ATLANTA | Development Thread V

[scania]

Originally Posted by shivtim

There's construction on the site of the proposed/approved Centergy North 25-story apartment tower (848 Spring St NW) but it's just on the western edge of the site, alongside the existing Tech Square parking deck. It's possible they're prepping the area where the new tower will connect to the deck.

I'm not sure exactly what's going on, but work has been started as of today with this site. There was a tractor and a few other equipment and they started digging a portion of the lot.

[briantech]

Originally Posted by scania

I'm not sure exactly what's going on, but work has been started as of today with this site. There was a tractor and a few other equipment and they started digging a portion of the lot.

Yeah they're out there in the rain even.

[Canguy]

Originally Posted by briantech

Yeah they're out there in the rain even.

Yes this job is underway....

33 Peachtree is ready to break ground in a couple weeks as well.

[Dettmann1]

Originally Posted by joecool

I workout at Colony Square and do my running outside instead of walking/running on the treadmill when the weather is nice. I noticed last night that they just put up a "removal of trees" sign within the last couple of days. That's a good indication that things are moving along, right?

That is a good sign. It means plans are in permitting (See my post earlier on 33 Peachtree Place). Still means you are 3-6 months from any start date if the sign just went up as that is the first part of the approval process.

[Atlanta3000]

Solis Downwood - Buckhead/Atlanta, GA

Solis Downwood is a part of Buckhead, perhaps the most exclusive neighborhood in Atlanta, within five minutes to midtown/downtown. This is a heavily supply-constrained market that offers the strongest demographics in Atlanta in addition to highly desirable shopping, entertainment and cultural amenities.

Solis Downwood will be made up of 280 apartment homes with secured parking. Construction will start March of 2014.

[boomtown]

Hmm....what do we think?

Too much retail can hurt urban vibrancy

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/real_talk/2014/03/too-much-retail-can-hurt-urban-vibrancy.html

[testarossa50]

Originally Posted by Atlanta3000

Solis Downwood - Buckhead/Atlanta, GA

Solis Downwood is a part of Buckhead, perhaps the most exclusive neighborhood in Atlanta, within five minutes to midtown/downtown. This is a heavily supply-constrained market that offers the strongest demographics in Atlanta in addition to highly desirable shopping, entertainment and cultural amenities.

Solis Downwood will be made up of 280 apartment homes with secured parking. Construction will start March of 2014.

Looks pretty bad. Where is it, exactly? Hopefully nowhere important.

Not sure I'd describe Buckhead as particularly "supply-constrained". Midtown, yes.

[Atlanta3000]

Originally Posted by testarossa50

Looks pretty bad. Where is it, exactly? Hopefully nowhere important.

Not sure I'd describe Buckhead as particularly "supply-constrained". Midtown, yes.

I am actually glad to see something other than glass mid/highrises.

This development is on a 5.5 acre site on West Paces Ferry, Howell Mill and Northside Parkway. This project was mentioned in the Atlanta Business Chronicle today on page 15.

[oldpainless]

Originally Posted by boomtown

Hmm....what do we think?

Too much retail can hurt urban vibrancy

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/real_talk/2014/03/too-much-retail-can-hurt-urban-vibrancy.html

Just finished reading the whole article. I think the guy has some good points. As long as the street is vibrant with pedestrian activity and is pedestrian oriented, isn't that what the ultimate goal is here? You can achieve that many different ways - not just with street-level retail.

[ATL_J]

Originally Posted by boomtown

Hmm....what do we think?

Too much retail can hurt urban vibrancy

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/real_talk/2014/03/too-much-retail-can-hurt-urban-vibrancy.html

Seth sets up a straw man, in that not every ground floor of mixed used development is required to have retail. In most places, it's just required to have an active use. Terminus can correct us on this, as he would be the most in the know as it relates to Atlanta.

Retail is typical defined as food, hard, or soft product based and, I suppose this a matter of your definition, but a restaurant is not food retail. Food retail would be a grocer. Seth seems to mix his definitions of retail up through out the article. First, Seth complains that "too many cities want to fantasized versions of urban areas with their obligatory coffee shops, art galleries, unique non-chain restaurants, boutique shopping and other organic uses not found elsewhere." If Seth is complaining about retail, he shouldn't include restaurants. (And what is "other organic uses"?)

