Atlanta Project Thread IV

[joecool]

Originally Posted by smArTaLlone

Rendering of Camden Paces that will be built at 77 E Andrews Ave, site of the old 'The Paces' apartments in Buckhead.

WOW! LOVE that!!!

[smArTaLlone]

At Tuesday’s Midtown SPI-16 & SPI-17 Development Review Committee (DRC) meeting, the committee heard plans about a pair of projects that would encompass the majority of two highly visible blocks in south Midtown.

Neither plan was voted on and both groups indicated they would return next month to present revision plans following suggestions by the committee. And while the DRC was complimentary to both groups, it also recommended to both to return in August with plans that included “more interaction with the street.”

rendering of 131 Ponce de Leon Avenue project



Midtown Patch

[joecool]

Yuck! Looks cheap. I was hoping for a taller high rise... /=

[Inman Parker]

Yeah, wish the two buildings would be switched. The beatiful buckhead building is going in an area that no one cares about and the prime midtown space looks like something in the suburbs.

[(four 0 four)]

Originally Posted by joecool

WOW! LOVE that!!!

WOW, indeed! Not too much foofyness and doesn't look like something that will appear outdated in a few years (unlike the 131 Ponce apartments)...I hope it moves from paper to brick and still looks that good. I'm assuming there will be more than one building since it's such a big property. The article said there may be street level retail but it's not shown in this rendering. I poked around several Camden websites and couldn't find any additional information.

[David1502]

Originally Posted by Inman Parker

Yeah, wish the two buildings would be switched. The beatiful buckhead building is going in an area that no one cares about and the prime midtown space looks like something in the suburbs.

I wouldn't say that "the beautiful buckhead building is going in an area that no one cares about." It just happens to be going on West Paces Ferry Rd. (The lot is at the corner of East Andrews and West Paces Ferry) which is the most prestigious and most expensive street address in the Atlanta area (as well as being one of the most expensive south of Washington,DC). I do recall the GA Governor's mansion being just down the street.

Ponce De Leon Ave. hardly compares to Buckhead. With it's mix of apartments and aging businesses, it's not in the same league.

The problem with these forums is that so many posters act as if the close in areas (Downtown, OFW. Inman Park, Decatur, and Midtown) are the only desirable locations in the Metro Atlanta area. There is also a disdain for anything that is in the suburbs, as if it is inherently inferior because it happens to be located outside of 285 (regardless of its architecture).

[joecool]

I have to agree, I'd rather see that in Midtown. I honestly hope that the Ponce development gets canceled as well as the cancer center on P'tree. Hope something better comes along for both sites. I can't even tell you how furious I am that the Fox got canceled and now it's getting replaced with a 2 story Cancer center... UGH!!!

[Sketching]

The 131 Ponce apartments are so disappointing in their design. I would rather see a Novare cookie cutter tower than these stick built apartments and the pool atop the Gulf Oil (Pei) building is just so sad it is funny.

[smArTaLlone]

Originally Posted by (four 0 four)

WOW, indeed! Not too much foofyness and doesn't look like something that will appear outdated in a few years (unlike the 131 Ponce apartments)...I hope it moves from paper to brick and still looks that good. I'm assuming there will be more than one building since it's such a big property. The article said there may be street level retail but it's not shown in this rendering. I poked around several Camden websites and couldn't find any additional information.

There will be two buildings in this phase. As I understand it, the street level retail could possibly be a part of a later phase but they do not yet have definitive plans for the rest of the site.

[Inman Parker]

Originally Posted by David1502

I wouldn't say that "the beautiful buckhead building is going in an area that no one cares about." It just happens to be going on West Paces Ferry Rd. (The lot is at the corner of East Andrews and West Paces Ferry) which is the most prestigious and most expensive street address in the Atlanta area (as well as being one of the most expensive south of Washington,DC). I do recall the GA Governor's mansion being just down the street.

Ponce De Leon Ave. hardly compares to Buckhead. With it's mix of apartments and aging businesses, it's not in the same league.

The problem with these forums is that so many posters act as if the close in areas (Downtown, OFW. Inman Park, Decatur, and Midtown) are the only desirable locations in the Metro Atlanta area. There is also a disdain for anything that is in the suburbs, as if it is inherently inferior because it happens to be located outside of 285 (regardless of its architecture).

