Rendering of Hillcrest along Sandy Springs Circle, with ground-floor shops beside a plaza and greenspace. — Hillcrest’s planned shops and gathering space along Sandy Springs Circle. Rendering courtesy of Third & Urban / High Street Residential.

Salted Melon and Chastain Creamery are headed to Hillcrest, bringing a restaurant and an ice cream shop to the mixed-use development under construction beside City Springs in downtown Sandy Springs.

Developers Third & Urban and High Street Residential announced the first two retail tenants October 27. They are targeting a summer 2027 opening for the project, which occupies 8.1 acres south of Mount Vernon Highway at Sandy Springs Circle.

Hillcrest will combine 362 apartments, 30 rental townhomes and more than 19,000 square feet of retail arranged around a plaza and greenspace.

What the first two businesses will bring

Charlotte-based Salted Melon serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with salads, bowls, sandwiches, smoothies, pastries, coffee and tea. Hillcrest is planned as its second Atlanta-area location, following its Buckhead debut in February 2026.

Chastain Creamery will expand from Buckhead into a second Atlanta-area shop. Alongside ice cream and custom creations, the business offers selections made without gluten, dairy, nuts or added sugar.

Several more businesses are in lease negotiations, Third & Urban partner Hank Farmer said in the October 27 announcement.

A new block of downtown housing and shops

Construction is progressing on the former site of Sandy Springs United Methodist Church’s Hitson Center and adjoining land. Townhomes, retail spaces, the parking structure and portions of the apartment buildings have taken shape, while the five-story building along Mount Vernon Highway is beginning to rise, Rough Draft reported October 27.

The development steps down along Sandy Springs Circle to accommodate the sloping site. Planned rental townhomes will have two or three bedrooms, two-car garages and rooftop patios.

Hillcrest is also connected to the next phase of downtown development across the street. Sandy Springs recently selected Trammell Crow Company, through High Street Residential, to lead a team for the City Springs expansion, where the city is pursuing a hotel, housing, shops and gathering spaces.