Either way, a few paragraphs later, Seth says, "most cities would be better off encouraging uses that are actually needed by the residents of these new urban areas including food stores, dry cleaners, hair salons, and even some of the big box uses that planners are taught to dread." Categorize dry cleaners and hair salons as you will, but food stores and big box uses are the definition of retail! Clearly, Seth's definition of retail is broad and inconsistent. To me, this article could be summed up in uses Seth likes = good, uses Seth things doesn't care much for ("fantasized versions of urbanity") = bad in large quantities.

So to sum it up, Seth is wrong in that everywhere requires ground level retail, so there's not much an argument to be made. What Seth does seem to say, is that an active use is good, it just doesn't need to always be a store or a chic boutique hipster restaurant and I think we can all agree with that.

[AtlantaMustang]

Originally Posted by ATL_J

Either way, a few paragraphs later, Seth says, "most cities would be better off encouraging uses that are actually needed by the residents of these new urban areas including food stores, dry cleaners, hair salons, and even some of the big box uses that planners are taught to dread." Categorize dry cleaners and hair salons as you will, but food stores and big box uses are the definition of retail! Clearly, Seth's definition of retail is broad and inconsistent....

....So to sum it up, Seth is wrong in that everywhere requires ground level retail, so there's not much an argument to be made. What Seth does seem to say, is that an active use is good, it just doesn't need to always be a store or a chic boutique hipster restaurant and I think we can all agree with that.

Great summary. I noticed that when I read it as well. It actually has a lot of inconsistencies, and things like "food stores, dry cleaners, hair salons" aren't really frowned upon by planners. These are exactly the kind of things we hope to fill the spaces. These are useful active spaces. The real issue is avoiding dead walls, whether it be lobbies, gyms, or a restaurant. It's also useful for these spaces to be adaptable in the future if the need for a different use arises. These ground spaces are meant to be flexible.

The new buildings going up, I.E. 33 Peachtree Place, doesn't have retail all the way around, but on the most street and corner it does, and it has ground level residential entrances on the other streets, just as we'd hope. The things he hopes for in the article are kinda already what's required...

[Frankster87]

Originally Posted by ATL_J

So to sum it up, Seth is wrong in that everywhere requires ground level retail, so there's not much an argument to be made. What Seth does seem to say, is that an active use is good, it just doesn't need to always be a store or a chic boutique hipster restaurant and I think we can all agree with that.

Exactly what I was thinking. The article is pretty misleading as he still advocates for a business of some sort for a majority of the street level. I'm just not really sure what this is in response to, since I think the majority of urban dwellers appreciate a variety of services and shops. I myself am a fan of the mini walmart at Tech Square...

[micropundit]

coalition of business and political leaders kicked off an initiative Friday aimed at transforming the area around Atlanta’s airport into a world-class business magnet.

The Atlanta Aerotropolis Alliance will develop a strategic plan to determine the best types of corporate development to target and leverage the resources of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to attract that desired business growth.

“We have an advantage. We are in the busiest and best airport in the world,” Joe Folz, general counsel of Porsche Cars North America, which is building a $100 million headquarters adjacent to Hartsfield-Jackson, said during a news conference at the airport. “In a world where all business has become global, nothing could be more important than that."
Folz will serve as chairman of the alliance, which held its first board meeting Friday. Pedro Cherry, vice president of community and economic development for Georgia Power Co., will serve as vice chairman. Other businesses represented on the alliance board include Delta Air Lines Inc., Duke Realty Corp., Grove Street Partners and Prologis Inc..

Cherry said another advantage as the alliance begins its work is a huge supply of open land around the airport, unlike sections of metro Atlanta including Buckhead, Midtown and the Perimeter, which already are built out.

Doug Hooker, executive director of the Atlanta Regional Commission, which helped spearhead formation of the alliance, said the group will work closely with the leadership of two community improvement districts being formed near the airport.He said the alliance also will look to attract a major global airport industry conference to Hartsfield-Jackson within two years.The alliance’s activities will be financed through member contributions.

