A 31-acre industrial site at 352 University Avenue will undergo a massive redevelopment starting in 2018.

The project, located on property owned by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, will be called Pittsburgh Yards.

“Within the next decade, the Annie E. Casey Foundation hopes to transform the 31-acre property, located in Atlanta’s Pittsburgh neighborhood, into a vibrant space where residents can work, shop, create and play,” the Foundation said.

The property is adjacent to the Atlanta Beltline and close to downtown Atlanta.

The Foundation has hired Columbia Core Partners to develop the site.

“Phase one of redevelopment will focus on the eastern side of the site — which contains the property’s only existing structure — and give rise to a small business space and maker hub,” the Foundation said. “In addition to fueling job creation and entrepreneurship, this building will also host neighborhood functions and serve as the eventual home of the Foundation’s Atlanta Civic Site office.”

A focus of the project is ensuring that its benefits are seen in the local community.

“The Casey Foundation and Columbia Core Partners are also committed to helping residents reap the highest economic gains possible in connection with the site’s redevelopment,” the Foundation said. “Accordingly, the Foundation is leveraging existing partnerships with workforce providers like the Center for Working Families, Inc. and Construction Ready to ensure that residents secure construction-related and permanent jobs at the site and that local, minority- and women-owned businesses obtain subcontracting opportunities at every point in the project’s evolution.”

The property was purchased in 2006.

“The 352 site and the surrounding neighborhood have a rich history,” the Foundation said. “Prior to any development, Clark College’s agricultural department used it as farmland. Following that, the Great Southern Trucking Terminal was built. When it opened in 1951, it was the largest trucking terminal in the world.

“During the foreclosure crisis and economic recession, the Foundation demolished dilapidated structures on the site and conducted multiple phases of environmental studies. The Foundation also engaged residents in an extensive process to explore development goals and possibilities for the site.”