Novare buildings are certainly architectural sedatives, but their greater sin, by far, is their treatment of the street, something I think most on here would agree is more important than the architecture when it comes to fostering urbanity.
Flat, featureless, formulaic and cheap-looking Novare retail spaces may be better than blank walls, but not by much, as demonstrated by the fact that Novare, even in a town that traditionally struggles with street retail, struggles even more. That Novare buildings on Atlanta's premier street have taken years to acquire retail tenants, and required expensive renovations in the meantime, should clue all in that while Novare may be adding density to the city, they don't seem capable of much else. And this is to say nothing of their other assorted atrocities behind Viewpoint or at 12th/Spring, the upcoming flub at 14th/W.Peachtree (ha! Novare laughs at your overlay requirements!), or wherever else they manage to muck up for at least a generation.
Until Novare decides to invest a bit more in their street-facing design (or hell, take a damn class on urban planning!), they wont get more than a tepid nod of thanks from me. Perhaps the increased population from their buildings will lead to more (competent) developers taking a chance on the city, at least if Novare doesn't get all the plots first.
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