A Virginia-based developer wants to tear down two buildings on Maple Drive in Buckhead Village and put up a six-story complex with more than 300 apartments — a project that could ultimately push out the Atlanta Police Department's Zone 2 precinct along with several longtime neighborhood businesses.
According to Urbanize Atlanta, Middleburg Communities is behind the plans for 3110 Maple Drive, a site tucked between East Paces Ferry Road and Peachtree Road. The proposal calls for 315 residential units and roughly 7,100 square feet of street-level retail, though those specific figures come from the outlet's reporting and have not been independently verified elsewhere. The site sits next door to the APD Zone 2 precinct at 3120 Maple Drive, which according to the same report covers patrol territory spanning West Midtown, Lenox Park, Piedmont Heights, and Buckhead.
Per the outlet's account, the development could displace not just the precinct but a handful of existing tenants, including Georgia Eye Associates, Margaret Schwenke-Authentic Nourishment, and the Chestney & Sullivan law firm. The same property owner that holds the precinct building and the structure next to it reportedly also owns the Shadowlawn Avenue businesses that could be affected, the report states.
Parking and Site Access Details
The proposed building would include a parking deck accessed from both Maple Drive and a driveway connecting to Shadowlawn Avenue, the outlet reports. That deck is described as including 25 spaces shared with the Shadowlawn Avenue businesses, though as with the unit count and retail square footage, those specifics have not been confirmed beyond the original report.
Dynamik Design Architects supplied an updated facade rendering dated Thursday, depicting the Maple Drive frontage and retail spaces, according to the report. The design team also reportedly includes Kimley-Horn engineers and B+C Studio among the project partners.
What Happens Next at the Zoning Table
The Buckhead SPI-9 Development Review Committee is scheduled to review the plans at its monthly meeting Wednesday for what's described as an initial read, per the outlet's reporting. It is not yet known whether the committee will approve, reject, or ask for revisions to the proposal.
SPI-9, the special public interest zoning district covering much of Buckhead's commercial core west of Piedmont Avenue and north of Pharr Road, was adopted by Atlanta City Council on October 4, 2010, according to the Buckhead Community Improvement District. The district was crafted to encourage a more walkable, village-scale urban community, with public art, parks, wide sidewalks, greenspace, transportation options, and outdoor dining woven into future development. The Buckhead CID says it partnered with the City of Atlanta, Livable Buckhead, commercial property owners, and local residents through Neighborhood Planning Unit B to shape the zoning update.
Middleburg's Broader Atlanta-Area Footprint
Middleburg Communities describes itself as a rental-housing firm focused on the highest-growth U.S. markets, with 52 projects and about 18,000 units currently under development, according to the Urbanize Atlanta report. The company's existing metro Atlanta work offers some context for its ambitions in the region: Middleburg Communities says it closed in June on the acreage for Mosby Fairburn, a 252-unit Class A apartment project in Fairburn, Georgia, and its first metro Atlanta development.
That project sits along Senoia Road, about a mile south of Interstate 85 and roughly 10 miles from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, with construction slated to begin in summer 2026 and completion expected in spring 2028, per Middleburg Communities. The Fairburn development will also include integrated retail space and a clubhouse, and sits about 10 minutes from Trilith and Trilith Studios. In announcing that project, Middleburg said the South Fulton submarket continues to benefit from significant job creation, population growth, and investment from both public and private stakeholders.
Whether the Maple Drive proposal moves forward in the form described by Urbanize Atlanta, and what becomes of the Zone 2 precinct and the small businesses nearby, remains to be seen once the SPI-9 committee weighs in this week.
