A ceremonial groundbreaking took place in March 2004; however, actual site clearing will now begin with the demolition of the shuttered Palamont Motor Lodge.

The project, Renaissance Walk at Sweet Auburn, will have 159 one- and two-bedroom condominium and loft homes, along with an undetermined amount of street-level retail in the Historic Martin Luther King Jr. District. Condo units will start at about $250,000. Thirty-two affordable housing-designated units will be in the $100,000 range or less. About 10% of the total shelter units have been pre-sold, marketing sources close to the project tell GlobeSt.com. No nightclubs are planned in the project.

The 159-year-old African Methodist Episcopal Church and Integral Group LLC are the joint developers and will split the profits, people in a position to know tell GlobeSt.com. Integral is leasing the 27,000-sf block from the church which acquired individual land parcels over a three-year acquisition campaign. Locally based Historic District Development Corp., headed by Joe Stewardson, has helped in guiding the long-planned project.

Integral plans to preserve most of the historic building facades, as GlobeSt.com previously reported. About 85% of the work will entail new construction from the top of the older two-story structures. Condo height will be capped at seven stories.

About a block north of the redevelopment undertaking between Piedmont Street and Jesse Hill Drive, Integral plans an estimated $25-million retail and residential development at Alexander Street and Centennial Olympic Park Drive, as GlobeSt.com previously reported.

Instant Insights /

GlobeSt.com UPDATE: $45M Auburn Avenue Redevelopment Start Set for Mid-January

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