The Lodge, a mixed-use development at the corner of Moreland and Glenwood avenues, has locked in its first major tenants after years of stop-and-go progress. Purpose Built Communities will occupy the top two floors of the new corner building, while local hospitality group Victory Brands will run a coffee bar, bar and event space inside the restored Masonic Lodge. Developers say the complex is still on track to finish this summer, bringing affordable housing, retail and new public space to the Ormewood Park and East Atlanta Village edge. After years of fits and starts, neighbors and business owners are finally getting a clearer picture of what will open where Moreland meets Glenwood.
Project officials confirmed the tenant lineup in an update to Urbanize Atlanta, which reported that Purpose Built Communities, best known for its East Lake work, will lease the top two floors of the corner building. The article also names Victory Brands, the group behind Victory Sandwich and Lloyd's, as the operator for the lodge's restored ballroom and upper-floor event space. That announcement follows years of construction and funding delays that left the block largely idle after demolition began in 2021.
New corner building and the restored lodge
The new infill building at 505 Moreland Ave is roughly 16,000 square feet and was designed with throwback masonry details intended to anchor the intersection, as reported by CRE 101. Architects at Gentle Works have leaned on traditional bricklaying patterns and green-glazed accents to give the facade a vintage feel, while the adjacent 1947 Masonic Lodge, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is receiving a meticulous restoration. Developers say the lodge's ballroom, long the building's centerpiece, will house Victory Brands' event space and bar.
Affordable housing and financing
The development also includes a workforce housing component called Abbington at Ormewood, with 42 apartments reserved for households earning between 30 and 80 percent of Area Median Income, with an average target of about 58 percent AMI, according to Partners for HOME. Georgia's low-income housing tax credit program, along with local support, helped make the residential piece financially feasible, developers have said.
What’s next for ground-floor retail
Project leaders say they are still searching for one or two ground-floor retail or restaurant tenants and are "open to a local market operator should the right fit emerge," a project update told Urbanize Atlanta. The team also plans to offer overflow event parking at First Iconium Baptist Church across Moreland Avenue and is converting a northwest-corner bungalow on Glenwood into a 1,500-square-foot boutique retail space. Jesse Clark of Clark Property R+D said in a prepared statement that "this project had its fair share of challenges, but we held the course on the commitment we made to this community."
Timeline and community impact
Developers King Properties and Clark Property R+D say The Lodge is on pace to fully deliver this summer, bringing new public plaza space and about 33,000 square feet of office, retail and event space to the Moreland and Glenwood corner, CRE 101 reported. For prospective tenants and neighbors, the tenant announcements and updated timeline narrow the long list of unknowns about what the finished block will look and feel like once it opens.
