Metro Atlanta Projects (projects outside the city)

[3yonce]

Originally Posted by smArTaLlone

https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/...t-project.html

Nice to see this moving forward. BoA moved to the other corner of the site (still a bit suburban of a building, but at least it engages the street), so the rest of the parking lot is ready to be gobbled up.

[NYbyWAYofGA]

Originally Posted by smArTaLlone

https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/...t-project.html

Seems like downtown Decatur gets it right most of the times.

[Matthew]

Buford Development:
Buford is becoming a noteworthy place for development! You should see the recently completed High School. It appears as if they tried to build a second downtown, not far from that high school, with a new City Hall and Community Center? They have a nice historic downtown and should've built the City Hall and Community Center there. ...Just my opinion. Now they are working on a third downtown. I guess this is becoming the retail/restaurant/entertainment center for Gwinnett County? Retail/restaurant/entertainment center for Gwinnett/Hall/Barrow is more accurate. Neighboring Chateau Elan Winery & Resort, Road Atlanta, and Margaritaville/Lanier Islands attractions likely make this the best location to become Gwinnett's retail/restaurant/entertainment hub?

The Exchange @ Gwinnett:
I've noticed a massive construction site at Interstate 85 and State Route 20. I took a few photographs from a tile store, across the street, with my phone in the rain, but they aren't great. After researching it, this is a $350 million development called The Exchange @ Gwinnett. After several failed proposals at this site, I can confirm this is under construction and will happen. Walls are rising for structures at the site.

Renderings:

Credit: https://exchangegwinnett.com

It's Jeff Fuqua (Fuqua Development), but it appears as if he is selling parts of the project to other developers. Worthing Companies will build the 1,000 apartments and Aysa Hospitality will build the 107-key Homewood Suites Hotel. The project includes Top Golf and Andretti Indoor Karting & Games, so this should be a very popular destination on an already bad (traffic) State Route 20. It's worth noting they repaved State Route 20. The Exchange introduces Sprouts Market to this area and will have chains, like City Barbecue, Starbucks, CinéBistro, Rooms-to-Go, Five Guys, Chipotle, Mod Pizza, and Lazy Dog. Some surprises you may not expect include a building for local clothing store startups, Buford Social Food Hall with 20 food stall options, office space, an outdoor performance space for live music or movies in the park, a space for food trucks, and all of this is located in a fake downtown with a small town green. It's like a surprise hidden behind the usual Mall of Georgia area out-parcels along State Route 20.

Ariston Buford:
Also in Buford. The development behind Mall of Georgia appears to be this: https://www.aristonbuford.com I thought the high-rise was cancelled, but this article from nine months ago uses the word "high-rise" and "two tower" to describe it: https://www.ajc.com/news/local/high-...TtuaVNzjjY7uO/ I haven't seen any tower cranes or evidence of high-rise(s).

Sugar Hill Development:

More Apartments?
There's another development along State Route 20, across from downtown Sugar Hill. It appears to be apartments. A large number of apartments are under construction along 20 between downtown Sugar Hill and the ballpark.

Johns Creek Development:

Emory Hospital - Johns Creek:
In January, while at the hospital, I noticed construction workers walking around the building and a tower crane over the hospital. I was there a week or two ago and they appear to be adding floors to the building. According to their website, Emory will add two floors and 40 additional hospital beds. This $61 million project will be completed in April 2021.

I should've posted this project in January, when I first noticed the crane:
• Video Link

[smArTaLlone]

https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/...sidential.html

The planned 165-acre redevelopment of the former Doraville General Motors auto plant may soon get a big boost via a large apartment project.

Miami-based AHS Residential wants to build 840 apartments on nearly 9 acres at the former auto plant, now known as Assembly. The developer is asking the city to approve a zoning exception to allow their buildings to be seven stories rather than the permitted six. The extra stories are needed for more density.

“These variances will help to enable the project to be financially viable and to provide both workforce and market-rate housing, a critical component for the Assembly development and the city of Doraville,” AHS said in its request to the city. "Specifically, the variance for building heights allow for a lower price point, providing a range of housing options to accommodate different needs within the community."

The zoning exception is scheduled to be considered by the Doraville Planning Commission on Sept. 2. City staff is recommending approval. The project goes to the City Council for final consideration.

[tallpez]

Originally Posted by smArTaLlone

I didn't see this picture in the article. In fact, the renderings in the article show no surface parking.

Hopefully it looks more like this, which would be my expectations.

[Street Advocate]

Additional images from the article:

[smArTaLlone]

Originally Posted by tallpez

I didn't see this picture in the article. In fact, the renderings in the article show no surface parking.

Hopefully it looks more like this, which would be my expectations.

Yeah that was the wrong image.

This is a new proposal that is not included on the current master plan.

[Martinman]

Re: Assembly

I'm happy to see the new proposal. One of my fears about the project was that it wasn't dense enough given the Marta adjacency.

[Pemgin]

https://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/lo...f9e2a1e83.html

Major new development in Gwinnett near the Gwinnett/Barrow county line

[GeorgiaPeanuts]

Originally Posted by smArTaLlone

Yeah that was the wrong image.

This is a new proposal that is not included on the current master plan.

Are you sure? This looks like it is located to the right of the split road in the plan (which is ruin way I assume). All that changed was the unit count is much higher. Even in the renders it looks like there is still retail against the ruin way in what looks like a long rectangular one story building.

