More Restaurants, Retailers and Residences Coming to Howell Mill Road... Oh My!

Atlanta-based Healey Weatherholtz is starting work on what will become Howell Mill Shops.

The plan is for a mixed use project that will combine "restaurants, shops and residences in a walkable streetscape."  The project is situated along Howell Mill Road, on the front, and Emery Street on the back.

The project will mean the demolition of a number of separate structures along both Howell Mill and Emery, including, but not limited to, the short lived Carizma restaurant / lounge, former Tom's Folly restaurant, as well as the Fashion Care dry cleaners.  The Post Office, currently utilizing only a portion of a former Big Star grocery store, will likely relocate when the project moves forward.

For now, fencing around most of the affected real estate has been put in place and demolition could begin soon.

Personally, I think this will likely add to an already treacherous stretch of road where there is no room to increase either the number of lanes or their size.  Jamestown has done a fine job at their Westside Urban Market, and has more development in the pipeline.  Howell Mill Shops, while clearly trying to capitalize on this prime location where so many drivers pass by,  is simply too much redevelopment for the area to support, either logistically or financially.

Healey Weatherholtz also owns The Shops Around Lenox, a center it purchased in 2009 and pumped millions into remodeling and repositioning. Today, the center is nearly 100% leased, and includes Crate & Barrel (relocated from Lenox Square) , DEKA (relocated from Pharr Road) and Bhojanic (Second location for local Indian eatery), among others.

Weatherholtz also owns the popular Paper Mill Village in East Cobb and 736 Peachtree Street which today is a parking lot, but has potential for future development.