Believe what you would like. From my experience, most 20 and 30 somethings dont want to live in Buckhead. Lets face it, its a bunch of disconnected high rises that lack street activity and are situated around an 80s style shopping mall. The traffic is a nightmare and really its not the easiest place to get to. If Atlanta is going to continue to attract young minds, building up midtown and downtown needs to be the priority.

[joecool]

Originally Posted by Inman Parker

Believe what you would like. From my experience, most 20 and 30 somethings dont want to live in Buckhead. Lets face it, its a bunch of disconnected high rises that lack street activity and are situated around an 80s style shopping mall. The traffic is a nightmare and really its not the easiest place to get to. If Atlanta is going to continue to attract young minds, building up midtown and downtown needs to be the priority.

Yeah, I agree! I would rather see more development in Downtown/Midtown than I would in Buckhead. Buckhead seems to be getting all the good stuff but with that said we'll take what we can get where we can get it, lol.

[TarHeelJ]

Originally Posted by Inman Parker

Believe what you would like. From my experience, most 20 and 30 somethings dont want to live in Buckhead. Lets face it, its a bunch of disconnected high rises that lack street activity and are situated around an 80s style shopping mall. The traffic is a nightmare and really its not the easiest place to get to. If Atlanta is going to continue to attract young minds, building up midtown and downtown needs to be the priority.

Well everyone doesn't have identical priorities. Building up downtown and Midtown may be a priority for you and me, but others can have different ideas and that's okay too. Free country and all.

I've got some more news for you...Lenox Square is certainly NOT just some "80s style shopping mall" as I'm sure you are aware. It is one of the premier shopping destinations of the southeast and a decades-old Atlanta icon. I'm no fan of malls, but Lenox is no run-of-the-mill mall and shouldn't be characterized as such.

[Inman Parker]

Originally Posted by TarHeelJ

Well everyone doesn't have identical priorities. Building up downtown and Midtown may be a priority for you and me, but others can have different ideas and that's okay too. Free country and all.

I've got some more news for you...Lenox Square is certainly NOT just some "80s style shopping mall" as I'm sure you are aware. It is one of the premier shopping destinations of the southeast and a decades-old Atlanta icon. I'm no fan of malls, but Lenox is no run-of-the-mill mall and shouldn't be characterized as such.

This is exactly my point. Lenox isn't iconic, its just a shopping mall. Every major city in the country has at least one shopping mall as good or better than lenox and its usually not considered a hip thing to live next to it. As long as we in Atlanta consider the lenox area a place to be, we will continue to set our bar way too low.

[RudyJK]

Originally Posted by Inman Parker

This is exactly my point. Lenox isn't iconic, its just a shopping mall. Every major city in the country has at least one shopping mall as good or better than lenox and its usually not considered a hip thing to live next to it. As long as we in Atlanta consider the lenox area a place to be, we will continue to set our bar way too low.

Sorry, but the last sentence in your statement really bothers me Parker.

Who is the 'we' that you are referring to? Why does it bother you that some citizens like to live in the Lenox neighborhood? The bar is low if you make that choice? Says who?

There seem to be so many on this site that don't recognize that not everyone desires the same urban experience that they do; there's a 'my way only' attitude that prevails. Personally, I think it's great that there are so many living choices in our area. I grew up in West Cobb when it was distinctly rural, lived in Midtown for 20+ years and am now in slightly more bucolic residential west Buckhead. They all have their plusses and minuses. I don't belittle anyone for choosing one over the other.

TSplost is another example. Many are griping because the always disdained suburbanites are not chomping at the bit to support a tax increase that will greatly benefit the city but not so much the suburbs. They are chastised for failing to see how great the Beltline will be or how wonderful the Clifton corridor is and are accused of being myopic - for not valuing the city of Atlanta enough to help support it's infrastructure. Why are we not talking about the great projects in Acworth, or Riverdale, or Snellville, or Woodstock? Because there are none. It may come as a shock to some of you, but not everyone in the metro area is as reliant on the city as you think. I have friends and relatives who come downtown maybe once every 5 years. They don't feel they are missing much...and I am not going to argue with them.

I guess my point is, not everyone is the same...thank God. Don't treat them so.

[Inman Parker]

Originally Posted by RudyJK

Sorry, but the last sentence in your statement really bothers me Parker.

Who is the 'we' that you are referring to? Why does it bother you that some citizens like to live in the Lenox neighborhood? The bar is low if you make that choice? Says who?

