CUMMING, GA. — Atlantic Residential has made progress on Phase I of the retail plaza at The Crossing at Coal Mountain, a 140-acre mixed-use development underway in Cumming, a northern suburb of Atlanta. The project sits in the Coal Mountain region of north Forsyth County and will feature apartments, retail space and for-sale homes being developed in partnership with Toll Brothers. Atlantic Residential broke ground in July on the 47,000 square feet of shops, restaurants and entertainment space at the development, with plans to complete construction in summer 2026. Food-and-beverage concepts at The Crossing at Coal Mountain will make up 60 percent of the retail offerings, while the remaining 40 percent will include soft goods and services such as spas, salons, fitness concepts and a 20,000-square-foot pad ideal for a small-format grocery or market anchor, as well as other service-based businesses. Atlantic Residential has selected Jennifer Steffen and Matt Maloney of JLL to handle the retail leasing assignment at the development. Construction progress to date includes framing of the project’s mixed-use building up to its fifth level, two of the multifamily buildings and installation of roads and infrastructure.
Restaurant
WATCHUNG, N.J. — On behalf of an undisclosed landlord, Levin Management Corp. (LMC) has welcomed four new tenants to the 420,000-square-foot Blue Star Shopping Center in the Northern New Jersey community of Watchung. The leases with Burlington, Taco Bell, Nail Spa & Beyond and Marshalls total roughly 62,200 square feet. Marshalls will relocate to a 27,000-square-foot portion of a building formerly occupied by ShopRite, which is also being redeveloped to accommodate Burlington. Additionally, Taco Bell has opened a 2,900-square-foot restaurant, while Nail Spa & Beyond will operate a 5,800-square-foot salon. E.J. Moawad of LMC represented ownership in the lease negotiations. Cliff Simon of CNS represented Burlington, while Jerry Welkis and Stephan Miller of Welco Realty represented Marshalls. Bob Delia of Summit Realty represented Taco Bell.
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles-based Prime Pizza, a rapidly expanding New York-style pizza restaurant, has signed leases for five new locations in Southern California. The locations are at Alicia Landing Shopping Center in Mission Viejo; Gaslight Square in Brea; Farmers & Merchants Bank Center in Torrance; and two freestanding locations, one in Thousand Oaks and another in Valley Village, Calif. Mark Seferian of RCI Brokerage represented Prime Pizza in the transactions, which ranged from 1,256 to 1,951 square feet. The Mission Viejo and Brea locations are slated to open in the fourth quarter of 2025, while the Valley Village, Thousand Oaks and Torrance locations will open during the second quarter of 2026.
TYSONS, VA. — The Meridian Group has signed five retailers to join the tenant lineup at The Boro, a transit-oriented, mixed-use development in the Northern Virginia city of Tysons. The new tenants include TileBar, Game Show Battle Rooms, Fava Pot, California Closets and NOVA Plastic Surgery & Dermatology. All five retailers plan to open their locations between late 2025 and early 2026. Ed Crilley of H&R Retail handles the retail leasing assignment at The Boro on behalf of ownership.
LENEXA, KAN. — Owner Copaken Brooks has unveiled two new tenants joining the District at Lenexa City Center — NEAT. Cocktail Bar and The Groom Gallery. The cocktail bar will open in winter 2025 in a 1,250-square-foot space that was formerly home to Savoy Tea. Block & Co. Inc. Realtors represented Neat Craft Cocktails in the lease. The Groom Gallery, a full-service pet grooming concept with six locations throughout the metro area, signed a lease for 1,312 square feet and anticipates opening in the first quarter of 2026. The District location will serve as a relocation of the company’s existing Lenexa site. Peak Real Estate Partners represented the tenant. Erin Johnston of Copaken Brooks was the landlord representative on both deals.
ATLANTA — Coro Realty has sold a newly constructed restaurant located at 3234 Peachtree Road NE in Atlanta’s Buckhead district. Chick-fil-A occupies the property on a 15-year, corporate-guaranteed ground lease. The buyer and sales price were not disclosed. Chris Bosworth and Matt Karempelis of CBRE brokered the transaction. The 5,200-square-foot restaurant is situated on 1.4 acres near the intersection of Peachtree and Piedmont roads. The Chick-fil-A, which opened in May, serves as an outparcel at Buckhead Place, a mixed-use campus that houses Marshalls, LA Fitness, Five Below, Salon Studios Beauty Mall, Amalfi Pizza and Red Phone Booth. Upcoming components at Buckhead Place include the 20-story Tower on Piedmont apartments, 171-room Hyatt Place hotel, 186-room Hampton Inn hotel and the recently delivered, 291-unit Beverly by Alta apartment community that features a three-story parking deck.
