ATLANTA — A popular local bar appears to be spared as a developer changes track for its plans along a stretch of Ponce De Leon Ave. across from Ponce City Market.
11Alive's partners at The Atlanta Business Chronicle report the developer, Portman Holdings, canceled a deal to buy the properties that house the long-serving pub The Local and the Vesta Movement gym next door.
The Atlanta developer had planned to finalize the deal last week and backed out days before the scheduled closing, said Steven Dixey, managing partner of The Local.
For more than a year, Portman has been planning an office, retail and residential development on the bustling block of Ponce that includes The Local, night club MJQ and other restaurants and bars. The plan was met with criticism on social media when it went public last August. The proposal rekindled the citywide tension over preserving culture amid new development.
Portman still plans to place two buildings at Ponce de Leon Avenue and Ponce de Leon Place, land that is currently home to MJQ, a Chipotle, The Bookhouse Pub, Southern Star Tattoo and several other businesses. An adjacent lot that's part of the plan includes the buildings formerly used by venue Paris on Ponce and now-closed restaurant 8 Arm.
Charles Kerns, who owns the The Local and its land, said Portman was unable to strike an agreement with the landowner of a derelict structure with graffiti located in the middle of the original assemblage. Without that piece, Portman's project would have been split, said Kerns.