ATLANTA | Development Thread V

[A-town]

Why does The Wall Street Journal insist on bashing Atlanta? If they're not talking about the number of speculative office buildings that have gone up recently, they're talking about our finest hotels being vacant. I was in Las Vegas recently and counted five projects on the Strip that were either bankrupt, or ran out of funds and construction halted. While there I dined at Capital Grille and noticed how empty the place was. So this isn't a problem unique to Atlanta alone, it's occurring all across the country. But yet the people who write these articles feel the need to single Atlanta out like we're the only city going through a recession. So if The Wall Street Journal is going to publish these articles be fair and do it for every city because we are not alone.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204482304574219911116453136.html

[CokeisBomb]

Originally Posted by A-town

Why does The Wall Street Journal insist on bashing Atlanta? If they're not talking about the number of speculative office buildings that have gone up recently, they're talking about our finest hotels being vacant. I was in Las Vegas recently and counted five projects on the Strip that were either bankrupt, or ran out of funds and construction halted. While there I dined at Capital Grille and noticed how empty the place was. So this isn't a problem unique to Atlanta alone, it's occurring all across the country. But yet the people who write these articles feel the need to single Atlanta out like we're the only city going through a recession. So if The Wall Street Journal is going to publish these articles be fair and do it for every city because we are not alone.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204482304574219911116453136.html

I understand your frustration, but as i read the article, i got a different impression.

It sounded like the reviewer came to Atlanta planning on writing about his two experiences at our two new high-end hotels. The fact that they were empty is what he wrote about. I didn't get the feeling WSJ sent him down here hoping it'd be empty in an attempt to make things sound worse than they are.

If there are brand new empty hotels in Atlanta, I guess thats noteworthy. If the story about another planned hotel across the street is true, then I wouldn't worry about one persons experience at these hotels.

I drive past the St. Regis everyday, and the most noteworthy thing I see there is the protest about the carpenters pay or something.


Also, other than a recent blurb that Streets of Buckhead construction would start back up in "july" - has anyone heard anything?

Thanks

[nature's calling]

I really like the 50 Allen Plaza rendering. Is it getting built or did it get canceled??

[sevensixtwo]

Originally Posted by nature's message

Is it getting built or did it get canceled??

Nice false dichotomy. Barry is hoping to build it.

[AtlMidtowner]

Originally Posted by A-town

Why does The Wall Street Journal insist on bashing Atlanta?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204482304574219911116453136.html

To me the only interesting part of the article was that 17 of the 45 condos have not sold.....actually a number MUCH better than I expected considering the market.

[foxmccleod]

Originally Posted by nature's message

I really like the 50 Allen Plaza rendering. Is it getting built or did it get canceled??

It is still a go awaiting landing a tenant. Not sure about the financing situation.

[sevensixtwo]

And only 13 unsold at the St Regis? Thats great.

[BettyBowers]

Originally Posted by sevensixtwo

And only 13 unsold at the St Regis? Thats great.

You do realize that Realtors® include people they overhear saying, "I wouldn't mind having a condo at the St. Regis" in the "SOLD" column, don't you?

I ate at Ra in 1010 last night and really enjoyed it. The restaurant was very busy and has a wonderful street presence, as the main dinning area and the bar open out onto the sidewalk.

After dinner, we went to the bar at Palomar. The decor is a mix of 60s and 70s kitsch and rather unattractive, especially a large Georgia Tech painting at the end of the bar, which looked like it had been stolen from Jocks and Jills. I much preferred the rooftop bar, which has a very different atmosphere, with a wall of water and fire pits. It was a very pleasant change.

[atl2phx]

Originally Posted by A-town

Why does The Wall Street Journal insist on bashing Atlanta?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204482304574219911116453136.html

on the contrary, i think the review was an excellent piece of PR for atlanta and buckhead in particular. if i was promoting atlanta, buckhead, the mansion or the st. regis, i'd pay for that type of publicity in the WSJ.

of course both properties want rooms filled, bars buzzing and restaurants on a short wait, but there's also an advantage when guests paying a $500 room rate have a feeling of having certain common areas 'all to themselves'. many resorts and top rated hotels strive for a perception of exclusivity, privacy and personal service, all of which benefit when guest traffic is low.

