ATLANTA | Development Thread V

[jnihiser]

Originally Posted by Zanarkand A East

Video from a Skyview Atlanta ride:

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/22837690/new-skyview-ferris-wheel-to-open-tuesday

That's a solid view.

[echinatl]

Originally Posted by jnihiser

BBQ Joint:
Owners of Meehans and Food 101 are set to open a new BBQ joint concept in Downtown Atlanta called The Smoke Ring. It will take up 4k sq. ft. at Castleberry Point at 309 Nelson St.

Source: http://www.bisnow.com/commercial-real-estate/atlanta/sandy-spring-sale-falls-through/

This is huge for that area! Excellent news. I'm excited to try it out.

[shivtim]

Looking out my window, I can see the wheel rotating. Guess it's officially open!

[micropundit]

[shivtim]

Finally some more specifics on the 10th street cycle track. It will permanently close one westbound lane of 10th street to motor vehicle traffic. First phase is the short section from the Beltline/Monroe to Charles Allen Drive.

source

"The new cycle track will be marked with bright green pavement at intersections and be protected with a marked buffer and plastic posts. Other key elements of the project include installing three new ramps to connect the cycle track to trails within Piedmont Park and the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail. Also, a two-stage left-turn queue box and new bicycle push-button signal will help facilitate left bicycle turns onto Charles Allen Drive from the cycle track."

[GTdan]

Originally Posted by shivtim

Finally some more specifics on the 10th street cycle track. It will permanently close one westbound lane of 10th street to motor vehicle traffic. First phase is the short section from the Beltline/Monroe to Charles Allen Drive.

source

"The new cycle track will be marked with bright green pavement at intersections and be protected with a marked buffer and plastic posts. Other key elements of the project include installing three new ramps to connect the cycle track to trails within Piedmont Park and the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail. Also, a two-stage left-turn queue box and new bicycle push-button signal will help facilitate left bicycle turns onto Charles Allen Drive from the cycle track."

Awesome!

[bigstick]

Originally Posted by shivtim

Looking out my window, I can see the wheel rotating. Guess it's officially open!

It is an amazing ride, I did it today...

[jnihiser]

I've just found two new articles that seem to suggest Ambling is starting the Spring and 8th student housing project...

http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130711-910615.html

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/real_talk/2013/07/marta-seeks-ideas-to-develop-king.html?page=2

[clexmond]

Originally Posted by jnihiser

I've just found two new articles that seem to suggest Ambling is starting the Spring and 8th student housing project...

http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130711-910615.html

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/real_talk/2013/07/marta-seeks-ideas-to-develop-king.html?page=2

That'd be exciting. I was at the DRC meeting for that development and I think they did a pretty good job addressing the street and making the asked for changes. They even worked to keep the loading dock pleasant for pedestrians (as opposed to Plaza's loading area across the street). It was also pretty entertaining listening to all the NIMBYs from Midtown Lofts attempting to justify why there shouldn't be balconies as they were worried about noise.

[L41A]

Originally Posted by micropundit

Interesting. The park dissected two major streets into Fairlie Poplar - Walton & Luckie.

[micropundit]

Spanx Inc., the apparel company whose underwear has spawned a cult following among fashionistas, is getting a sexy new Atlanta headquarters with a rooftop garden and loft-style floor space, in a deal that is helping kick-start a long-stalled project.

Last month, Spanx signed an 11-year lease to occupy 86,000 square feet of Atlanta office space in a three-story glass and stone building now under construction by San Diego developer OliverMcMillan. The building is part of a larger project now known as Buckhead Atlanta that had been stalled since 2008. It is in Atlanta's tony Buckhead community.

The lease is the latest hint companies are starting to feel enough confidence in the economy to begin taking on new office space and spending money to relocate.

"We've hired a lot of people, and we are out of space," said Laurie Ann Goldman, chief executive at Spanx. "We've been on an incredible winning streak." Spanx, which has expanded from its signature underwear line into bathing suits and men's undershirts, expects to relocate from its existing headquarters when its new space is ready next year.



http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323664204578608300487590988.html?KEYWORDS=Atlanta

[Eightball]

Originally Posted by shivtim

Finally some more specifics on the 10th street cycle track. It will permanently close one westbound lane of 10th street to motor vehicle traffic. First phase is the short section from the Beltline/Monroe to Charles Allen Drive.

