Nearly 15 years after a Kmart closed and left a large hole in a northern Atlanta suburb, a plan to breathe new life into the site — while slow moving — is beginning to gain traction.
Atlanta-based developer Insignia LLC filed documents for a preliminary state infrastructure assessment this week to move forward the $300 million redevelopment along Buford Highway in Doraville. The project, called Lotus Grove, includes nearly 1 million square feet of new development, including 780 apartments and the tallest building in Doraville.
Credit: Courtesy Insignia LLC
Credit: Courtesy Insignia LLC
The 13-acre site has been earmarked for redevelopment since the Kmart closed in 2010, but progress has largely stalled. A 2015 effort by developer Macauley + Schmit failed to start. Insignia first revealed its Lotus Grove concept in 2019.
Insignia’s latest iteration was detailed in a Development of Regional Impact filing, which alerts the Atlanta Regional Commission and neighboring governments of large projects that may affect traffic, schools and other services.
The project is one of Doraville’s largest development efforts alongside Assembly Atlanta, the mixed-use and studio-focused transformation of the former General Motors manufacturing plant near I-285.
In November, Miami-based developer Resia announced it would help build Lotus Grove’s first phase, according to Urbanize Atlanta. The first building would be 12 stories tall and feature 456 apartments, a pool and a fitness center.
Resia did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution after the DRI was made public. New renderings of the 12-story building have also not been released.
Credit: Courtesy Insignia LLC
Credit: Courtesy Insignia LLC
The shuttered Kmart was razed soon after Doraville’s Downtown Development Authority in 2021 granted roughly $41 million in tax savings to Insignia to support the Lotus Grove project.
Chaz Lazarian, Insignia’s managing director, told the AJC the project will include a 168-room hotel, a food hall, retail spaces, a public park and a civic center for Doraville. Vertical construction is expected to begin in late summer.
Lotus Grove is also one of the most significant projects slated for the Buford Highway corridor, a thoroughfare known as a diverse hub for immigrant communities and a bustling restaurant scene.
“Lotus Grove will bring more urbanization to the city of Doraville and its surrounding neighborhoods, while revitalizing Buford (Highway),” Insignia says on its website.
Insignia estimated the full Lotus Grove project will be completed by 2028, according to the DRI filing.
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