap, and the power centers and the malls were in vogue. There’s still room for those. But, the town center is coming back as a place that brings people together.” “We’ve been working on this for a year,” Demetrops said. “It’s a really good match for us.” This article first appeared in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on August 27th, 2019 by Douglas Sams. To see the original article, click...
read moreWinter Construction leaving 50-story downtown tower for Chamblee
Winter Construction is leaving a 50-story downtown tower for creative office space in Chamblee. The nearly 60-year-old Atlanta company is relocating from 191 Peachtree to a small warehouse at 5616 Peachtree Road that is being renovated in downtown Chamblee. The Chamblee building will be converted into loft office space. Winter will serve as general contractor for the project. It plans to move into the building by February. “It’s the latest example of a company moving out of a class A space because they wanted a different kind of environment,” said Kirk Demetrops, president and founder of Atlanta-based MidCity Real Estate Partners. Winter’s decision comes a few months after consulting giant McKinsey & Co. said it was relocating from downtown to a $200 million project on the Atlanta Beltline’s Eastside Trail. Other companies have also moved from traditional office towers in parts of the city such as Buckhead. A joint venture between MidCity and Anchor Capital Partners acquired the 42,500-square-foot building, which is in a part of Chamblee transforming into a walkable area filled with restaurants and connected by a trail system. The joint venture paid almost $3.5 million for the property. Plans call for renovating the industrial building into a 36,500-square-foot creative office project. Chamblee is in the midst of a renaissance because it has embraced the development of apartments in vibrant mixed-use projects, Demetrops said. Many of the city’s older industrial buildings are being retrofitted, and they are attracting both companies and new restaurants to fill that space. Chamblee is also benefitting from the ongoing redevelopment of the former giant General Motors plant. The planned $2 billion Assembly Yards project is just north of where MidCity and Anchor are renovating their building. Cushman and Wakefield was the broker in the relocation of Winter to Chamblee. Patterson Real Estate Advisory Group arranged the construction loan and JV equity financing. First Citizens Bank is providing the construction loan. This article was first published in the Atlanta Business Chronical on August 19th, 2019 by Douglas Sams. To read the original publication click...
read moreAloft hotel planned for Sandy Springs
An Aloft hotel is planned for a new mixed-use project in Sandy Springs. A joint venture of Childress Klein and MidCity Real Estate Partners sold a 0.65-acre site for the 140-key hotel at its NorthPlace development. RevPAR Development paid $3 million for the site and will develop the hotel. It’s planned at Barfield Road and Mount Vernon Highway, near the headquarters of Mercedes-Benz U.S. and the Sandy Springs MARTA station. The NorthPlace project will also include a 250,000-square-foot office and retail building developed by Childress Klein and MidCity. Aloft is a contemporary hotel brand under Marriott International Inc. It serves to complement the W brand, offering a similar stay at more affordable prices. Georgia’s first Aloft opened downtown near Centennial Olympic Park in 2014. “Office tenants are looking for an amenitized environment,” said Kirk Demetrops, president and founder of MidCity. “Aloft is a great complement to the mixed-use project.” Another Aloft hotel is planned at SunTrust Park. This is an excerpt from an article that was first published in the Atlanta Business Chronical on August 2nd, 2019 and is written by Amy Wenk. To read the article in its original publication, click...
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