Up to six artificial Caribbean-style lagoons could be coming to the Atlanta area following an agreement between Atlanta developer Tenth Street Ventures, Crystal Lagoons and Atlanta-based private equity firm EcoVest Capital Inc.
The exclusivity agreement creates EcoWave 10 LLC, which will have the right to develop Crystal Lagoons’ trademarked Public Access Lagoon (PAL) destinations within a 100-mile radius of Atlanta, including Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Athens, Georgia, as well as Charlotte, N.C.
Crystal Lagoons says its patented technology allows the creation of sustainable destination water features with turquoise water, white sand and water sports. The PAL projects often include multifamily residences, hotels, retail and other mixed-use amenities.
“Our artificial lagoons and PAL™ projects have been a real hit with the U.S. public and have quickly caught on, especially in Florida and Texas,” Crystal Lagoons U.S. Senior Vice President of Sales Ivan Manzur said in a press release. “People in Georgia and North Carolina, faced with hot and humid summers, will now be able to enjoy tropical beach life just steps from their homes.”
Tenth Street has been an active multifamily developer in Atlanta recently. It proposed a 20-story mixed-use tower for Midtown and just held a ribbon-cutting for 12Hundred Studios, a 40-unit affordable-housing community in Hunter Hills.
Crystal Lagoons touts the environmental sustainability of its parks, which are one-time-fill, closed-loop reservoirs that can use any type of water (sea, brackish and fresh). The lagoons use up to 100 times fewer chemicals than the average swimming pool and 2% of the energy of a conventional filtration system, the company says.
“Crystal Lagoons is one of the most intriguing concepts I’ve seen,” Tenth Street principal Brian McCarthy said. “It creates a water feature that’s truly sustainable, open to all and builds a beachfront for further development. We can’t wait to bring the first Crystal Lagoons destinations to Atlanta, Chattanooga, Athens and North Carolina.”