Former Site of Garden Hills Cinema May be Bulldozed, Redevloped

A burned-out strip mall on Peachtree Road which was once home to the Garden Hills Cinema may soon be knocked down and redeveloped, Buckhead View reports.

Although Buckhead View was unable to independently confirm that demolition permits for the site at 2815 Peachtree Road had been filed, Patch has found the demolition permit in the City of Atlanta’s online database.

According to the permit, Rex Bray of the Planners and Engineers Collaborative applied for a demolition permit for the 23,785 sq. ft. building, and the sidewalk, curbing, asphalt, paving, and utilities on the site on Aug. 11. Brand Properties, doing business as Gardenbrand, LLC is listed as the property owner. The estimated cost of the demolition is $200,000.

The permit corroborates a report on Buckhead View from a source that reports there will be no buildback on the site once the demolition is complete, meaning the site will remain empty until another development is built there. Sources told Buckhead View that Brand Properties said that demolition would begin once the permit was approved.

Currently, the proposed site development is under review by city staff. On Aug. 21, the applicant was informed that revisions to the plan were required. The revisions included the addition of a notice of intent, revising the scope of the demolition, providing details of the temporary sediment basin and providing details of the storm drain inlet protection with calculations. These revisions were to be submitted by Aug. 25, but were not submitted until Monday.

Once the site development is approved, there must be further plan coordination, a final review by a city arborist, and a final plan coordination before the demolition permit is issued.

The strip mall was severely damaged by a fire on Dec. 4, 2013. Although the fire was contained to one location inside the structure, the fire caused an estimated $1.4 million in damages and the remaining tenants in the strip mall have since left the building.

Michael Hoath, president of Brand Properties, told Buckhead View that the insurance company had declared the building a total loss. Hoath said that he has received interest from retailers for a Peachtree Road location, but has not solidified any plans as of yet.

Photo: The Garden Hills Cinema before the Dec. 4, 2013 fire. Credit: Patch File