Lincoln Property Company invests $17 million in infrastructure improvements

Site work and infrastructure improvements have begun at Echo Street West, announced Lincoln Property Company, the international real estate firm behind the mixed-use restoration of the 19-acre site in Atlanta’s English Avenue community. Lincoln’s initial $17 million investment sets the stage for future vertical construction and the Spring 2021 debut of several exciting activations that include an artist and makers colony, event venue, an open-air bar and dining experience and outdoor gathering areas.

Located at Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway and Northside Drive and on the Atlanta BeltLine’s new Westside Connector Trail, which runs directly through the property, the walkable Echo Street West will be equal distance from Downtown hotspots like Mercedes-Benz Stadium and State Farm Arena as well as the pivotal 70-acre Quarry Yards development on the edge of Bellwood Quarry, where Microsoft Corp. is anticipated to announce a major expansion that could bring additional jobs, investment and housing to the Westside neighborhood. Echo Street West also sits at the intersection of two major, four-lane highways and just west of Georgia Tech’s campus, where the university is planning a 2.2 million-square-foot, $750-million Technology Enterprise Park expansion.

Lincoln’s significant infrastructure investments include replacing the turn-of-the-century utilities, updating electric, gas and power services, installing a fiber backbone, improving stormwater retention, paving miles of new roads as well as needed environmental clean up to prepare the site for development.

Atlanta-based DPR Construction is serving as general contractor and overseeing the infrastructure improvements. Lincoln and DPR are planning job fairs to source local talent and engage minority- and veteran-owned businesses in the Westside and collaborating with Westside Works, a local non-profit committed to creating employment opportunities for residents.

When complete, Echo Street West will span 2.4 million square feet of mixed-use space. The first phase encompasses 285,000 square feet of creative office; 30,000 square feet of retail; a 16,000-square-foot artist and makers colony; 20,000 square feet of event space; 3.4 acres of outdoor entertainment and gathering areas; and 300 multifamily units, of which 20% will be affordable. The outdoor gathering spaces; the restoration of the most architecturally significant buildings into an event venue and artist and makers colony; and the open-air bar and dining experience will be the first components to deliver Spring 2021.

“Our vision for Echo Street West is to draw on the best of what’s around us and create a community without a front door — a place where diverse groups of people can come together to connect, explore the arts, shop and eat local and celebrate the unique culture of West Midtown and the English Avenue neighborhood,” said Tony Bartlett, Executive Vice President of Lincoln Property Company. “We intend to highlight the distinctive flavor and lifestyle of this community through partnerships with local artists, retailers, chefs and events. The visible improvements happening on site are just the start of our efforts to reconnect the neighborhood with the exciting growth happening in Midtown and elsewhere in Atlanta.”

Lincoln hired Los Angeles-based design firm, RIOS to serve as the master planner/designer and landscape architect for the development. The design is inspired by the industrial fabric and landscape along the former CSX Railroad “Kudzu Line” that ran through the site and focuses on creating a “village feel” that complements the scale of the surrounding neighborhood.

Project renderings can be found here. For more information about Echo Street West, visit www.echostreetwest.com. For more information about Lincoln Property Company, visit www.lpcsoutheast.com.