Redevelopment of former ‘Murder Kroger’ site begins

The Kroger on the Beltline, often referred to by its infamous moniker of “Murder Kroger”, is being torn down to make way for a new mixed-use project.
City officials recently celebrated the start of the redevelopment of the site. The new development will be called 725 Ponce.
“The new $188 million property, along the Atlanta BeltLine’s Eastside Trail, will bring an urban and modern 60,000 square foot Kroger store and approximately 360,000 square feet of mixed-use development to fruition,” a press release from the city says.
It will include 350,000 square feet of office space and 10,000 square feet of retail space.
“In addition, the tower and new Kroger will be constructed on top of a three-story underground parking deck, which will fill a need for additional public parking near the Atlanta BeltLine, Ponce City Market and Old Fourth Ward Park,” the press release says.
The city estimates there will be a $268 million total economic impact from the redevelopment. New City Properties purchased 5.5 acres for the project. New City was founded by Jim Irwin, the previous senior vice president for Jamestown Properties which revitalized Ponce City Market. The city sold its former City Hall East location to Jamestown $27 million. The developer, in turn, pumped $300 million into the project, making Ponce City Market the premiere mixed use development in the city.
The Atlanta Business Chronicle reported that New City recently secured an $80 million construction loan for the project.
The old Kroger store, which opened in 1986, had recently received a $2.5 million face lift, was rebranded as the “Beltline Kroger” prior to the decision to knock the store down. It was dubbed “Murder Kroger” by shoppers due to a series of bizarre events at the sore: a murder that occurred in the parking lot in the 1990’s and a dead body that was discovered there in 2002. Not long after the store was rebranded as Beltline Kroger, there was another murder in the store’s parking lot.
Despite the store’s macabre past, Atlantans had a soft spot for it. Before it was knocked down, residents said goodbye by holding a candlelight vigil.