A New Heart for Brookhaven
Sembler creates restaurant, retail ‘village’
Atlanta Business Chronicle – by Rachael Tobin Ramos Staff Writer
Jeff Fuqua, president of retail developer The Sembler Co., is about to bring urban cuisine to the semi-suburban enclave north of Lenox Square.
For the mixed-use project that has been named Town: Brookhaven, Fuqua hopes to create a Virginia-Highland “north,” he said.
He’s lured nearly a dozen local restaurant concepts to his Brookhaven development, including Ray’s on the River, Nuevo Laredo Cantina, Atkins Park Tavern, Rolling Bones Premium Pit BBQ, San Francisco Coffee Roasting Co., The Real Chow Baby: New American Stir Fry, Genki Noodles and Sushi, Sogno Gelato, Raving Brands’ The Flying Biscuit Café and Moe’s Southwest Grill and Mirko Pasta, from a co-owner of the Figo pasta chain.
“I made the decision about 10 months ago not to align ourselves with national tenants,” said Fuqua. He’s also looking for 10 local fashion retailers, such as Bill Hallman.
The 600,000-square-foot, $500 million project in Brookhaven has been changing in response to the neighbors, said Fuqua. The site is on Peachtree Road, adjacent to Oglethorpe University.
Neighbors urged him to shelve plans for a high-rise, and to consider the local restaurant angle, he said, which he has done.
Brookhaven, a wealthy enclave north of Buckhead, for years had little more than a now-closed Jocks & Jills Sports Grill to satisfy the area’s hungry families, empty nesters and 2,000 Oglethorpe University students.
“There were no local, chef-driven restaurants,” said Fuqua.
Recently, the Jocks & Jills became Hudson Grille by Metrotainment Cafes, and several restaurants, including Valenza, have opened on Dresden Drive.
With construction of Town: Brookhaven, nearly 90,000 square feet of restaurants will change the culinary scene.
