Retail Lease-Up: The Falls of Oconee

Atlas Real Estate Advisors  /   March 24, 2025

In the early‑to‑mid‑2010s, Oconee County saw its first luxury student housing development in Athens Ridge, a 190‑unit, 784‑bedroom complex featuring amenities like fitness centers, shuttle service, and clubhouses—targeted primarily at University of Georgia students and young professionals. Across Old Macon Highway, developers envisioned a complementary mixed‑use retail center branded The Falls of Oconee. 

Construction & Development

Built around 2015, The Falls at Oconee emerged as a 10+ unit retail center situated directly across from Athens Ridge. The location was chosen to benefit from the pedestrian and vehicular traffic generated by the nearby student housing, but also to draw it local full-time residents from both Watkinsville and the Five-Points area of Athens.

The center features polished concrete flooring, masonry construction, and ample parking serving both retail and office tenants. Units range from ~1,200  sf to ~2,400  sf spaces, suitable for small retail, restaurants, or service businesses.

Tenant Mix & Lease‑Up

Once completed, the center quickly attracted a mix of local hospitality and creative retail:

• Amici at The Falls, a local pizza and wings eatery, opened as a dining anchor.

• Mama’s Boy Southern Fun Dining, another locally owned restaurant, set up shop nearby in the same center.

• Other tenants include boutique retailers like Dutchmans Designs, Nabo Realty, Elle Cee’s Salon & Spa and Level Up Games.

Atlas was involved from the inception of this project, originally meeting with the developers to look at blueprints and provide local market knowledge before ground-breaking ever occurred. The principals of Atlas were involved in the student housing component and the build-out and lease-up of the retail center.  Atlas eventually sold this center for the developer and now manages it for the new owner.