[dirtybird]

Don't know when the writer was there but the St. Regis bar is one of the most popular places to go right now.

[sevensixtwo]

Yeah I ve been to RA twice already. I like the bass and all the wood.

[joecool]

Originally Posted by BettyBowers

You do realize that Realtors® include people they overhear saying, "I wouldn't mind having a condo at the St. Regis" in the "SOLD" column, don't you?

I ate at Ra in 1010 last night and really enjoyed it. The restaurant was very busy and has a wonderful street presence, as the main dinning area and the bar open out onto the sidewalk.

After dinner, we went to the bar at Palomar. The decor is a mix of 60s and 70s kitsch and rather unattractive, especially a large Georgia Tech painting at the end of the bar, which looked like it had been stolen from Jocks and Jills. I much preferred the rooftop bar, which has a very different atmosphere, with a wall of water and fire pits. It was a very pleasant change.

I heard about the rooftop bar. I think I may have to try it.

[A-town]

Originally Posted by CokeisBomb

I understand your frustration, but as i read the article, i got a different impression.

It sounded like the reviewer came to Atlanta planning on writing about his two experiences at our two new high-end hotels. The fact that they were empty is what he wrote about. I didn't get the feeling WSJ sent him down here hoping it'd be empty in an attempt to make things sound worse than they are.

If there are brand new empty hotels in Atlanta, I guess thats noteworthy. If the story about another planned hotel across the street is true, then I wouldn't worry about one persons experience at these hotels.

I drive past the St. Regis everyday, and the most noteworthy thing I see there is the protest about the carpenters pay or something.


Also, other than a recent blurb that Streets of Buckhead construction would start back up in "july" - has anyone heard anything?

Thanks

I understand where you're coming from, but the fact that the writer had to make such a big deal about the vacancy rate unnerves me. It's how she started the article and ended it, which leave a lasting impression on the reader. And was that last paragraph really necessary.....

[sunking1056]

Here's a few bits of info on downtown from a presentation by the head of Central Atlanta Progress yesterday. Some of it may be old news, but there's some interesting stuff:

-The city is applying for some of the discretionary transit stimulus money for the Peachtree streetcar

-Barbara Asher Square (Broad St. Plaza) will soon be undergoing a $500k renovation

-The pawn shop at the corner of Peachtree and Marietta is closing and GSU is looking to put a coffee shop there

-As part of the GreenLine, CAP is trying to get the state to give the giant whale parking deck to GSU for construction of new buildings. He said the deck, without significant repairs, has only a few years left

-The Carnegie Building is indeed being renovated for a boutique hotel, though I haven't noticed much activity there in the last couple months.

-He confirmed all we had heard about the former Macy's space (exhbition and event space in the basement, two restaurants signed on for the main level, Meehan's and something else). He also added that part of the mezzanine level is being used by the Westin and one of the upper floors is the new home of the Atlanta 911 call center.

-They are considering making Harris St and Baker St 2-way

-The Marietta streetscape project should begin this year, from Peachtree to the Omni hotel.

-A correction from the recent AJC article concerning the vendor stands: there will only be 3-4 of them in Woodruff Park, not 20 like the article said.

-A Publix had signed on to one of the Allen Plaza buildings before the economy tanked.

-About half of the funding for the Center for Civil and Human Rights has been raised.

Whew.

Also, does anyone (Terminus, perhaps?) know what is being constructed at Poplar and Cone? I assume it has something to do with the Appeals Court expansion into the building next door. The foundation is already poured. Also, on Fairlie, they've dug up the street and are doing work there as well.

[plorenc]

Also, does anyone (Terminus, perhaps?) know what is being constructed at Poplar and Cone? I assume it has something to do with the Appeals Court expansion into the building next door. The foundation is already poured. Also, on Fairlie, they've dug up the street and are doing work there as well.

From what I heard from a TSW employee at last week's CNU (I just have to say it), the government is building a one-story lobby or something to that effect. Disappointing, I know.

