An apartment community marketed as a “quiet oasis” in southeast Atlanta has entered the home stretch on building its second phase after fully renting the first Phase two of the Flats at East Atlanta project has taken shape at 2536 Flat Shoals Road a previously vacant site just north of Interstate 20 in unincorporated Decatur’s Candler-McAfee neighborhood The gated community is about three miles from the heart of East Atlanta Village an Atlanta-based apartment developer and management company the first move-ins at phase two are scheduled to begin this summer The final phase includes 112 garden-style (read: surface parking galore) rentals in buildings standing three and four stories All new apartments have either one or two bedrooms as drawn up by architecture firm Dynamik Design The fully leased initial phase of Flats at East Atlanta saw 140 units—with one to three bedrooms—take shape alongside a pool and package receiving center that both phases will share rents for one-bedroom apartments with 710 square feet start at $1,423 monthly The largest options—three-bedroom, two-bathroom pads with 1,325 square feet—rent for $1,725 and up, according to the project’s website said in a project announcement that Flats at East Atlanta has succeeded in offering people moving to the city “a beautiful place to call home that’s close to restaurants range from East Lake Golf Club and Candler-McAfee Shopping Center to the GSU Perimeter College Native Plant Botanical Gardens Twitter / Facebook  • East Atlanta news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)  A new ownership group that specializes in older mall acquisitions sounds confident a big-box retail revival is in the cards for the southeast Atlanta shopping complex formerly known as South DeKalb Mall In a statement supplied to Urbanize Atlanta today Mason Asset Management’s Igal Nassim says conversations to fill the Decatur mall’s abundant unleased spaces have begun “We’re working closely with a number of national big-box retailers to fill the current anchor spaces and we look forward to further bolstering the available offering at the mall through an aggressive leasing strategy,” said Nassim in a prepared statement It’s the second optimistic outlook to emerge for an ailing DeKalb County mall from the 1960s in as many weeks The Gallery at South DeKalb spans 71 acres and counts Chapel Beauty and Piccadilly Cafeteria among its anchors now Site plans show roughly 248,000 square feet of available space in three big-box footprints attached to the enclosed mall Mason Asset Management counts dozens of mall properties from California to Maine in its portfolio and has specialized in acquiring distressed malls A representative for the Gallery at South DeKalb ownership group said the leasing team is actively pursuing tenants and that news of any signings and other activities at the mall will be shared in the future • The Mall West End has landed a potential buyer. Again (Urbanize Atlanta)  Another major development is in the works within a circa-1997 Tiger Woods’ drive of one of metro Atlanta’s most storied golf courses Roughly two blocks south of East Lake Golf Club’s Hole 4 Perennial Properties is seeking to rezone a large grassy field into a classification that would allow for nearly 300 new residences and other uses set around a new public greenspace in unincorporated DeKalb County across the street from Donald Trimble Mortuary the three parcels in question are collectively known as the Bag Factory Site The developer is seeking to downzone the site to multifamily residential (MR-2) from its current commercial and industrial designations Perennial hosted three community meetings about the project in February The proposed Bag Factory development would include 237 apartments in two four-story buildings 44 rental townhomes (two stories atop garages) and two street-level retail slots with about 5,000 square feet of space A public-accessible village green with a central pavilion would act as the heart of the community Glenwood Avenue—where Perennial is building another mixed-use venture next to a Publix—is located about a quarter mile to the north Options for pedestrian access between the Bag Factory development and Publix are being explored The Bag Factory’s apartments would all be market-rate developers did point out that only about 30 percent of rentals would be two or three-bedroom apartments with the others intended to be more affordable smaller units—either studios or one-bedrooms “While the proposed development will not have a lot of units to accommodate large families,” wrote Perennial’s legal reps “it will provide housing opportunities for young professionals and empty-nesters.” Around the corner on Glenwood Avenue, next to the Publix entrance, Perennial is developing a four-building, mixed-use project called simply East Lake includes 230 apartments and 10,000 square feet of retail Immediately south of that construction site, Columbia Ventures and Purpose Built Communities recently developed 108 affordable and market-rate townhomes, garden apartments, and villas in a project called Gardenside at The Villages of East Lake along Fayetteville Road The gated complex includes a playground and priority placement at Drew Charter School for residents with K-12 children Perennial has developed and operated more than 20 sites around Atlanta Have a closer look at the firm’s plans where greater Decatur meets East Lake in the gallery above • Agent: Townhomes in East Lake's new commercial hub set sales records (Urbanize Atlanta)  When it comes to the urban landscapes of America today Gentrification generally refers to the process of more affluent residents settling in a lower-income area and altering its character Though gentrification’s roots trace back as far as ancient Rome and Roman Britain the term still can hold wildly different meanings though it’s typically considered negative in cities today gentrification is usually synonymous with extraction and the pushing out of lesser privileged residents for pricey housing and things like artisan dog spas with wine-tasting components But if we had a buck for every time we’ve heard an Atlantan—across all demographics and age groups truth be told—use “gentrification” as shorthand for cleaning up neighborhoods and generally making them safer and more vibrant And a simple question: How gentrified is Atlanta today nearly 30 years after the Centennial Olympic Games swept through post-recession development cycle began that appears to have no end date With one-bedroom rents commonly in the $2,000 