Forest Acres paves way for Richland Mall apartments, retail with new rules
The future of the Richland Mall site in Forest Acres, which is being redeveloped into a sweeping new retail and residential corridor, is now set out in city code.
Forest Acres City Council Tuesday approved guidelines for the Richland Mall redevelopment site, where developers are building a new Kroger grocery store, nearly 400 apartments, and 40,000 square feet of retail space.
That move allows for more densely built housing, clearing the way for the new apartments. It also lays out rules for walkability and limits things like drive-thru restaurants to the Beltline Boulevard side of the site to protect the pedestrian-friendly and boutique character developers and city leaders hope to see with the mall redevelopment.
Construction on the site is expected to begin in early 2026, with the apartments taking approximately 18-24 months to build and the grocery store taking approximately 18 months.
The Richland Mall redevelopment is happening in three phases, with the first two being built out at the same time. That includes the grocery store, apartments and retail space.
“Phase three is toward Beltline (Boulevard) and will largely be driven by the demand for what is built in phases 1 and 2,” Forest Acres Mayor Thomas Andrews wrote on social media as part of an update to the community.
The city is also planning a new park on the site, set to be the city’s largest park, which will be built in parallel with the first two phases of the mall project.
Crews began demolishing the former Richland Mall in 2024, which was almost entirely empty, beyond a Barnes and Noble bookstore and a Belk department store that both closed before demolition.
Forest Acres first announced the major redevelopment plans in 2022. Earlier this year, the city announced that Kroger would be the first tenant in the new district once the demolition of the mall and the build-out of the new buildings on the site are complete.