All that other news is quite encouraging, though! I love to see momentum forward in making downtown a liveable, complete community.

[Atlwest281]

If this has been talked about forgive me but when did they decide to move Taste of Atlanta? Dont get me wrong I think the new location is a great thing and slightly more accessible but why did they leave AS? FYI the new location is 5th street and technology square.

[jnihiser]

I did a quick drive-by to snap a pic of this building...I believe the cross streets are Piedmont and Auburn.

This area looks a little more like Fairlie-Poplar each passing month.

[boomtown]

Smith & Hawken garden chain considers Atlanta
By Rachel Tobin Ramos
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Struggling luxury garden retailer Smith & Hawken is considering moving its corporate headquarters from a San Francisco suburb to Atlanta.
The move would bring 120 jobs and a flagship store to Sembler’s under-construction mixed-use project, Town Brookhaven.
Pat Farrah, interim head of Smith & Hawken, said Monday, however, the headquarters won’t move if the company is not on sound financial footing.
“It’s all very speculative,” said Farrah, a co-founder of Atlanta-based Home Depot and retail guru tapped to help Smith & Hawken rebound.
“Assuming Smith & Hawken ends up being viable, Atlanta would probably be the No. 1 choice,” he said. “We need to make sure it would warrant moving.”
Austin, Texas, also has been considered for a change of venue, Farrah said.

Smith & Hawken would be a key tenant for Sembler’s project. Sembler is seeking a $52 million tax incentive from DeKalb County over 20 years.
Sembler President Jeff Fuqua said incentives from the county, as well as the state, would be key to attracting the Smith & Hawken headquarters, if the company decides to relocate.
“They can go to any city in the country to get all kinds of incentives,” Fuqua said.
He explained his current proposal for Town Brookhaven doesn’t assume a Smith & Hawken headquarters.
“If they decide they want to do it, we can expand the project to accommodate them,” said Fuqua.
Sembler would help woo Smith & Hawken by cutting the company a good deal.
Fuqua called the deal “tough economically for us, but what it does for the profile of our project outweighs the financial difficulties of it.”
The retail portion of Town Brookhaven is zoned for 600,000 square feet at a cost of $207 million and that could include the flagship store and offices for the retailer.

Smith & Hawken sells garden items from tools to furniture to bulbs in stores and online, as well as to other retailers. The company has two Georgia stores, one in Buckhead and one in East Cobb.
In a memo obtained using Georgia open records laws, Maria Mullins, the director of DeKalb’s Office of Economic Development, calls the potential headquarters move “Project JOSH.”
The memo says a Smith & Hawken headquarters would bring $12 million to $15 million in private investment and 130 to 170 high-paying jobs. (Farrah said the figure was 120 jobs.)
The confidential memo, written to Burrell Ellis, DeKalb County’s CEO, says Austin’s “incentives became very aggressive. We attempted to match.”
The DeKalb development agency did not wish to comment for this story.
The tax proposal is expected to be on the agenda of the DeKalb Development Authority board on Thursday.
Farrah is already well-known by some Atlantans. He joined Home Depot in the company’s early days, moving from Los Angeles to Atlanta just as founders Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank were opening their first four stores here.
Farrah helped develop the “big box” concept and became a key merchandiser and marketer for the chain.
At Smith & Hawken, Farrah was originally hired in an advisory capacity to, as he said, “do what I can to save it. It’s been a troubled company.”
That’s because Smith & Hawken’s high-end goods relied on luxury consumers and orders from fast-growing retail chains like Starbucks. Both markets have dried up during the recession.
Founded in Marin County, Calif., in 1979 by environmental guru Paul Hawken and catalog specialist Dave Smith, Smith & Hawken now is a division of The Scotts MiracleGro Co., a nearly $3 billion, publicly traded company based in Marysville, Ohio.
To right the ship at Smith & Hawken, Farrah has closed underperforming stores, slashed headquarters staff by 30 percent and cut employees’ salaries by 25 percent. The chain now has 56 stores.
Still, in the company’s second-quarter earnings report, Scotts reported Smith & Hawken lost $15 million year-to-date. Scotts has been looking for a buyer “on and off” for the chain for 18 months, said Farrah.
In the process, however, Farrah said he “fell in love” with Smith & Hawken.
“It’s a combination of buying time and seeking out a potential new owner,” said Farrah. “We’ve made some real strides to improve the company, but it’s a tough model to do particularly well in this economic climate.”