range and the city’s median home price now more than $420,000, according to Redfin, the barrier to entry in Atlanta is unquestionably higher than it was a decade ago. But even as a top-six metro market now, the ATL commonly finishes high on rankings of most affordable big U.S Let’s hear your thoughts on this hot topic Please take a second to cast a vote in the reader poll below and the comments will be wide open below that 2024 at 11:19 am ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Weapons drugs and money are found in a Lithonia home that was being used as a "drug distribution hub and a launching pad for the gang's violent crimes," authorities said (Georgia Bureau of Investigation)DEKALB COUNTY GA — In a widespread gang probe that stretched from Texas to Georgia 20 suspected gang members have been arrested and are facing charges ranging from armed robbery to drug trafficking The probe first began in March with the Cedar Park (Texas) Police Department investigating an aggravated robbery case according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Detectives connected the case to suspected gang members in metro Atlanta and partnered with the GBI Gang Task Force and the DeKalb County Police Department on the case Agents then served search and arrest warrants Friday in Brookhaven and Lithonia drugs and money were found in a Lithonia home that was being used as a "drug distribution hub and a launching pad for the gang's violent crimes," the GBI said The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office will oversee prosecution in the case for the Georgia charges Here is who was arrested and their charges of Brookhaven: two counts of aggravated robbery and one count of engaging in organized crime on Cedar Park of Stone Mountain: two counts of aggravated robbery and one count of engaging in organized crime on Cedar Park Charged in Georgia on suspicion of violation of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act; unlawful manufacture possession or sale of controlled substances; possession of marijuana with intent to distribute; and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony of Decatur: two counts of aggravated robbery and one count of engaging in organized crime on Cedar Park possession or sale of controlled substances; possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony of Lithonia: violation of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act; unlawful manufacture of Decatur: violation of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act; unlawful manufacture of South Fulton: possession of a sawed-off shotgun machine weapon or silencer; violation of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act; unlawful manufacture of Covington: violation of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act; unlawful manufacture of Stone Mountain: violation of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act; unlawful manufacture possession or sale of controlled substance; possession of marijuana with intent to distribute; and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony of Jonesboro: violation of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act; unlawful manufacture of Atlanta: violation of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act; unlawful manufacture of Ellenwood: violation of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act; unlawful manufacture of Buford: violation of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act; unlawful manufacture Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. It’s hard to believe, but nearly 20 years have flown by since Atlanta unveiled its fresh slogan, “Every Day Is an Opening Day,” a somewhat befuddling effort to boost tourism that became national news When’s the last time you heard someone say that along the lines of “The City Too Busy to Hate” and “Decatur There’s no shortage of creativity in Atlanta So let’s put our collective heads together and bestow good candid slogans on so many wonderful ATL neighborhoods which each seem to have their own personalities anyway Maybe it won’t boost the tax base or bring jobs here’s a few actual slogans (official and not) from around the metro both iconic and somewhat cheesy:     And these are a few of our favorite suggestions—both in-house and otherwise: “Loring Heights: Really close to a lot of places you’ve heard of” “Reynoldstown: Duplex Capital of Georgia®” “Boulevard Heights: It’s best you don’t even know we’re here” “Castleberry Hill: Still the Brooklyn of southwestern South Downtown™”   "Tucker/Dunwoody: Because you grew up ITP and got priced out by transplants" “Westview: We told y’all you should have bought in 2016” “Kirkwood: Where Virginia-Highland dreams go to die.” For this installment of Friday fun bag we’re hankering to hear slogan suggestions for intown neighborhoods Please have a go in the comments section below—but try to keep it (reasonably) appropriate Twitter / Facebook/and now: Instagram   • Friday fun bag: What will Atlanta look like 10 years from now? 2012 at 2:19 pm ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Ever since the city said it was looking at ways to take the Candler Park Golf Course out of the loss column and into the profit column Candler Park residents worried what the end result would be following a consulting study that outlined options sparked a tilt-a-whirl of rumors that included supposed plans for an amphitheater to a sale to the Paideia School in Druid Hills to construction of a parking deck commissioner of Atlanta's Department of Parks The nine-hole golf course loses about $50,000 a year Nor are there plans for construction of an amphitheater or parking deck he said at a meeting of the Candler Park Neighborhood Organization Keeping it as a golf course still won't turn a profit but it's probably the most cost-effective way to manage it," the commissioner said The city is still considering other options for the golf course as well as other measures to increase usage such as opening it up to dog walkers in the mornings Dusenbury added the losses have decreased since it handed management of the golf course to American Golf Corp. But unlike other city-owned golf courses that American Golf leases the Candler Park Golf Course is in a 10-year management agreement that runs through 2016 Dusenbury told Candler Park residents that because of that arrangement American Golf's priority isn't to turn a profit because the city will bridge the gap to cover losses Download the movie Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.