CHICAGO — Lee & Associates of Illinois has negotiated a 4,500-square-foot restaurant lease at 2535 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood. The tenant, ManSun, is an authentic Korean restaurant. This will be the proprietor’s second restaurant, following New Village Gastro Pub in Northbrook. Rick Scardino and Michael Petrik of Lee & Associates represented the tenant in the lease. Amanda Shafer of Emerging Concepts represented the landlord, an entity doing business as 2M Square FB LLC.
ATLANTA AND CHICAGO — Convenience retailer RaceTrac Inc. has entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire all outstanding shares of fast-casual sandwich chain Potbelly Corp. (NASDAQ: PBPB) for $17.12 per share. The all-cash transaction is valued at roughly $566 million, representing a premium of approximately 47 percent to Potbelly’s 90-day volume-weighted average price as of Sept. 9. The acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. Founded more than 40 years ago in Chicago, Potbelly sells toasted sandwiches, salads, soups and hand-dipped milkshakes. The sandwich shop chain currently maintains more than 445 company and franchise-owned locations across the United States, with a long-term goal of reaching 2,000 shops. “We have positioned Potbelly for accelerated franchise-led growth in recent years, and this transaction fortifies our path while delivering certain and immediate value to our shareholders,” says Bob Wright, president and CEO of Potbelly. Wright, a former Wendy’s executive, led a turnaround of Potbelly during the pandemic, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. Expanding the franchisee base was a major part of the strategy. Atlanta-based RaceTrac, one of the largest privately held companies in the United States, operates more than 800 convenience stores …
LENEXA, KAN. — Copaken Brooks has announced that three new restaurants are coming to the AdventHealth Campus at Lenexa City Center in Kansas. Five Four, Urban Egg and Stoney River Steakhouse and Grill will open between 2026 and 2027. AdventHealth in Lenexa offers emergency care, outpatient services, advanced imaging and physician offices. Formerly 54th Street, Five Four will introduce the newest prototype of the Kansas City-based restaurant with a 10,000-square-fot standalone building with both indoor dining and an outdoor games area. Slated to open in fall 2026, this will be Five Four’s ninth metro location and second in Johnson County. Ferguson Properties represented the restaurant in the lease. Urban Egg, a Colorado-founded breakfast and brunch concept with 11 locations across three states, will occupy a 3,400-square-foot restaurant. The Lenexa location is slated to open in late 2026. The Retail Group represented Urban Egg in the lease. Stoney River, owned by SPB Hospitality, will make its Kansas City debut in an 8,000-square-foot space. The steakhouse is slated to open in early 2027. Pace Properties represented the tenant. Urban Egg and Stoney River will be located within a new mixed-use building, which Copaken Brooks will begin constructing in October. The property will …
Orlando has emerged as one of the Southeast’s most competitive retail markets, where robust tenant demand and limited supply are driving both leasing velocity and investor urgency. With availability near historic lows below 4 percent and most new construction preleased, the market offers few options for the wave of private and institutional capital targeting Central Florida. This imbalance is fueled by strong population growth and resilient consumer spending. Quality retail assets continue to trade quickly, while lower-tier properties remain on the market longer. Buyer pricing remains grounded in fundamentals, and the gap between buyers and sellers has narrowed, making deals increasingly feasible. Investment activity has accelerated in 2025, following 12 to 18 months of steady engagement from private capital. Institutional buyers, including REITs and national funds, are now re-entering the market, primarily targeting stabilized assets in high-growth suburban corridors where tenant rosters offer long-term income visibility. Unanchored and grocery-anchored centers remain in high demand, especially in infill locations with constrained supply and strong population growth. While investor appetite is strong, today’s environment has created a bifurcated market. Well-located, quality centers continue to trade quickly, often with multiple offers, while less desirable assets linger. 1031 exchange buyers and out-of-state groups remain …