Excellent news, but in DC its been a constant battle to keep drivers out of the cycle track. Atlanta will need vigorous enforcement to ensure cars stay out of the track.

[matt_H]

Here's a look at that cycle track. They have it pretty well separated:

[shivtim]

Anybody know what's going on at the Cheetah (8th and Spring)? There's a large crane (about 20 stories) on site. This is the SE corner, right in the Cheetah's lot, so I don't think it's related to the Spring&8th student apartments.

EDIT: looks like maybe just some work on the roof or AC system.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by micropundit

Spanx Gives Atlanta a Lift With New Headquarters

That looks sharp.

An interesting comment from the WSJ article: "OliverMcMillan said it paid less than 50 cents on the dollar to take control of the site in 2011 from the previous developer and lenders, who had invested about $360 million amassing dozens of parcels that are now part of the 8-acre project."

That is some serious dough! Does that mean the prior developer spent $45 million an acre on land? Even at 50 cents on the dollar it's still pretty pricey.

[UVAsuperman]

I was suprised to see the cycle track already installed today on 10th! It looks good--I like the separation from the lanes using white plastic bars. I hope that there is a left turn signal installed from 10th Westbound to Charles Allen--it needed one when it was 2 lanes, now at only one lane... Sounds like bikes will also get a turn signal there, which will be good. It remains to be seen how taking away 1/2 of the lanes on 10th westbound will work out... but I am excited about the cycle track.

[scania]

Originally Posted by arjay57

That looks sharp.

An interesting comment from the WSJ article: "OliverMcMillan said it paid less than 50 cents on the dollar to take control of the site in 2011 from the previous developer and lenders, who had invested about $360 million amassing dozens of parcels that are now part of the 8-acre project."

That is some serious dough! Does that mean the prior developer spent $45 million an acre on land? Even at 50 cents on the dollar it's still pretty pricey.

If I remember correctly, Ben Carter spent extra on land just to get people to move/sell their property to him.

[TarHeelJ]

Originally Posted by simms3_redux

I don't have strange ideas. You and I have separate opinions - the design "districts" I am familiar with (West Midtown, DD Miami, Cienega in LA, DD SF, 4th St Berkeley, etc) are all mixed-use, public and accessible areas with offices, residential, dining options, and a high concentration of home & garden, antique, kitchen/bath, material, decor, gift, kitchen/batch and/or furniture stores and showrooms. A district implies an area in which people go to explore, live, eat, shop. Miami Cir is not a district - it's an inaccessible dead end cul de sac with lots of showrooms, and it has a very limited and defined clientele base that's shrinking rather than growing. ADAC is not a district - it's really no different from the hulking exclusive marts that kill the pedestrian experience for half of downtown, it's just more difficult to get to and is out of place in its setting. Type in "design district Atlanta" and see what comes up on Google.

I got both Miami Circle and West Midtown Design District on a yahoo search. What is the big deal? I swear I get so tired of reading your criticisms of Atlanta. You seem to never be able to post anything that doesn't sound like you're looking down your nose at something in our city. Your posts could be really great and informative, but you always seen to include a little dig at Atlanta - something in the area of it not being as great as San Francisco. I'm kinda tired of it.

Sorry to everyone for the off topic post, but I've haven't read this site for a while and was just reading about 12 pages at one time. His comments get really irritating

[Eightball]

Originally Posted by matt_H

Here's a look at that cycle track. They have it pretty well separated:

pic is broke. re-up?

dc compilation of the problem
http://whosblockinglsttoday.tumblr.com/

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by scania

If I remember correctly, Ben Carter spent extra on land just to get people to move/sell their property to him.

Oh, I know there's going to be a runup on prices when people figure out that somebody is trying to do an assemblage.

Still, $45 million an acre is a lot of money for little old Atlanta GA. That's almost like New York city prices.