CREATING SPACES TO THRIVE WITHIN
ABOUT
After leaving her corporate career in 2016, Melissa Uppelschoten founded Up Atlanta Properties, LLC to return to her roots in project management, foster her love of home renovations and seek more balance for her family. Through overseeing the renovation of her then family home (kitchen pictured on this page), she uncovered her passion for creating living spaces where people can thrive.
Melissa started with purchasing homes that require tender loving care, renovating them with quality partners and making them available to those who share her love of in-town Atlanta! She strives to keep as many or the original architectural elements as possible. (See Projects) Melissa does her best to uncover the history of the homes.
Melissa's current focus is multi-family pocket communities. She and her husband are committed to providing affordable in-town housing - concentrating on senior citizens and young adults. It is their belief that everyone deserves to live in a home that they feel safe in and proud of, regardless of their net-worth.
MS TATE COMMONS
Up Atlanta Properties LLC, is on a mission to put a dent in the affordable housing crisis in Atlanta, focusing on serving seniors and young adults. As a student at Georgia Tech in the early 90’s, she met Ms. Marguerite Tate while delivering Meals on Wheels to seniors at the Atlanta Housing Authority's Roosevelt House. Ms. Tate is one of many seniors that helped shape the person Melissa has become today, and has inspired her to envision a community where seniors and college-aged students thrive together.
Thanks for the collaboration of the Rosedale Heights community in south Atlanta, Melissa’s proposed solution is a pocket neighborhood with a 2 story house for young adults in the front of the property, with four smaller ADA compliant affordable homes for seniors to the rear of the property. She will seek unique approaches to foster the relationship between the young adults and seniors. Recently Melissa met with Socius Intergenerational Housing in Utrecht, the Netherlands to gain insights on their successful approach to intergenerational living.
Latest update - Zoning Committee voted in favor on May 23, 2022.
Next step - City Council vote on June 6. Gathering estimates for sewer line installation.
PAST REHAB PROJECTS
REFERENCES
I can’t say enough wonderful things about Melissa. My husband and I started out as tenants in one of her rental properties in Westview Atlanta. She did a phenomenal job with renovating the home. Very clean, sleek, modern and kept so much of the homes character. She was hands down the best landlord we’ve had. She is kind, considerate, professional, organized and was responsive to any issues that came up in the home. No matter the issue she was always proactive and would have someone out taking care of the problem within the next day or two. At one point we had a tree that became a hazard in the front yard of the house. As soon as we let her know about it she had someone out within a couple days cutting it down. I can’t express how much relief that gave us. We had the same issue in a previous rental property in Atlanta and the landlord never addressed the issue. We were constantly worried about a bad storm coming through causing it to come down us. It’s also the little things and details that showed how much she cared. Such as welcome flowers, cards, the gift card she sent my husband and I after we had our daughter. She really cares and it shows.
After living in Melissa’s home for 3 years my husband and I knew that we wanted to make it our permanent residence. Not only did we love it because of her beautiful restoration work but we knew how well she had taken care of the property and we would get a home that was cared for with love. We expressed our interest and the rest was history. Melissa and her husband made the entire transition from renter to buyer an absolute dream. They were fair, reasonable and supportive. We are forever grateful to them.
Elisa
Proud First-time Home Buyer
"I had the privilege to work with Melissa when doing a big renovation of and addition to her personal home in Candler Park. To say that "she was one of my favorite clients" is an understatement. She was very organized, quick to make decisions, kept changes to a minimum, and provided all finish items when and most times before needed. In addition to that, her helpful, upbeat personality throughout the project, even during those last harried days before move in, was a calming force both I and my sub-contractors really appreciated. Would LOVE the opportunity to work with her again!!"
Cindy Brillante
General Contractor and Owner of Southern Home Restorations, LLC
"I worked with Melissa Uppelschoten as the architectural designer for her home renovation and addition and thoroughly enjoyed working with her. Melissa thoughtfully considered her goals and actions, communicated clearly, was very responsive and a great listener. She quickly absorbed new knowledge about zoning, construction, energy efficiency of homes and such, and she applied that knowledge to make clear decisions. Her exceptional skills to lead and coordinate and her positive and cooperative personality will bring any project she is involved in to the desired fruition. "
Ute Banse
Architect and Owner of Ute Design