Next Stop…Decatur notes the old look of the Pythagoras Mason Temple Building at the northeast corner of Clairemont and Ponce included street-level retail (specifically Glenn’s Pharmacy). This is actually the original layout/intent of the first floor, and a look at the current building (in a pic found in Next Stop’s post) shows that it would not be too difficult to revert the exterior of the building’s first floor back to street-level retail. The interior is probably another story.
I can only assume that the city would fully support such an initiative (especially if the change didn’t alter the exterior), but it’s probably up to the building’s owners (the Mason’s) to make the change.
As Next Stop notes, it would be a great extension of street-level retail along Ponce and Clairemont. Now…what to do about that really unfriendly Emory Clinic building on the northwest corner.