Atlanta Project Thread IV

[shivtim]

Drama? I don't see drama. I see people who like good design. This isn't it. Don't worry, it will be built anyway.

[montydawg]

Originally Posted by shivtim

Drama? I don't see drama. I see people who like good design. This isn't it. Don't worry, it will be built anyway.

Frankly I think this is the best looking 'affordable housing' complex I've seen in recent memory, and I don't think every building needs to have retail. With the edgewood district just blocks away, I would think it would be hard to fill retail space in this building.

[ATLmangum]

Originally Posted by montydawg

Frankly I think this is the best looking 'affordable housing' complex I've seen in recent memory, and I don't think every building needs to have retail. With the edgewood district just blocks away, I would think it would be hard to fill retail space in this building.

The obsession we have at times with “retail” in every development is a tired argument that has been going on for years. Sometimes not having any retail is a good thing, regardless of location.

[NYbyWAYofGA]

Originally Posted by ATLmangum

The obsession we have at times with “retail” in every development is a tired argument that has been going on for years. Sometimes not having any retail is a good thing, regardless of location.

But, isn't Atlanta under retailed...?

[shivtim]

Doesn't have to be retail. From what we can see, there is no active use on the street frontage of any of these buildings. There's literally a blank wall facing the sidewalk in many places. It's just bad suburban-design and I don't see why anyone is defending it. Put a couple of damn residential entrances and I'll be happy. The anti-urban mindset and settle-for-less mentality in Atlanta is just mind boggling sometimes.

[ATL_J]

Originally Posted by shivtim

Doesn't have to be retail. From what we can see, there is no active use on the street frontage of any of these buildings. There's literally a blank wall facing the sidewalk in many places. It's just bad suburban-design and I don't see why anyone is defending it. Put a couple of damn residential entrances and I'll be happy. The anti-urban mindset and settle-for-less mentality in Atlanta is just mind boggling sometimes.

There are multiple residential as well as business entrances.

[smArTaLlone]

https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2020/08/05/beltline-southside-trail-apartment-project.html

A $58 million apartment project on the Beltline Southside Trail has landed a major capital partner and a construction loan.

Global investment giant The Carlyle Group is working with TPA Residential on the 263-unit development at 680 Hamilton Ave., a blighted site within an industrial area along the Beltline.

The partnership bought the nearly 6-acre site, which has vast lime deposits, for about $5.5 million.

The Development Authority of Fulton County last month gave the project $2.3 million in tax reductions over the next 10 years as financial incentive to revitalize the property.

Pinnacle Bank is providing a $34.3 million construction loan, according to Fulton County property deeds. TPA Residential has started hauling off the lime deposits, a process that will continue for the next few months, and could start vertical construction toward the end of this year or in early 2021.

[pica]

Originally Posted by montydawg

Frankly I think this is the best looking 'affordable housing' complex I've seen in recent memory, and I don't think every building needs to have retail. With the edgewood district just blocks away, I would think it would be hard to fill retail space in this building.

Right. Edgewood is full of retail and restaurants. What the area needs is more residents and this will deliver it. I don't really care one way or the other about its parking deck; at least it's well hidden. This is the shortest route between Edgewood and the King Memorial MARTA station. Me and my friends have walked it many times. But it's so lifeless it feels scary. This will make it much less so. Looking forward to a livelier walk down this street after COVID passes and we're able to go out again.

[SteveD]

"and I don't think every building needs to have retail"

EAV needs to hear that. We've got construction in-progress on hold, with people clamoring for ground floor retail (a mandate for which was recently added to the neighborhood zoning ordinance). On-going construction is replacing either prior long-abandoned eyesore properties, or, prior vacant tracts, or, current surface parking tracts. Most, but not all, of in-progress construction is multi-family.

We still lack enough foot traffic in the center of the village to sustain brick and mortar storefronts, and we still have plenty of existing vacant commercial space. The mandate for "ground floor commercial", while well-intentioned, is proving to be counter-productive to development.

Most, here, however would cheer that. To many here, any development is bad development.

[shivtim]

Spring Street Quick Build Bike Lane Project Underway in Midtown
The project will:
Retain the existing one-way traffic operation.
Add a protected one-way bike lane (LIT lane) by repurposing one travel lane and several on-street parking spaces. The bike lane will be delineated with a striped buffer, plastic flexposts, and wheelstops.
Resurface Spring Street and make spot pavement repairs to West Peachtree Street.

One of the impacts of the “quick build” design is that some on-street parking spaces will no longer be accessible to vehicles. This presents an opportunity to activate these parking spaces for pedestrians in a way that adds value to street-level businesses and vibrancy to the sidewalk.

