Newport can move forward with vertical demolition for its mixed-use South Dwntn project, according to a demolition permit issued by the city of Atlanta last month.
At 222 Mitchel St. SW, the developer will demolish a three-story, roughly 7,330-square-foot parking structure and one-story accessory building, according to the issued permit. The removal of the buildings, both of which face Nelson Street to the south, will make way for a parklet with outdoor seating and tree canopy as an amenity for future tenants and the neighborhood, Newport Senior Vice President April Stammel told the Atlanta Business Chronicle in the spring. The now-issued demolition permit was applied for in March.
“We are excited to be moving forward step by step to deliver this amazing building back to Atlanta, with targeted openings early 2023 for tenants,” Stammel told What Now Atlanta this month. “The interior demolition and abatement is completed and the building is ready for construction to begin.
“Our recent permit filings are the final piece for our team and our general contractor, Balfour Beatty, to begin full construction.”
The outdoor space allowed for by the newly approved demolition will be part of what Newport plans to be the focal point of its South Downtown project. The developer is converting the existing buildings at 222 Mitchell Street, which served as a data processing center and offices for Nations Bank, into 217,000 square feet of office space and 72,000 square feet of retail.
Plans still call for ground-floor retail and restaurant uses, a basement gym space, two rooftop restaurant spaces, and Class-A office space on floors two through seven, according to Stammel. Newport will use the current structure of a bank building with a teller drive-through to create a retail passage through the middle of the building, flanked by retail, restaurants, lobbies, and a new park.
South Dwntn also involves the renovation of the historic Hotel Row block of commercial structures on the other side of Mitchell Street. Newport said it expects to start delivering space for that side of the street’s tenants, which will include fried chicken restaurant How Crispy, by the end of this year.
In all, Newport owns 48 total buildings and 4 acres of surface parking lots in the area and is in the planning stages for bringing some complementary residential buildings to the neighborhood, according to Stammel.
For 222 Mitchell Street, Newport just secured its first tenant. Bowling alley and bar Pins Mechanical Company will occupy 25,000 square feet of retail space within the project, it said last month.
“The building, now entirely empty with its vast floorplates, is an unparalleled canvas for a wide array of businesses to design their own customized office experience,” Stammel said.
