Buckhead’s Phipps Plaza mall has announced a major expansion. Anchored by a hotel and restaurant, the expansion will also include a 12-story office tower and fitness center.
Nobu will operate both the restaurant and 150-room hotel, which is planned to have a rooftop pool, corporate conference space and spa facilities. Life Time will open a 90,000 square foot athletic facility, which would have yoga and cycle classes, a spa and a rooftop pool, Simon Property Group, the owner of the mall, announced Nov. 14.
Parts of the expansion will begin to open in 2020, according to a press release. Mall operations will not be affected, the release said.
The expansion is planned for the site of the current Belk store, which is slated to close in summer 2018. Belk spokesperson Andy Izquierdo said the decision to close the store was made before talks of the expansion and was made “on our own.” A specific date has not been set, he said.
The Belk store will not reopen at another location, Izquierdo said. There are already 20 Belk locations in Atlanta and the metro area, and the company will allow employees, who were notified Nov. 13 of the closure, to continue working at a different location, Izquierdo said.
The expansion of Phipps Plaza, located on Peachtree Road near sister mall Lenox Square, comes after interior and exterior renovations completed in recent years.
Mayor Kasim Reed said in a press release that the “project at Phipps Plaza is another example of the company’s ongoing commitment to and investment in Atlanta.”
“As the Buckhead community continues to grow, projects like this will help create greater connectivity to the amenities our residents and visitors want – as well as more opportunities for businesses to thrive,” Reed said in the release.