There are many options for transforming these spaces into usable amenities for restaurants, retailers and residents in the adjacent buildings. Initial ideas include expanded space for retailers, parking for scooters, and pockets of creative green space in the form of a parklet.

“The spirit of this project is all about transforming space for cars into space for people,” said Lauren Bohn, Project Manager of Urban Design and Placemaking at Midtown Alliance. “It presents the opportunity to reimagine how parking spaces along the routes can contribute to a vibrant sidewalk. It will benefit our community by adding to a network of public open space and also provide a tool by which to support our local businesses and residents with needed services, especially during the pandemic.”

[GeorgiaPeanuts]

Originally Posted by shivtim

Spring Street Quick Build Bike Lane Project Underway in Midtown
The project will:
Retain the existing one-way traffic operation.
Add a protected one-way bike lane (LIT lane) by repurposing one travel lane and several on-street parking spaces. The bike lane will be delineated with a striped buffer, plastic flexposts, and wheelstops.
Resurface Spring Street and make spot pavement repairs to West Peachtree Street.

One of the impacts of the “quick build” design is that some on-street parking spaces will no longer be accessible to vehicles. This presents an opportunity to activate these parking spaces for pedestrians in a way that adds value to street-level businesses and vibrancy to the sidewalk.

There are many options for transforming these spaces into usable amenities for restaurants, retailers and residents in the adjacent buildings. Initial ideas include expanded space for retailers, parking for scooters, and pockets of creative green space in the form of a parklet.

“The spirit of this project is all about transforming space for cars into space for people,” said Lauren Bohn, Project Manager of Urban Design and Placemaking at Midtown Alliance. “It presents the opportunity to reimagine how parking spaces along the routes can contribute to a vibrant sidewalk. It will benefit our community by adding to a network of public open space and also provide a tool by which to support our local businesses and residents with needed services, especially during the pandemic.”

I thought this might be happening, in the newly repaved parts they haven't done final striping and the far right lane had spraypainted stuff on it that looked like markings for a bike lane.

[jayden]

Peachtree Street repavement needs to be next.

[Street Advocate]

MLK’s repaving is underway and new protected bike lane is just about to open up, too:


ATL DOT has a lot of roads on the list for potential bike lane implementation similar to what we’ll see along spring & west peachtree.

[alco89]

Originally Posted by Street Advocate

MLK’s repaving is underway and new protected bike lane is just about to open up, too:

ATL DOT has a lot of roads on the list for potential bike lane implementation similar to what we’ll see along spring & west peachtree.

Sheesh, it's taken them 2-3 years to wrap this up

[shivtim]

^I think it literally has been two years
Although it is a complicated project - from what I understand there are at least three separate funding sources including a federal grant, and it's not just a simple repaving. In that pic you can see the hard infrastructure for the cycle track, as well as permeable pavers.

Progress! Now if Juniper could get started soon that would be great.
On a somewhat related note, 5th street between Peachtree and Juniper is now closed for construction of the apartment tower behind St.Marks. Good that construction is moving forward, but according to Midtown Neighbors Association 5th street will be closed to cars and bikes for two years. how that is allowed is beyond me, especially since it's the main east/west bike connection through this part of Midtown. I get that streets may need to close for construction, but to close off an entire block for two years with no community/resident input is insane. Our city bends over backwards for developers.

[Street Advocate]

Yikes about 5th st being blocked off for that time. Consistent with what we saw for Hanover Midtown, too. Atlanta is a private entity first city, with barely any regard to constituents. In most instances I’ve seen you either need to be a business owner or a SFH owner to have your voice heard and prioritized over others.

[NYbyWAYofGA]

Originally Posted by Street Advocate

Yikes about 5th st being blocked off for that time. Consistent with what we saw for Hanover Midtown, too. Atlanta is a private entity first city, with barely any regard to constituents. In most instances I’ve seen you either need to be a business owner or a SFH owner to have your voice heard and prioritized over others.

You absolutely hit the nail on the head. This is one of the things holding Atlanta back from truly reaching it's full potential. Which is really frustrating because the potential is very great.

[shivtim]

Updated Midtown drone construction pics from Midtown Alliance

Everything in this picture from Third and Spring was surface parking lots and one story buildings just 5 years ago (except for the one remaining parking deck in the middle):

[NYbyWAYofGA]

Originally Posted by shivtim

Updated Midtown drone construction pics from Midtown Alliance

Everything in this picture form Third and Spring was surface parking lots and one story buildings just 5 years ago (except for the one remaining parking deck in the middle):

This is turning out nice! I really love what Midtown is turning into.

[atlHawks]

Looks awesome. Does anyone else feel that this area might need a grocery store? To me, the Publix up the street might be too small to support all the new people, that will be in the area and the WF is quite a walk.