Portman, best known for urban high-rises, plans apartments in Fairburn

Real estate development company Portman Holdings might be best known for high-rises defining the skylines of Atlanta, New York and Shanghai, but it’s looking at a more suburban setting for its next project.

Atlanta-based Portman said it will break ground later this month on a 332-unit mid-rise apartment community in Fairburn, about 20 miles southwest of downtown Atlanta.

The community will offer a variety of housing types across nine buildings and feature space for retailers, according to a news release.

Meadow Glen Village will have a town green intended for public use and events for residents. The green space will be flanked by two 6,000-square-foot retail buildings. The city hopes to see restaurants move into that space, according to Fairburn City Administrator Tony Phillips.

Atlanta-based Portman, founded by the late architect and developer John C. Portman Jr., is an international development firm best known in the region for high-rises, including the Westin Peachtree Plaza hotel, Peachtree Center and Georgia Tech’s Coda complex at Technology Square.

Fairburn, not far from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, has seen increased population growth and housing demand over the past decade. Fairburn had a population of about 16,700 as of 2023 — up about 21% from a decade prior, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“Given our proximity to an area that is growing in general, it carries the potential to attract new residents to the area that prefer this type of housing,” Phillips said.

Meadow Glen Village is one in a string of new developments, Phillips said. Specifically, it will be in the growing Ga. 74 corridor, near where the Georgia Department of Transportation is undertaking an $81 million interchange upgrade.

Portman has a national portfolio of more than 20,000 residential units, including Sora at Spring Quarter in Midtown. The company is in the early stages of pursuing other deals in the metro area as well, according to Harvey Wadsworth, Portman’s managing director for residential.

Historically, the company has been more focused on urban developments. As the cost of those developments has increased — both for construction and for the people living in them — Portman has pushed into suburban areas, where construction costs are lower.

“This is more in addition to what Portman is known for,” Wadsworth said.

Portman is working to integrate housing that is more affordable for the many demanding it with other desires like walkability, proximity to other amenities and green space, according to Wadsworth.