Sledgehammers pound North DeKalb Mall into new era

Ahead of the wall-shattering spectacle, several community leaders donned “Lulah Hills” baseball caps and took sledgehammers to the mall’s foundation. Their swings were largely symbolic — demolition began Monday and will continue over the next six months.

One of those leaders was Decide Dekalb president Dorian DeBarr, who led efforts to grant developers up to $70 million in tax savings for infrastructure improvements at the site over the next 15 years.

A Dekalb native, DeBarr said he grew up shopping at North DeKalb Mall, and later took his three daughters to the AMC movie theater. He emphasized the high level of community engagement that went into the project, saying most people seem excited to see the mall finally being redeveloped.

Credit: Miguel Martinez

Credit: Miguel Martinez

“You’re talking about such a large site in the middle of vibrant communities,” Debarr said. “It’s just this void, it’s a huge void. From the standpoint of the community, I think ultimately we’d like to see the entirety of our community at its highest and best use.”

Once a flourishing retail center, and metro Atlanta’s first fully enclosed shopping center, North DeKalb Mall has sat largely unused since its closure during the pandemic. An increasing number of shopping centers have similarly struggled over the last two decades, creating a “dead mall” phenomenon across the country.

EDENS purchased the property in 2021 and received the green light for a new mixed-use development to revitalize the site. Up until this week, the mostly empty space provided parking for trucks and Emory employees.

The developers previously modernized DeKalb’s Toco Hills shopping center, improving drainage, re-roofing buildings, redesigning the parking lot and creating a welcoming outdoor environment.

EDENS managing director Herbert Ames said the company learned from the Toco Hills project and was interested in further DeKalb developments due to affluent neighborhoods and the area’s health care boom.

Lulah Hill’s extended multiuse trails will connect with Peachtree Creek Trail and Medlock Park, taking advantage of proximity to Emory, the CDC, and the upcoming Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Arthur M. Blank Hospital, opening Sept. 29.

“When you think about linking our site with one of the major job centers in our region, that’s an incredibly powerful thing, and I think it’s going to be a great, great benefit to our community neighborhoods at the end of the day,” Ames said.

Credit: Miguel Martinez

Credit: Miguel Martinez

Phase one, prioritizing upgrades like stormwater improvements, utility relocation and mall demolition, is set to finish by 2025, the same year early retailers open. The first mixed-use spaces will become available in 2026. Ten percent of housing will be allocated as affordable or workforce.

Some living in the area have expressed mixed feelings over the potential for increased traffic.

“But traffic is already horrible, and maybe this will contain it somewhat,” said Shelley Rose, who lives in North Druid Valley. “I’m really excited about the path — I’ve been for years finding a way to be able to get across the creek and go to that (Medlock) nature preserve.”

DeKalb District 2 commissioner Michelle Long Spears said the project’s mixed-use nature will help reduce peak demand. In addition to the trail system, the project includes required roadway and transit stop expansion.

The Dekalb County Board of Commissioners rezoned the property in 2022 and created a tax allocation district (TAD) directing increased property tax revenue back into the site rather than the entire county. The money can be put toward public infrastructure and amenities within the district’s borders.

Lulah Hills marks Decide Dekalb’s first venture at utilizing a TAD for infrastructure improvements, DeBarr said. He called the program an exciting tool for development.

Thurmond praised Decide DeKalb’s decision to reimburse EDENS for up to $70 million in infrastructure. He said these early investments help prevent breakdowns later on, as happened to the city of Atlanta last month when multiple water main breaks cost businesses millions of dollars.

“What goes underground determines what goes above ground,” Thurmond said.

Credit: Miguel Martinez

Credit: Miguel Martinez

Both EDENS and DeKalb leaders held town halls and community meetings to gather input. Theresa Same, DeKalb Cross-Neighborhoods Council chair, led neighbors in conversations over the development’s local impact.

The center’s whimsical name, Lulah Hills, comes from landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted’s naming concept for the Druid Hills neighborhood built over a century ago. Olmsted had thought of calling the suburb “Talulah Hills,” which EDENS later shortened.

“It’s fun, it’s feminine,” Ames said. “We actually design these places to have a female shopper in mind, and they control 80% of every dollar that’s spent in the U.S.”

Ames said EDENS will choose retailers over the next 18 to 24 months and hopes to keep a balance of local, regional, and national shops. Project outlines show a large central building at nearly 50,000 square feet — a size ideal for a grocery store. There is currently a Publix located across the street from the mall.

The shopping center’s adjacent Marshalls and AMC will stay open throughout the renovations with parking still available. AMC will downsize from 16 to 11 screens.

Project completion is expected in 2033.

“It will be a transformational project in the middle of a community that has been waiting for more amenities and just more access,” Debarr said. “All of that ties to mirror quality of life improvements, taking a void and turning it into an asset for the community.”

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to correct the name of the upcoming Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Arthur M. Blank Hospital.