A mixed-use redevelopment effort is progressing in Vine City, where a five-member development team is working on plans for an 8-acre site near a major university campus close to downtown Atlanta. According to reporting from the Atlanta Business Chronicle, the project would reimagine land just north of Clark Atlanta University’s football field with a program that combines education, hospitality, housing, retail, and nonprofit space.
The plan calls for a new student center for Morris Brown College, reinforcing the site’s connection to the historically Black institution that previously controlled the property. In addition to the academic component, the proposal includes a 100-room hotel and 200 mixed-income residential units, creating a blend of short-term and long-term accommodations. Ground-floor and ancillary space for retail and nonprofit users is also envisioned, adding a commercial and community-services layer to the overall mix.
The development team is operating under the banner Resurgence Commercial Partners. That group is composed of ImpactData, Gibraltar Capital Partners, The Miles Development Group, Mercy Housing, and Cityscape. Together, the partners are advancing planning and negotiations to position the project as a catalyst for the surrounding Vine City neighborhood and nearby academic institutions.
The site is currently controlled by Invest Atlanta, which has owned the property since 2014. The agency acquired the land from Morris Brown College for about $3.5 million, and the parcel includes the college’s former student facility, known as the Hickman Center, as well as a former U.S. Postal Service building. These existing structures are expected to be part of a broader repositioning under the proposed mixed-use plan.
Resurgence Commercial Partners and Invest Atlanta are in active negotiations regarding a potential ground lease structure for the property. While no final agreement has been announced, the ground lease discussion underscores that the development team would move forward on land that remains under Invest Atlanta’s ownership. This framework is common in public-private projects where a public entity retains long-term control of a strategic site.
Invest Atlanta selected the Resurgence Commercial Partners team in November 2025, with part of its rationale tied to the proposal’s emphasis on supporting and expanding nearby Morris Brown College. The inclusion of a new student center and mixed-income housing, alongside hotel and retail components, is positioned to provide both institutional benefits and broader neighborhood activation if the project proceeds as envisioned.
