Crescent Communities Breaks Ground on NOVEL Lulah Hills in Decatur
ATLANTA (March 23, 2026) – Crescent Communities, a nationally recognized, market-leading real estate investor, developer, and operator of mixed-use communities, in partnership with EDENS and NTT Urban Development, celebrated the official groundbreaking of NOVEL Lulah Hills, a transformative multifamily and retail community that marks the first vertical phase of the 78-acre Lulah Hills mixed-use development in Decatur, Georgia. NOVEL Lulah Hills will join premium retailers Anthropologie, Design Within Reach, Herman Miller, Solidcore, Firepit Pizza Tavern, Honeysuckle Gelato, Les Mains Nail Bar, LaserAway, and local favorite Refuge Coffee onsite.
Situated on the reimagined site of the former North DeKalb Mall, NOVEL Lulah Hills will bring 303 studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartment homes and over 39,000 square feet of vibrant ground-floor retail to the neighborhood. First residences are expected to deliver in late 2027.
Rooted in the dynamic energy of Atlanta’s east side, NOVEL Lulah Hills will reflect the character of a modern urban marketplace, blending cultural expression, community connection, and thoughtful design. The six-story community will feature a mix of modern amenities, including “The Mercantile Club,” an interactive resident hub; a resort-inspired courtyard and pool with cabanas and social spaces; a curated fitness studio known as “The Rose Room;” and “The Gathering Place,” a diner-inspired lounge.
“This groundbreaking represents a bold step forward in the evolution of Lulah Hills into a vibrant, connected, and community-driven destination,” said Eric Liebendorfer, Managing Director for Georgia at Crescent Communities. "Together with EDENS and NTT Urban Development, Crescent is reimagining spaces to turn them into future-oriented community assets, realizing a shared vision that embraces local culture and amplifies the future of Decatur.”
The larger Lulah Hills vision includes 1,800 residential units, over 300,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, a new Publix grocery, and multiple green spaces, each designed to connect seamlessly to neighborhood icons like the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve and Emory University.
Crescent Communities and EDENS have previously collaborated on dynamic developments together, including NOVEL Atherton in Charlotte’s Atherton Mill and NOVEL Upper Westside in Atlanta’s Moores Mill.
NOVEL Lulah Hills marks Crescent’s newest multifamily investment in the Atlanta region. NOVEL West Midtown has stabilized near the future Westside Beltline Trail and less than a mile from Westside Reservoir Park. Crescent Communities continues to grow its presence and offerings across the Atlanta metro area, with RENDER Stockbridge, RENDER Covington, and RENDER Turner Lake in Covington currently in lease-up. Additional communities – including RENDER Douglasville, NOVEL Blandtown and BTR community HARMON Cedar Run in Lawrenceville – are now under construction.
NTT Urban Development (NTTUD) is the capital partner on the project. NTTUD is a Japan-based real estate developer with a strong track record of investments across major U.S. markets, including New York, Boston, and Dallas. Building on their successful partnership on NOVEL Turtle Creek in Dallas, this project marks NTTUD’s second collaboration with Crescent Communities and represents NTTUD’s first investment in the Atlanta market. The development team includes design and construction partners Bandura Design (interior design), Dwell Design Studio (architecture), Fortune-Johnson (general contractor), Kimley-Horn (civil engineering and land planning), and LandDesign (landscape architecture).
Find renderings of NOVEL Lulah Hills and photos from the groundbreaking ceremony here.
###
About Crescent Communities:
Crescent Communities is a nationally recognized, market-leading real estate investor, developer, and operator of mixed-use “communities.” We specialize in place-making and create high-quality, differentiated multifamily and commercial developments in many of the fastest growing markets in the United States. Since 1963, our development portfolio has included more than 95 multifamily communities, 26 million square feet of commercial space and over 60 master planned communities. Crescent Communities has offices in Charlotte, DC, Atlanta, Orlando, Nashville, Dallas, Austin, Denver, and Phoenix. Our multifamily communities are branded NOVEL (urban), RENDER (suburban) and HARMON (build-to-rent) and our commercial developments are branded AXIAL (industrial), THE YIELD (life science) and BOWER (office).