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/blog/...o-lure-business-to-atlanta.html?page=all

[cokezero]

Originally Posted by thebigATL

Has anyone heard anything on 1138 Peachtree, i'm really starting to get anxious about it

There's a tree removal sign on the site right now which I would take to mean that things are progressing on the site. I believe you submit your tree removal plan with your development plans, so it's possible that they're slowly working through the process to get an LDP for this site.

[micropundit]

The same developers behind a hip mixed-use project along the Atlanta Beltline now want to spark a downtown residential resurgence.

Paces Properties Inc., the developer of Krog Street Market, filed plans earlier this month with the city of Atlanta to turn a vacant 20-story downtown office building into an apartment tower with 324 units. Paces Properties has been working on the project at 250 Piedmont Ave. since last summer and could close on the building in coming weeks. The tower is four blocks north of the upcoming Streetcar and four blocks east of the Civic Center MARTA rail station. Also, it’s right beside the PATH multi-use trail that connects to the Beltline — and the PATH trail is set for an expansion to Centennial Olympic Park (construction could start on that extension as early as autumn 2014).

“We are excited about this project and hope it will be the nudge that facilitates a housing boom in downtown,”

http://atlurbanist.tumblr.com/

[TarHeelJ]

Originally Posted by Atlanta3000

Solis Downwood is a part of Buckhead, perhaps the most exclusive neighborhood in Atlanta, within five minutes to midtown/downtown.

Five minutes to Midtown/Downtown - by helicopter.

[briantech]

Originally Posted by TarHeelJ

Five minutes to Midtown/Downtown - by helicopter.

Ha I saw that too. Maybe if you consider Buckhead to go all the way down to the Brookwood Split, and you consider downtown to come all the way up to North Avenue... one could theoretically get between those two points in 5 minutes.

On the interstate.

at 2am on a sunday

maybe

[Tuckerman]

You guys are such pessimists. It is almost instantaneous by transporter.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by testarossa50

Looks pretty bad. Where is it, exactly? Hopefully nowhere important.

Not sure I'd describe Buckhead as particularly "supply-constrained". Midtown, yes.

Isn't this near that Piazza at Paces development? I used to have a doctor over on Downwood.

http://thepiazzaatpaces.com/index2.html

That 5 minutes to Midtown business is broker babble. It's a good 10 minutes to Midtown and probably close to 20 minutes to downtown.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by ATL_J

Seth sets up a straw man, in that not every ground floor of mixed used development is required to have retail. In most places, it's just required to have an active use. Terminus can correct us on this, as he would be the most in the know as it relates to Atlanta.

Retail is typical defined as food, hard, or soft product based and, I suppose this a matter of your definition, but a restaurant is not food retail. Food retail would be a grocer. Seth seems to mix his definitions of retail up through out the article. First, Seth complains that "too many cities want to fantasized versions of urban areas with their obligatory coffee shops, art galleries, unique non-chain restaurants, boutique shopping and other organic uses not found elsewhere." If Seth is complaining about retail, he shouldn't include restaurants. (And what is "other organic uses"?)

Either way, a few paragraphs later, Seth says, "most cities would be better off encouraging uses that are actually needed by the residents of these new urban areas including food stores, dry cleaners, hair salons, and even some of the big box uses that planners are taught to dread." Categorize dry cleaners and hair salons as you will, but food stores and big box uses are the definition of retail! Clearly, Seth's definition of retail is broad and inconsistent. To me, this article could be summed up in uses Seth likes = good, uses Seth things doesn't care much for ("fantasized versions of urbanity") = bad in large quantities.

So to sum it up, Seth is wrong in that everywhere requires ground level retail, so there's not much an argument to be made. What Seth does seem to say, is that an active use is good, it just doesn't need to always be a store or a chic boutique hipster restaurant and I think we can all agree with that.

Excellent analysis, and it is based on a straw man. I've never heard anybody claim that the entire ground floor of every mixed use development has to be retail.

What people have pushed for is at least some active uses at ground level on major street frontages. That can be comprised of any number of things -- it doesn't have to be "their obligatory coffee shops, art galleries, unique non-chain restaurants, boutique shopping."

As he concedes, there are many ways to bring active uses to the street. The problem of course is that if you don't activate the street in some fashion, you are left with an environment that is distinctly unfriendly to pedestrians.

For what it's worth, the big commercial real estate law firms probably represent mainly developers.