Atlanta Business Chronicle – by Douglas Sams Staff writer

For decades, Peachtree Industrial Boulevard between Buckhead and Doraville was a stretch of highway marked by small manufacturing plants, warehouses and car dealerships — hardly the picture of city living.

But that picture is changing.

Developers are lining up along the corridor to launch real estate projects that could turn Peachtree Industrial into one of Atlanta’s hottest infill markets, with townhomes and condos from $300,000 to $500,000 and new stores. One of the latest sites that could fit that mold is Chamblee Plaza, a nearly 20-acre property being marketed for redevelopment.

Although the residential downturn could slow the corridor’s transformation, it is nevertheless under way — its potential spurred even more lately by rising gas prices, the public’s increased reliance on public transportation and developers writing new business plans that see transit-oriented developments as profitable pursuits.