There seem to be so many on this site that don't recognize that not everyone desires the same urban experience that they do; there's a 'my way only' attitude that prevails. Personally, I think it's great that there are so many living choices in our area. I grew up in West Cobb when it was distinctly rural, lived in Midtown for 20+ years and am now in slightly more bucolic residential west Buckhead. They all have their plusses and minuses. I don't belittle anyone for choosing one over the other.

TSplost is another example. Many are griping because the always disdained suburbanites are not chomping at the bit to support a tax increase that will greatly benefit the city but not so much the suburbs. They are chastised for failing to see how great the Beltline will be or how wonderful the Clifton corridor is and are accused of being myopic - for not valuing the city of Atlanta enough to help support it's infrastructure. Why are we not talking about the great projects in Acworth, or Riverdale, or Snellville, or Woodstock? Because there are none. It may come as a shock to some of you, but not everyone in the metro area is as reliant on the city as you think. I have friends and relatives who come downtown maybe once every 5 years. They don't feel they are missing much...and I am not going to argue with them.

I guess my point is, not everyone is the same...thank God. Don't treat them so.

I have no problem with people wanting to live in Buckhead/lenox area. My problem is putting major business/jobs centers all over the place. If Atlanta were more centralized, it would be a lot easier to do the transportation projects and, IMO, would create a much higher quality of life. It doesnt make any sense to stretch resources across the city, while we really dont have a solid core.

As far as tsplost, why would we build transit from the suburbs before we have the intown infrastructure to accomodate them when they get into the city? It doesnt do any good to take a train to midtown when your end destination is to meet a friend for dinner in the highlands. I think we all would love to have a comprehensive system where people from suburbs could ride a commuter train in for work and not need a car when they get into town, but people wont ride the commuter trains if they dont go where they need them to. It is the same issue that I have with developing Buckhead before we have a more comprehensive central area of the city, which IMO would be downtown/midtown. Spreading the resources around the city makes it more difficult for the city to do anything (cops, transit, shopping, conventions, etc).

[smArTaLlone]

I gotta say, I am envious of all these Buckhead apartment projects and wish that similarly designed projects would be built in and around Midtown / Downtown.


92 West Paces Ferry Apartments


The Paces


Circle at Terminus

[TarHeelJ]

Originally Posted by Inman Parker

This is exactly my point. Lenox isn't iconic, its just a shopping mall. Every major city in the country has at least one shopping mall as good or better than lenox and its usually not considered a hip thing to live next to it. As long as we in Atlanta consider the lenox area a place to be, we will continue to set our bar way too low.

You are incorrect...Lenox IS iconic and is the premier shopping destination of the Southeast. It's fine if you don't think so, but if the majority feels that way then it is - that's what makes something iconic. You might also think that the Eiffel Tower is just an observation tower and that the White House is just a house, but your opinion doesn't diminish their iconic standing.

I know malls aren't the in thing right now, but there is no reason to disparage an Atlanta institution because of it.

[TarHeelJ]

Originally Posted by Inman Parker

As far as tsplost, why would we build transit from the suburbs before we have the intown infrastructure to accomodate them when they get into the city? It doesnt do any good to take a train to midtown when your end destination is to meet a friend for dinner in the highlands.

You may not be aware, but TSPLOST isn't simply about transit from the suburbs...it includes intown infrastructure improvements. Maybe you could take a look at the projects list before making such a statement.

[Inman Parker]

Originally Posted by TarHeelJ

You are incorrect...Lenox IS iconic and is the premier shopping destination of the Southeast. It's fine if you don't think so, but if the majority feels that way then it is - that's what makes something iconic. You might also think that the Eiffel Tower is just an observation tower and that the White House is just a house, but your opinion doesn't diminish their iconic standing.

I know malls aren't the in thing right now, but there is no reason to disparage an Atlanta institution because of it.

We're going to have to agree to disagree. Did you really just compare lenox mall to the Eiffel tower and the white house?

[Inman Parker]

Originally Posted by TarHeelJ

You may not be aware, but TSPLOST isn't simply about transit from the suburbs...it includes intown infrastructure improvements. Maybe you could take a look at the projects list before making such a statement.

I am well aware of the project list. I was addressing the fact that many wont vote for the list because they feel that the suburban transit needs arent being met, while in my opinion we need to build the core of the city's transit/overall infrastructure before we start building trains to bring people into the central atlanta area.