The former Roswell Police Department headquarters is officially trading badges for brick-and-mortar boutiques. Developer Atlantic Cos. has broken ground on Hillrose Market, a seven-acre mixed-use village set to bring new shops, offices and housing just off Canton Street while trying to keep the area’s small-town charm intact.
The plan calls for roughly 143 rental apartments, 16 brownstone-style townhomes and about 75,000 square feet of retail and office space spread across six buildings. Atlantic’s pitch is a more walkable, pedestrian-friendly pocket that feels like a natural extension of downtown Roswell rather than a bolt-on project.
What’s Planned at Hillrose Market
According to the City of Roswell, the Hillrose Market redevelopment will center on a public green and a pedestrian promenade, with a shared parking deck designed to serve City Hall and surrounding businesses. City projections say the project will create hundreds of construction jobs, more than 200 permanent positions and generate roughly $800,000 a year in sales-tax revenue.
To keep new buildings from overwhelming the historic core, officials approved a Hill Street Overlay District that sets expectations for materials, setbacks and sidewalks so the scale lines up with downtown Roswell’s existing streetscape. The city anticipates site preparation and demolition will begin in late 2025 or early 2026, with initial certificates of occupancy for project phases expected in 2027.
Police HQ Reuse and Office Opportunities
Connect CRE reports that Atlantic Cos. has started work on Hillrose Market and that the former police headquarters will be repurposed with ground-floor retail and roughly 11,000 square feet of second-floor office space. Another office opportunity of about 18,000 square feet is planned at 25 Hill Street.
The development team lists New South Construction Co. as general contractor and ASD | SKY as lead architect, while Bridger Properties is handling retail leasing and Cushman & Wakefield is heading office leasing. Design renderings show a brick-clad parking deck and a “Southern revival” aesthetic that is meant to sit comfortably beside the historic buildings along Canton Street.
Financing and Partners
The project is estimated at about $140 million, according to reporting by AJC. Atlantic’s materials list SouthState Bank and other partners on the project team.
The Hillrose Market website lays out retail-leasing contact information and highlights connections to planned trails and nearby parking access. Developers say the build will be phased to limit disruption to downtown merchants, with public green space and pedestrian connections opening in stages rather than all at once.
Loan and Local Reaction
Connect CRE also reports that Atlantic landed a $61 million construction loan from SouthState Bank to finance initial site work. Mayor Kurt Wilson has called the conversion a “once-in-a-generation opportunity,” and city communications describe a ground-lease structure that lets Roswell retain long-term ownership while unlocking private investment, according to City of Roswell materials.
Supporters argue Hillrose Market will anchor reinvestment in downtown, boosting street-level dining and shopping near Canton Street and giving the former police site a new role at the center of civic life.
Leasing and What’s Next
Retail and restaurant spaces are being marketed through Bridger Properties, while office leasing is handled by Cushman & Wakefield. Interested tenants can find contact details on the Hillrose Market website.
Construction and permitting will roll out in phases, with initial deliveries expected in 2027, and the developer says it will announce tenant deals as leases are signed. We will be watching leasing announcements and city approvals as work progresses on Roswell’s reinvented police HQ.
