Friday, March 10, 2023

[UPDATE] Local Developer Purchases Historic Church, Plans to Repurpose it

A local developer with a knack for adaptive reuse has inked a deal for perhaps their most exciting project yet.  Local real estate firm Healey Weatherholtz Properties recently purchased the Northside Park Baptist Church property (1881 Howell Mill Road) and plans to repurpose the property into a mix of boutiques, offices, event space and food & beverage offerings with a "world-class patio."  

The church, which dates from 1907, had in recent years seen its membership dwindle to just a few members, and as a result last year held a huge estate/liquidation sale in advance of the sale of the property.  According to a Twitter post by Weatherholtz, the church will "remain partners as we [Healey Weatherholtz] steward the next chapter."  Weatherholtz called the purchase "the next key piece in the area’s transformation."  

Fulton county tax records indicate the 1.1 acre property (land and building) was most recently valued at $2,688,800.  

Healey Weatherholtz has, along with assorted partners, been heavily invested in the three block corridor that spans Howell Mill Road between I-75 and Collier Road.  1881 Howell Mill Road represents the 14th building that the group has invested in within the corridor.  Existing restaurants that were part of earlier projects the firm has developed along Howell Mill Road include Cultivate and Howell's, each with their own expansive patios.  As the firm tells it, "We help improve neighborhoods by building patios and garden courtyards, then surrounding them with places to enjoy a cold beer."

From the Healy Weatherholtz website:

"HWP began acquiring properties along Atlanta’s Howell Mill Road in 2007 with the idea of assembling enough to create a mixed-use village to anchor the Collier Hills neighborhood. For the first phase, we teamed with Crescent Communities on a residential mid-rise. The second phase included new restaurants – Howell’s and Cultivate – along with offices and repositioned retail shops. The third phase, now underway in partnership with Songy Highroads, will add 200 more residences and a hotel. Future improvements will add additional retail, residential, and office space along with streetscape improvements and paths to create a Beltline-connected environment."

The repurposing rather than demolition of the historic church property will no doubt be a welcome sight to area residents and preservationists alike.  In 2018, fellow Atlanta-based developer Blanchard Real Estate purchased the former church at 1671 Howell Mill Road.  The nearly 100 year old church property was not repurposed or renovated but was instead demolished in 2019 to make way for outposts of AT&T and My Eyelab.  

The Northside church property sits across the street from where a new mixed-use residential and retail project is currently under construction in partnership with Healey Weatherholtz and Songy Highroads Residential.   

Elsewhere around Atlanta, Healey Weatherholtz has been involved previously or actively in several other adaptive reuse and or "value add" developments including The Shops Around Lenox in Buckhead near Lenox Square and Summerhill near the old Turner Field, among others.  

Are you a Collier Village area resident who has lived through the changes in the Howell Mill Road corridor?  Are you pleased by the current and upcoming changes?  What types of restaurants would you like to see open in the new project?

Please share your thoughts below.   

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Something much better than pizza, hamburgers and chicken wings! There are very few midrange or fine dining options in this neighborhood...Howells being the exception. You have to drive to other burbs and sometimes pay parking just to get a real meal, i.e. Peachtree road, Piedmont road, and other nearby areas. I think if we hadvour own set of good restaurants there would be a better sense of Community and pride here!

Anonymous said...

It would be great if there was some resolution to the ridiculous traffic jams created by these new establishments and buildings! Maybe widening Howell Mill all the way to 17th!

Anonymous said...

Keep/ incorporate the existing tree canopy. Definitely an indoor/ outdoor concept. Pet friendly spaces. Pedestrian friendly w buffer from busy intersection. Agree mid-range food options would be nice - boutiques. If this is done right it will be a huge boost to the area. Hopefully the remaining run down shops/ medical office and post office are the next to go.

Anonymous said...

Need more trees. Developers should fix potholes and sidewalks resulting from construction vehicles. Sponsor “walk to dinner” Friday nights to alleviate traffic

Anonymous said...

I love the quote “We help improve neighborhoods….” What a load. I live in that are and HW has done NOTHING to address the traffic on Howell Mill as they continue to add multi family and commercial projects which of course add to the traffic congestion.

Anonymous said...

A decent restaurant please, cultivate isn’t bad but Howell’s is terrible and the layout is just ridiculous. Let’s set out sights more like westside provisions. Also can u buy Willy’s and the Shell station and tear them down too please

Anonymous said...

What about a concept like this that is located in Tampa? https://oxfordexchange.com/

It has been good for their community, it's not too big, it's profitable and it's a great place to visit for food, beverage and shopping.

Or another one of Casper Company's concepts in St. Petersburg, https://thelibrarystpete.com/

Keeps the High Volume, high traffic down but is a good business opportunity for customers and the owners.

Anonymous said...

There is so much potential here. Our adjoining neighborhoods deserve development that serves our needs and not those looking for some new tires, an oil change or a Red Bull on your drive back up north. Street side retail with generous sidewalks and landscaping with parking in the rear will thrive. The city MUST move to ban tractor trailers from using the Howell Mill exit. Burying the incredibly unsightly overhead power lines would greatly improve the visual environment and give street trees room to grow. Thank you HW for preserving the church and our neighborhoods’ long and rich history.

Anonymous said...

At least, the medical office and post office do not create noise and trash.

Anonymous said...

Agree!

Anonymous said...

Concerns about traffic and parking. Look at Fellini’s parking issues and that is just one establishment.

Dawg said...

This is a tremendously heavily used corridor yet an unbelievably poorly planned amalgamation of retail establishments. Kudos to the Quill/Weatherholtz team for stepping in and organizing and improving the F&B and retail amenity for the surrounding community. It should be a great project.

Michelle Hatch said...

I've lived in the neighborhood behind the church since 2008, and welcome the changes Quill and his partners have brought to Howell Mill. He's a good neighbor to have, and I am relieved it's not a different, possibly less neighborhood-friendly, developer who snatched up the property.

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