Friday, July 15, 2016

Bye Bye American Pie, New Center to Take Slice of Sandy Springs

New center planned for Sandy Springs.
Atlanta-based Arris Realty Partners (formerly Ben Carter Properties) is planning an approximately 27,000 square foot retail center on Roswell Road in Sandy Springs.  

Arris, which in architecture is "a sharp edge or ridge formed by the intersection of two curved surfaces," was established in 2012 by Steven Cadranel and Jim Woodcox, who served as President and EVP of Ben Carter Properties.  Ben Carter, notorious to Buckhead area residents as the original visionary of "The Streets of Buckhead," and to Savannah residents for his current upscaling of Broughton Street, is not involved in Arris and how heads Ben Carter Enterprises.  

The new Sandy Springs development, The Plaza at City Springs South, will be comprised of three separate buildings and about 160 surface parking spaces over 3.5 acres.  The center is "two blocks north of 285, on Roswell Road in Sandy Springs."   The complex will span Roswell Road, between Allen Road and Cliftwood Drive.  While  McCullough Auto Care (A NAPA facility) at Allen Road and a Shell gas station at Cliftwood Drive will remain, everything between them will be demolished for the new development.
The former Cartunes
The former Charlie Mopps
The three former businesses slated for demolition are Charlie Mopps Public House, Cartunes (relocated a few miles north on Roswell Road to a former NTB), and American Pie.  American Pie was formerly an area icon that lasted over 20 years before closing in 2007.  Cocktail Cove, which opened in its place in 2009, closed in 2012.  
The former American Pie / Cocktail Cove 
The center's name, The Plaza at City Springs, is meant to connect it with the nearby large scale mixed-use redevelopment, City Springs.  City Springs, being developed in part by Atlanta's Selig Enterprises, will include retail, residential, restaurant and civic space, replaces the former Target (Richway) and Harris Teeter (A&P), among other structures.  

The Plaza will serve as the retail/restaurant companion to The Cliftwood, a 248-unit, 5-story mid-rise "luxury" apartment building under construction behind the center.  A new street, to be named Cliftwood Way, will separate the two developments and will connect Allen Road to Cliftwood Drive. 
The new street to be known as Cliftwood Way
According to The Cliftwood website, a 655 square foot studio apartment will start at $1,192 while a 1,103 square foot 2 bed/2 bath apartment will start at $1,632.  The largest apartment, a 1,516 square foot 3/2, starts at $2,198.  

The Cliftwood represents the demolition of an early 1970s office campus, and is expected to have its first move-ins before the end of the year. The residential portion is is a joint venture between ECI Group and Arris Realty Partners, LLC.
The Cliftwood apartments as seen from Cliftwood Drive 
While I was able to speak to Cadranel regarding the project, he was unable to confirm much in the way of tenants, as leases are still being finalized.  One tenant I know is opening is new-to-market quick serve pizza chain is Pieology. Rancho Santa Margarita, California-based Pieology opened its first Atlanta area location last month at The Atwater, on Old Milton Parkway, across from Avalon.  In addition to Sandy Springs, Pieology plans to join Sprouts Farmers Market at Fuqua's Decatur Crossing center.

Another "Mediterranean-focused quick serve restaurant" with existing Atlanta area locations is reportedly also coming to the center.  

Cadranel said to expect other regional and national quick serve restaurants to be part of The Plaza.  Additionally, Cadranel indicated that the center's groundbreaking should happen "in the fall" with "delivery" scheduled for the second quarter of 2017.  

What would you like to see open in The Plaza at City Springs?  What are your thoughts on the pricing of The Cliftwood?  What is your favorite memory of American Pie?

Please share your thoughts below.  

21 comments:

Ham said...

Does anyone remember a place in that area called Timothy Johns? They had a house band called Tom Gross and The Varsity who had a couple of songs on the radio I believe. Seems the place was owned by some former professional athletes and there were often current or former Falcons, Braves, etc in the club. Seems like they may have been located on the ground floor of a larger office building, but I can’t remember for sure. What made me think about it was the above story said some old office buildings had been demolished and I thought this place may have once been a tenant.

Anonymous said...

Loved American Pie. Some memories eh?

Anonymous said...

Tom Grose (correct spelling) plays at either Haven or Valenza
in Brookhaven (on Dresden) almost every Thursday night.

Anonymous in East Cobb said...

TJs! Tim Ecclestone, former Atlanta Flames opened it in the late 70s. He's had a place on Holcomb Bridge Rd for years. Do you remember Good Old Days nearby?

Anonymous said...

There is a Tom that "performs" at Monterrey Mexican restaurant every Thursday at 8 ~ he is talented and is a real hoot!

Ham said...

Yes, I remember Good Old days. Didn't they have bread in a flower pot or something like that?

Anonymous said...

Ham, yes, they served flower pot 'sandwiches'. They were a wheat type
dough filled with savory meats and baked in the clay pots. Used to go
to the original on Peachtree in Buckhead quite a bit in the mid seventies
to the early eighties.

Anonymous said...

I wasn't aware that we needed more retail in Sandy Springs - aren't there empty spaces everywhere???

Anonymous said...

The trees...THE TREES...Oh my God, they'd better not harm even one of the trees!

ImAndy said...

The area already has two mattress firms, a dollar tree and Tuesday Morning. I cannot imagine what could possibly go in this spot. A nicer Boston Market would do well

Theron Sapp said...

This should really help the traffic on that block, which is already impassable much of the day.

Anonymous said...

Way back in the way back (early 70s) American Pie was originally a Western Sizzlin' location. Had family steak night there many times...

The Anti-Gnostic said...

According to The Cliftwood website, a 655 square foot studio apartment will start at $1,192 while a 1,103 square foot 2 bed/2 bath apartment will start at $1,632. The largest apartment, a 1,516 square foot 3/2, starts at $2,198.

I assume the developers have done their homework. But is there that much demand to live on one of the more crowded, uglier streets in the metro area?

Charles said...

So we can pretty much forget ever getting to 285 from downtown Sandy Springs is what your telling me. The traffic is already unbearable and you want to add that! So glad I only work in this city and don't live here anymore!

Coolio said...

Well Charles, transit is/was the answer to that issue, but Atlantans so love their cars more than common sense so that's why there is gridlock pretty much everywhere now. If only MARTA wasn't only for black people...

Candy said...

We would like to know what timeline is in place for the demolition of American Pie. We are so tired of looking at it. What a mess. Can we hope it will be gone soon?

Anonymous said...

My dad helped develop that 19 70's office building on Allen Road and had a business there for years. Another childhood memory gone in Atlanta.

Anonymous said...

That was tree house then good ol' days...but first it was dairy queen. Right across the street from American pie..which was originally western sizzlin' (skiz pit)

L.A. Van Scott said...

The Pie was our favorite Sunday bar. Everybody mostly knew everyone, guess the same crowd went every Sun? Even the bartenders were great. I have so many memories from there, broke my heart to hear it got leveled. Definitely, an Atlanta Icon!!!

Anonymous said...

When I handled KRAZZ in the Tower Place which was Atlanta's first major disco I booked in Jerome Olds, Stephanie Petis and Tom Gross.

Anonymous said...

Yes and I handled the public relations for the three Good Ole Days.

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