A year and a half after it was installed, a pedestrian bridge connecting the Atlanta Beltline to Ansley Mall remains off limits, showing signs of wear and tear.
The bridge, which was only recently built, was intended to provide better access for pedestrians seeking to visit a new Lewis Barbecue location in the shopping center.
Lewis Barbecue, a popular Charleston-based restaurant, announced plans in June of last year to open its first Georgia location at Ansley Mall, just off the Beltline’s Northeast Trail.
Originally slated for a summer opening this year, the restaurant’s timeline now remains uncertain as the bridge is gated off and leads to an active construction site.
Elizabeth Hagin, associate vice president at Selig Enterprises, the mall’s long-time owner, expressed excitement about the impending arrival of John Lewis’ third Lewis Barbecue location in Atlanta.
“We will have more details for both the bridge and Lewis Barbecue openings once the construction is closer to completion,” she stated in a communication to Urbanize Atlanta.
According to a Special Use Permit application filed last year, the barbecue restaurant will feature a two-story design positioned next to other retail spaces.
The total area for all Beltline-facing venues at Ansley Mall is set to be around 11,000 square feet, as reported by retail leasing agents Bridger Properties.
This new addition at Ansley Mall is projected to attract around 3,000 patrons weekly in Atlanta, with a significant number expected to arrive from the Beltline.
The application also indicated that it will see an influx of 100 to 150 additional vehicles each day at the mall.
Selig Enterprises, which has owned the 16-acre mall property for over 50 years, installed the 105-foot pedestrian bridge late last year.
This structure is meant to provide seamless access for Beltline users while simplifying the connection to the Northeast Trail for residents of neighboring communities such as Piedmont Heights.
As of November 2023, all segments of the Northeast Trail have been completed between southern Buckhead and Monroe Drive, granting off-street access to the Ansley Mall area for residents from various neighborhoods across the city in both directions.
The trend of transforming eastside properties to better interface with the Beltline has been noticeable for more than a decade.
Notable early adopters of this strategy include Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall and the now-defunct Murder Kroger, where new plazas and murals were integrated into the landscape in 2014 to attract more visitors from the Eastside Trail.
A more recent example is the Midtown Promenade redevelopment, which created a plaza entrance to accommodate new shops and restaurants, including an Athlete’s Foot flagship store.
Similarly, the Painted Park project in Inman Park has transformed back alleys into attractive entrances for Beltline visitors.
Selig Enterprises purchased Ansley Mall in 1972 and continues to regard it as a valuable asset within its expansive portfolio of retail properties across the Southeastern United States, which encompasses roughly four million square feet of space.
Other properties managed by Selig in Atlanta include adaptive reuse projects like The Works, The Shops of Buckhead, as well as Brookwood Place and Buckhead Square I and II.
Current tenants of Ansley Mall include Publix, The Cook’s Warehouse, and Brooklyn Bagel, among others.
As the community looks forward to the eventual opening of the pedestrian bridge and the new restaurant, it remains to be seen how these developments will enhance the shopping experience for both local residents and Beltline users alike.
image source from：atlanta
