An Atlanta developer is quietly lining up another big project in Buford, with plans for a new apartment community tucked just off the Mall of Georgia. The community, called Carrena, would add several hundred rental homes to one of the county’s busiest shopping corridors, joining a larger suburban multifamily push from Vida Companies this year. Early materials describe elevator-served, garden-style buildings with a mix of unit sizes, pitched to renters who want quick access to the mall and nearby employers.
As reported by Atlanta Business Chronicle, Carrena is slated to include about 289 apartments, with one, two and three-bedroom floorplans. The project is being positioned close to the Mall of Georgia retail corridor, where developers have been steadily stacking up new deals.
Site details and earlier plans
Over the past year, public records and trade coverage have shown the site and scope shifting as the plan evolved. Bisnow previously outlined a larger concept tied to a Financial Center Way parcel, listing the site at about 3172 Financial Center Way with a unit count in the low 330s, a sign that Vida has scaled or refined Carrena since its earliest filings. The differing addresses and counts in past reports point to a footprint that was still being finalized in public documents.
Financing and who’s building
Construction financing on Carrena has now closed. AltsWire reports that Citizens Bank is providing a $42.1 million senior construction note as part of a roughly $74.4 million capital stack. Vida has tapped CBG Building Company as general contractor, with Geheber Lewis Architects and other local consultants on the design and engineering side.
According to that report, Vida is targeting first units in fall 2027. Plans call for an amenity package that includes a saltwater pool, fitness and yoga spaces, a rooftop deck and a nature trail, the kind of checklist that has become standard for higher-end suburban complexes in Gwinnett.
Why developers are betting on northeast Gwinnett
Vida leadership argues that the Mall of Georgia area hits a rare sweet spot of jobs, shopping and recreation that keeps demand strong for new rentals. In an interview with What Now Atlanta, Vida president Joe Martinez pointed to those fundamentals as a key reason the company is concentrating multiple projects in the metro…