Construction crews began tearing down North DeKalb Mall as retail developer Edens prepares to transform the 73-acre property into a walkable, mixed-use district. The mall, shuttered in 2020, will be called Lulah Hills.

The redevelopment will add 1,700 apartments, 100 townhomes, and 320,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space…2.5 million square feet in all. The center will be at the intersection of North Druid Hills Road and Lawrenceville Highway near Decatur. An existing AMC theater will be retained during the build-out.

Edens bought North DeKalb Mall for $43 million in September 2021. In the summer of 2022, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners rezoned the mall for Edens’ plans. The DeKalb Development Authority granted the project $70 million in tax incentives. 

The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners rezoned land surrounding the Indian Creek station, the final stop on the Blue Line located off Durham Road and adjacent to Interstate 285. The approval will allow for a dense makeover of the 64-acre site.

The Indian Creek plan includes a 20,000-square-foot grocery store, 20,000-square-foot community center, 1,600 apartments, 300,000 square feet of office space, 2,500 square feet of food and beverage space, 4 acres of parks and green space and a 45,000-square-foot bus transfer facility.

The proposal is part of MARTA’s broader strategy to boost ridership by placing people on the doorstep to transit. The agency tends to provide land to developers through ground leases, supplying MARTA with an additional revenue source and allowing it to retain control over what takes shape around its stations.

MARTA plans to issue a request for proposals later this year to identify a development partner for the first phase of the project.