Cricket stadium bound for GA; Centennial Yards + Shake Shack; more!

Josh Green

Tue, 09/30/2025 – 13:53

LAGRANGE—Following years of splashy plans that never materialized, Georgia is finally getting a proper venue for the world’s second-most popular sport, according to development officials.

Atlanta developer Selig Enterprises expects construction to start this fall on LaGrange Cricket Stadium—the first privately owned U.S. cricket stadium, and just the fourth such venue in the country. Selig recently closed on the sale of a 45-acre parcel as part of Sola, its 180-acre mixed-use community in LaGrange, about an hour southwest of downtown Atlanta.

The Troup County complex is home to Great Wolf Lodge, a popular family waterpark destination, and an under-construction, four-story Marriott hotel (124 keys) that will feature a sports-focused food and beverage program.

South end aerial view of the planned cricket grounds. Courtesy of Selig Enterprises; designs, TVS

General location of the 45-acre development parcel in question for LaGrange Cricket Grounds, southwest of Atlanta. Google Maps

The land buyers are the founders of DAS Cricket Academy and NJ Blackcaps in New Jersey. They expect to complete construction on the stadium in the first quarter of 2027.

The open-air, 10,500-seat stadium (identified in renderings as LaGrange Cricket Grounds) will have the ability to expand and accommodate 25,000 fans at once. It will be regulated by the International Cricket Council to draw players from around the globe, per Selig officials.

The stadium will also feature a FIFA-regulated soccer field and will be capable of hosting a variety of events.

Courtesy of Selig Enterprises; designs, TVS

Great Wolf Lodge operates in the Sola complex’s northern parcel, and beyond the forthcoming hotel, Selig has added infrastructure to build 150,000 square feet of planned retail, offices, and both apartments and single-family houses. That retail component could see “everything from neighborhood amenities to fine dining concepts,” per Selig officials.

Courtesy of Selig Enterprises; designs, TVS

…

DOWNTOWN—Reasonably priced burgers and cold beer are bound for the biggest downtown redevelopment in generations.

The rising, $5-billion megaproject that is Centennial Yards has signed a long-term lease for the latest metro Atlanta location of Shake Shack, a popular, New York City-based fast-casual chain.

Shake Shack will take a 3,010-square-foot space that’s expected to open sometime next year, according to CIM Group and Centennial Yards Company officials.

Reps tell Urbanize Atlanta the burger and shakes concept will operate in the under-construction, 8-acre Entertainment District, specifically facing what will be known as the “fan zone.” The Entertainment District will fill a hole in the district’s fabric with roughly 470,000 square feet of new development, including dining, retail, a hotel, and “immersive venues,” per officials.

Urbanize Atlanta

Here’s the running tally of what’s cracking at Centennial Yards right now:

The 19-story The Mitchell apartment tower (304 units) opened earlier this year, joining adaptive-reuse residential component The Lofts at Centennial Yards South (162 units). The Hotel Phoenix tower, also 19 stories, is scheduled for completion later this year, with 292 keys. Cosm’s immersive sporting venue is forecasted to debut sometime next year, and a 5,300-seat Live Nation concert and events attraction is on pace to deliver in 2027.

In terms of food-and-beverage operators, Shake Shack will join Wild Leap Atlanta brewery and Khao Thai Isan, a Thai tapas concept from 26 Thai at the base of The Mitchell apartments, along with concepts at the hotel. More dining operators will be announced in coming months, per Centennial Yards Company reps.

…

AVONDALE ESTATES—Small-town brewery capital and general accolade magnet Avondale Estates was named the best place to retire in all of Georgia earlier this year by Niche, as Stacker and city officials recently relayed.

Niche gave the growing, walkable Dekalb County city of 3,535 an A+ grade for retirees, citing quietude, proximity to Atlanta, a thriving arts community, and greenery.

…

Follow us on social media:

Twitter / Facebook/and now: Instagram

• ARC: Metro Atlanta packed on nearly 65K more people in past year (Urbanize Atlanta)