[tallpez]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaPeanuts

Are you sure? This looks like it is located to the right of the split road in the plan (which is ruin way I assume). All that changed was the unit count is much higher. Even in the renders it looks like there is still retail against the ruin way in what looks like a long rectangular one story building.

Given none of the other renderings showed surface parking and the fact that BizJournal seems to have removed that image, you'd have to think it was posted by mistake.

[atlHawks]

I drove by the downtown Lawrenceville development, absolutely hideous. The townhomes are from the 1990s.

[Atlriser]

I was going to bite my tongue; however, I’ve decided to opine. The Assembly apartments look like something you’d see in an Eastern European communist city in the 1980s not a 2020 development in the western world. Bland as hell and rectangles with a center rectangle pool. HIDEOUS!

[ATLonthebrain]

I believe that rendering with the 5-building plan with all surface parking is for a different site on the east side near the Indian Creek or Kensington MARTA Station. I remember reading an article a couple of months ago about that project. But appears it is the same developer for both sites. Very basic, rather bland design. Hopefully they improve as the plans progress closer to construction.

ATLotb

[smArTaLlone]

https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/...uto-plant.html

A $100 million apartment project that developers say would “catapult” the long-stalled redevelopment at Doraville’s former General Motors auto plant has been rejected by a city commission concerned about density and frustrated with the slow buildout of the site.

The Doraville Planning Commission voted 3-2 at its Sept. 2 meeting to deny approval of the 804-unit multifamily project proposed by Miami-based apartment builder AHS Residential to be built on nearly 9 acres of the property now known as Assembly. The City Council has final say on the project.

AHS Residential is seeking a zoning exemption from the city to allow seven story apartment buildings rather than the permitted six stories. The plans include eight apartment buildings plus a 7-story parking garage on two parcels. The extra story on each apartment buildings adds an extra 352 units and would give the project the critical density developers say would kick off other uses at Assembly, such as restaurants, entertainment and office.

“Being able to have a large density of workforce housing, marketplace housing, would really be a way to catapult Assembly into what it can be,” Eric Turner of planning firm Kimley-Horn told the commission. Kimley Horn is consulting with AHS Residential on the project.

Commissioners voiced concerns about the possibility not all apartments would be rented out and the city would be left with a parking deck and empty buildings.

“It's been very disappointing to the residents to here that this has not been developed comprehensively; it's been parceled off bit by bit,” said Planning Commission Vice Chair Susan Crawford.

"We would not be moving forward on a $100 million dollar investment if we did not think that we could rent them," Fernandez said.

To date, the redevelopment does have Third Rail Studios and the 500-person headquarters for Serta Simmons Bedding, the nation’s largest mattress company. Also, Ashton Woods, one of metro Atlanta's largest homebuilders, is set to build 150 townhomes on almost 8 acres and StreetLights Residential plans to develop 300 apartments on just over 2.5 acres.

[Martinman]

Why in the world are they concerned about density next to a Marta station and the intersection of two freeways?!?!

[GeorgiaPeanuts]

Wait....

They actually thought Doravulle was hot enough to develop the whole GM plant all at once? Who is her dealer I want what she’s having

[ATLonthebrain]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaPeanuts

Wait....

They actually thought Doraville was hot enough to develop the whole GM plant all at once? Who is her dealer I want what she’s having

The Commissioner quoted and the other two who voted against it are delusional. Even Atlantic Station wasn’t built out all at once. It’s still evolving 15-years later with the latest hotel project getting underway soon and one under construction now along with Atlantic Yards offices. Assembly is a huge project of even greater land-size than Atlantic Station which has faced hurdles since early on but is gaining some momentum. I’m not crazy about the design of the apartment buildings as they look far too basic, but the density of 840 units is excellent, and adjacent to MARTA!! Why do the Commissioners care about how many of them are rented? Really? As the developer said, they are investing $100 Million on this project, and they’re not doing it because they think lots of the units will sit empty.

I hope the City Council has more brains to understand this proposal. And maybe to ask for a bit more character in the design, while they’re at it. But, seriously, this needs to happen to help Assembly attract even more development. What the hell is going on with this Commission?🤬

ATLotb

[ATL_J]

Yea, that is ridiculous. This site is primed for density. There is no existing neighborhoods nearby, so scale is not an issue, it is adjacent to MARTA and two major interstate highways, so infrastructure is not an issue, this is just a case of politicians getting in the way of proper land planning which they have no education or experience on. They're also being hypocritical, complaining about the development not being built out quickly enough, but then nixing proposed development. You can't force market demand, it is either there or it isn't, and some stuff will take time. If you want the development to be built out quickly, then allow the things in demand (housing) to be built. Additionally, retail is going to be a tough sell without rooftops, so that isn't going to come until you can add more density to the site and create a better environment. Even office and hospitality is generally going to seek a more activated location, which again is predicated on rooftops and retail. Just silly.

[smArTaLlone]

https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/...apartment.html

Home building giant Toll Brothers Inc. and JD Capital USA said Tuesday they formed a new joint venture to develop a 290-unit luxury apartment community in Decatur.

The community, to be called Motto, will be a 5- and 6-story building with a structured parking garage on a 3.2-acre site on East Ponce De Leon Avenue. Motto is part of a larger mixed-use site that will be anchored by a Publix grocery store and additional service-oriented businesses.