Egbert Perry Plans Apartments for Former Atlanta Hospital

Hundreds of homes could rise in place of the former Atlanta Medical Center under a long-term redevelopment plan led by Egbert Perry’s Integral Group, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reported.

Demolition started this week at the 22-acre Old Fourth Ward site, which Wellstar Health System closed in 2022 and handed off to Integral for reuse.

The redevelopment, dubbed “BLVD Next,” would likely include a mix of market-rate and affordable housing totaling over 1,000 units, as well as retail, office and green space, Perry said.

The project is still in early planning stages and could take a decade to fully build out. “There’s no ticking time bomb,” Perry said. “We’re here to do it right — not fast.”

The redevelopment sits on Boulevard, a corridor once dismissed as the “hole in the donut” of intown Atlanta, but major public and private investment has come in recent years, spurred in part by the Eastside Trail of the Atlanta Beltline.

Perry said the aim is to deliver a project that respects the site’s community impact and incorporates needed neighborhood services. Early talks with developers have included the idea of launching the first phase with housing and a grocery store.

Not all of the former hospital buildings are being torn down, and some may still be reused for medical or wellness-related services. Wellstar, while stepping back from acute care on-site, plans to contribute to long-term healthcare solutions in the area.

The center’s closure stirred controversy in Atlanta due to its status as one of the city’s Level I trauma centers. The medical center’s financial struggles were cited as the key reason for shutting it down. Demolition briefly stalled earlier this year due to permitting issues, but those have since been resolved.

The vision Perry laid out reflects a broader regional push to convert underutilized institutional land into dense, walkable communities. But soaring construction costs and long entitlement timelines have brought hurdles to anchor-led redevelopments, especially when delivering on affordability promises across a multiyear phasing plan.

“This isn’t some outside investment play,” Perry said. “This is our hometown.”

— Judah Duke