Pizza restaurant prototype lands marquee Atlanta BeltLine space
Grant Park development's trailside retail to feature new take on Mellow Mushroom
This article originally appeared on Urbanize Atlanta. Written by Josh Green.
The most prominent retail space to take shape so far on the BeltLine's Southside Trail corridor is being claimed by a new prototype from a popular pizza chain.
Mellow Mushroom reps released images and details Tuesday for a rebranded location at the southern rim of Grant Park that will overlook a section of the Southside Trail that's under construction now—and another (Segments 2 and 3) that BeltLine leadership hopes to start building in a matter of months.
Mellow Mushroom plans to open a 3,400-square-foot space this summer as the anchor tenant of Middle Street Partners' The Boulevard at Grant Park apartment community, located where Boulevard crosses the BeltLine.
The complex, which began opening in early 2023 following two years of construction, counts 300 feet of at-grade BeltLine frontage. Beyond the corner pizza joint, about 1,600 square feet of retail space will remain.
Mellow Mushroom, founded in Atlanta 50 years ago, now counts more than 160 locations nationwide. The Grant Park restaurant will mark the company's first new location in its headquarters city since 2019—and the first in the neighborhood.
Along with two patios fronting the BeltLine corridor, the 1015 Boulevard location will be a new model featuring counter service for ordering, upgraded technology behind the scenes, and what's described as "new, modern menu flavor profiles for both food and beverage," according to company reps.
Charleston-based Middle Street built the mixed-use complex on what had been a 3.5-acre industrial site a few blocks south of Zoo Atlanta.
Formerly called "BeltLine & Boulevard," the project marked the first Southside Trail apartment venture to bury its parking structure. The 323-unit, six-story building was designed with WFH culture in mind, with dedicated office spaces in each unit, plus a dog park, coworking spaces, and a 24-hour gym on site, officials have said.
Just to the east, on the same trail, another BeltLine retail pitstop is in the works at The Penman project.
The Boulevard development marks the Atlanta debut for Middle Street. Meanwhile, in Midtown, the company's two-tower Juniper Street high-rise project is well underway with vertical construction.
*The Mellow Mushroom space at The Boulevard at Grant Park was leased by SK Commercial Realty's Jared Touchstone and Stewart Wallace, who represent Middle Street Partners.
"We were excited to bring in Mellow Mushroom to partner with our ownership," said Wallace. "They will be a great addition for the tenants in the complex and the community around."
*Added to the original article by SK Commercial Realty.