Moving the headquarters to Atlanta, however, could help Smith & Hawken recruit talented staff because the cost of living is so much lower than Marin County. Smith & Hawken is based in Novato, a bedroom community of San Francisco, where the median price for a single-family home was $402,000 in the first quarter of 2009, according to the National Association of Realtors.
In the Atlanta area, by comparison, the median price for a single-family home was $115,600.

[boomtown]

New ASO concert hall design won’t come from Calatrava
Celebrated Spanish architect won’t submit new design for project at new site
By Howard Pousner
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Whatever the future may hold for the proposed Atlanta Symphony Orchestra concert hall, acclaimed architect Santiago Calatrava will not be the designer.
A statement released to the AJC Tuesday by Calatrava’s American publicist made clear the architect has removed himself from the project: “In 2008, Mr. Calatrava was informed that the Symphony Center will be relocated to a new site. He was also told that a new master plan would be conceived for the site and proposals would be solicited for a new design for the project. Mr. Calatrava declined to participate in this process.”

The orchestra and Woodruff Arts Center unveiled the Spanish architect’s dramatic, $300 million vision for Symphony Center in 2005 when it intended to build on a 14th Street site.
But fund-raising stalled at $114 million, and the drive was halted two years ago. On Wednesday, the Woodruff Arts Center’s executive committee will vote on a 25-year master plan that would switch the hall site to the Woodruff campus, at Peachtree and 15th streets.
Calatrava’s original design featured a pair of hydraulic steel “wings” folded over the glass atrium that would open into a “V” during ASO concerts. Topped by an 18-story arch, it was billed as a new “postcard” for the city; one arts leader called it “a completely new architectural statement for Atlanta.”

At a media briefing Tuesday for the master plan — which includes an expansion of Alliance Theatre facilities, additional room for educational offerings, and new retail and pedestrian spaces — Woodruff president and CEO Joe Bankoff said concert hall donors remain committed.
But Penny McPhee, president of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, which has made the largest private pledge, at $35 million, said this week that it is letting the planning process extend before assessing its position.
“We want to support a world-class hall with the highest level of architectural design in whatever location ultimately proves most appropriate,” McPhee said. “Until a new design for the hall itself is forthcoming, we remain in a ‘wait and see’ mode.”
Based in Zurich, Calatrava rose to prominence for unusual structures that are aerodynamic and anthropomorphic. The Milwaukee Museum of Art’s Quadracci Pavilion, his first U.S. building, earned raves. Time magazine named the expansion the best design of 2001.
He has gone on to work frequently in the U.S. Current projects include a transportation hub proposed for ground zero at the former World Trade Center site in New York City. After its budget spiraled from $2 million to $3.2 million, the architect unveiled a redesign last month.
The University of South Florida Polytechnic announced Tuesday that Calatrava would design the first building for the school’s Lakeland campus.
The Woodruff has kept Calatrava’s fee private, but Bankoff said that some of the architect’s technical work is transferable to the new site.
Wednesday’s expected final approval of the Woodruff’s 25-year master plan could revive the concert hall drive that launched nearly a decade ago. No timetable was given at Tuesday’s briefiing, nor any information about an architectural selection process or fund-raising.
“This is a time of great uncertainty,” Bankoff said. “What we are doing is planning for the future, and we know what we want based on our strategic plan, as both the opportunity and the challenges permit.”

[plorenc]

Originally Posted by jnihiser

I did a quick drive-by to snap a pic of this building...I believe the cross streets are Piedmont and Auburn.

This area looks a little more like Fairlie-Poplar each passing month.

This is the new GSU Freshman Dorms Building at Edgewood and Piedmont. I agree with you, this area seems to have great potential to be a catalyst in the continuing rebirth of Downtown.