Fresh renderings: North DeKalb Mall’s redevelopment going vertical Josh GreenMon, 12/08/2025 - 14:38With the majority of North DeKalb Mall now vacated, bulldozed, and trucked away, the outlook is becoming clearer for how the initial phase of redevelopment will look and function.  Crescent Communities, a Charlotte-based developer with projects dotted around Atlanta and its suburbs, announced today it has closed on a deal to begin building mixed-use Novel Lulah Hills, the company’s latest Novel-branded ITP venture. The name reflects the 78-acre former mall site’s rebranding to Lulah Hills. Novel Lulah Hills calls for a six-story, 303-unit apartment community, marking the first residential section to rise from the beleaguered mall’s Decatur property.  Beyond the apartments, designs call for more than 39,000 square feet of retail at street level that will help anchor the broader mall redevelopment, according to officials. Planned look of Novel Lulah Hills apartments and retail functionality along a new street called Lula Avenue at the ongoing mall redevelopment. Courtesy of Crescent Communities; designs by Dwell Design StudioCourtesy of Crescent Communities; designs by Dwell Design StudioCrescent Communities is partnering on the project with site owner and developer Edens and capital partner NTT Urban Development. The latter company, a Japan-based real estate developer, is marking its Atlanta debut with Novel Lulah Hills, following projects in other major U.S. markets including Dallas, New York, and Boston. Crescent Communities’ schedule calls for construction to begin this month—and for Novel Lulah Hills to deliver in late 2027. It’ll join AMC North DeKalb 16 movie theater and a Marshalls clothing retailer that continue to operate on site.  Expect apartments ranging from studios to three-bedroom options—all “inspired by the character of an urban marketplace”—at Novel Lulah Hills, according to a Crescent Communities announcement. Herbert Ames, Edens’ managing director and Southeast regional lead, said the “transition to vertical construction [marks] a major milestone” at the former mall site off North Druid Hills Road and Lawrenceville Highway. Planned perks at the first Lulah Hills residences will include a social component called The Mercantile Club that features flex spaces for workshops and events, a terrace with fire pits, lounge seating, a stocked dining pantry, and a craft closet. Other components call for a beer and game garden, cabanas, a fitness studio called “The Rose Room,” and a diner called “The Gathering Place.”The project “will redefine how people live, gather, and connect in this part of the city, infusing everyday living with the vibrant, social rhythm of the Lulah Hills experience,” said Eric Liebendorfer, Crescent Communities managing director for Georgia, in a statement. Courtesy of Crescent Communities; designs by Dwell Design StudioBig picture, Lulah Hills calls for up to 1,800 residential units, multiple greenspaces, and more than 300,000 square feet of restaurants and retail spaces, including a new Publix grocery. Connections to the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve and Emory University are also in the works, per developers. Closer to Atlanta’s core, Crescent Communities’ work includes most recently Novel West Midtown and neighboring, under-construction Novel Blandtown, along with a glassy Midtown mid-rise delivered in 2022. Other recent projects are dotted in Atlanta suburbs such as Stockbridge, Covington, and Douglasville.In Atlanta, Crescent Communities and Edens previously partnered on Novel Upper Westside in the Moores Mill area. Overview of the former North DeKalb Mall site in late September, looking southwest toward Midtown and downtown. Lula Hills/Edens; images, Jonathan Cunningham (@thefreeagent)How the existing AMC theater building will relate to new shops and open-air social spaces at Lulah Hills. Edens/Lulah HillsPrior to demo, the 1960s mall property was vacant, apart from the Marshalls and AMC movie theater, echoing the plight of many traditional, suburban-style malls in the metro. As with Gwinnett Place Mall and other formerly popular shopping destinations ringed with parking lots, North DeKalb Mall had been the subject of redevelopment talks for years as tenants slipped away.Find more context and a Lulah Hills renderings refresher in the gallery above. **…**Follow us on social media:Twitter / Facebook/and now: Instagram  • Decatur news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)Tags20242 Lawrenceville HighwayDecaturLula HillsNorth DeKalb MallAtlanta MallsEdensDeKalb County Board of CommissionersTADTax Allocation DistrictsMarket SquareMarket Square Tax Allocation DistrictDecide DeKalbPublixPublix Super MarketsCrescent CommunitiesDecatur DevelopmentDecatur NewsDecatur ConstructionAtlanta DevelopmentMall RedevelopmentAtlanta ConstructionNOVEL Lulah HillsNTT Urban DevelopmentDwell Design StudioClyde Shepherd Nature PreserveEmory UniversityThe Mercantile ClubImagesThe former mall’s 20242 Lawrenceville Highway location in the context of ITP Atlanta’s northeast side. Google MapsPlanned look of Novel Lulah Hills apartments and retail functionality along a new street called Lula Avenue at the ongoing mall redevelopment. Courtesy of Crescent Communities; designs by Dwell Design StudioCourtesy of Crescent Communities; designs by Dwell Design StudioCourtesy of Crescent Communities; designs by Dwell Design StudioOverview of the former North DeKalb Mall site in late September, looking southwest toward Midtown and downtown. Lula Hills/Edens; images, Jonathan Cunningham (@thefreeagent)How the existing AMC theater building will relate to new shops and open-air social spaces at Lulah Hills. Edens/Lulah HillsOverview of redevelopment plans. Courtesy of EdensA revised rendering for Lulah Hills’ centralized greenspace and shops. Edens/Lulah HillsEdens/Lulah HillsPlanned look of the project’s residential section. Courtesy of EdensCourtesy of EdensCourtesy of EdensCourtesy of EdensCourtesy of EdensCourtesy of EdensSubtitleNovel Lulah Hills—first mixed-use phase at 78-acre Decatur mall site—to kick off construction this monthNeighborhoodDecaturBackground ImageImageAssociated ProjectNorth DeKalb MallBefore/After ImagesSponsored PostOff

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