Armada Hoffler waits out pandemic to complete mixed-use project in suburban Atlanta

The pandemic had a devastating effect on developers’ plans for new projects, with countless developments being indefinitely stalled or canceled outright.

That was not the case with Southern Post in the Atlanta suburb of Roswell. Construction on the mixed-use project, led by Armada Hoffler Properties, started shortly after the pandemic’s outset in March 2020 and was mothballed until 2022. It finally opened in 2024.

Because of the developers’ persistence and ability to sign major office and retail leases, Southern Post was named commercial development of the year for Atlanta in the 2025 CoStar Impact Awards. An independent panel of industry professionals in the Atlanta market chose the winner.

Southern Post is located on the former site of Roswell Plaza, a shopping center where longtime breakfast spot Southern Skillet was located before closing in 2011. The city of Roswell searched for developers to remake the property with a design that emphasized the city’s heritage and historic downtown district.

The city of Roswell awarded the project in 2019 to SJC Ventures, which later formed a partnership with Armada Hoffler to proceed.

Vestis, a provider of workplace uniform rental services that was spun off from Aramark, has its headquarters at Southern Post after signing a 45,100-square-foot lease. The roster of retail tenants includes fitness club Bodyrok, therapy studio SweatHouz and Italian restaurant Grana.

About the project: The $126 million project, led by developer Armada Hoffler, a Virginia Beach, Virginia-based real estate investment trust, includes 90,000 square feet of loft-style offices, 40,000 square feet of retail, 128 luxury apartments and 10 townhouses.

What the judges said: “This very nice mixed-use development faced a difficult [construction] timeline, but is well-integrated into the fabric of Roswell,” said Michael Toma, economics professor at Georgia Southern University.

“Southern Post has been well received, an indication that it was the right project in the right location for a live-work-play development,” said Neil Matthee, manager of Southeast research at Newmark.

“While the U.S. office market has struggled, including in Atlanta, Southern Post recorded healthy activity from tenants of all sizes,” said Christa DiLalo, senior research director at Cushman & Wakefield.

They made it happen: Armada Hoffler’s Shawn Tibbetts, CEO, and Jennifer Harris, senior vice president of development.