Atlanta Project Thread IV

[smArTaLlone]

Originally Posted by Sura

It may have been posted somewhere, but has anyone else heard rumors about a huge project by the aquarium? Not the hotel, but an attraction in the atrium.

Georgia Aquarium is planning a major expansion

The Georgia Aquarium is planning a major expansion that will include a new entrance and more exhibit space, Atlanta Business Chronicle has learned.

“Our next endeavor is a big one, a really big one,” Debbie Campbell, vice president of marketing and communications for the downtown Atlanta attraction, said in an email Thursday night.

The initial concept includes a brand new entrance that will change how guests enter the building, a new larger exhibit space and more aquarium for guests to enjoy and learn about aquatic species.”

The expansion would debut in late 2020.

[Sura]

Originally Posted by smArTaLlone

Georgia Aquarium is planning a major expansion

Well, the big thing they're talking about is allegedly a shark tank, complete with cage to go in.

[smArTaLlone]

https://www.myajc.com/business/loft-apar...uilding-downtown/6VUxeXrQopDgUooNcSgvHL/

[smArTaLlone]

https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news...-georgia-aquarium-s-major-expansion.html

Plans were presented Thursday to downtown’s Development Review Committee that show the layout of the expansion, including a dramatic new entrance along Baker Street.

“It’s going to be awesome,” said Tom Marschner, architectural designer with PGAV Destinations, which is part of the development and design team.

The new entrance would include decorative elements such as a light display, shimmer wall or interactive media, according to plans. There would also be a new entry plaza that opens onto the greenspace at Pemberton Place and its trio of attractions.

When asked about the animals the new gallery would hold, Marschner said the Georgia Aquarium was not releasing that information yet.

The project is called Expansion 2020, as Atlanta Business Chronicle first reported in January. It’s set to debut in late 2020.

East Elevation


South Elevation


Site Plan

[Sura]

When asked about the animals the new gallery would hold, Marschner said the Georgia Aquarium was not releasing that information yet

I was told tiger sharks among others.

[dmbolp]

wrong thread

[smArTaLlone]

I updated the aquarium renderings

[Ant131531]

I think the expansion looks well done. Only problem is where are people going to stand when those lines are a 2 hour wait long? I remember going to the aquarium maybe 3 or 4 years ago on a Saturday and holy crap....that line was so long.

[Martinman]

Originally Posted by smArTaLlone

https://www.myajc.com/business/loft-apar...uilding-downtown/6VUxeXrQopDgUooNcSgvHL/

I'm excited for this to kinda start the South downtown revitalization. Very cool.

[Martinman]

I don't think I've seen this project mentioned on the forum.

Originally Posted by Atlanta3000

[B] 818 West Midtown - 818 West Marietta Street

818 West’s collections of 22 exceptional floor plans feature designer-selected finishes and intuitively appointed floor plans. Each home has expansive floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic skyline views for your modern in-town lifestyle.

• I believe this is a condo building.

There's already a website.

https://www.818westmidtown.com/

[alco89]

West Midtown is on fire!

My God, MARTA, get some mass transit to this part of the city! It's so obvious.

[smArTaLlone]

Nice tower. And those views!

Video Link

I'm guessing its the final version of this rendering.

[smArTaLlone]

This is apparently the same group that is developing Juniper & 5th. I hope it happens.



J&5 has a website also and they are definitely condos. I'm excited to finally get some condo development intown.

http://www.ownj5.com/

[ATL_J]

With the Marietta Street condos' proposed finish level, size, and location I'd say it would be dead on arrival if it was any normal developer, but I have no clue if the Chinese developer has to "play by the rules". I wouldn't be surprised if they have plenty of equity from people looking to just park cash.

[Atlanta3000]

Originally Posted by smArTaLlone

This is apparently the same group that is developing Juniper & 5th. I hope it happens.



J&5 has a website also and they are definitely condos. I'm excited to finally get some condo development intown.

http://www.ownj5.com/

Correct - the same group developing J&5th, Hard Rock Hotel and several developments in O4W (http://www.dezhuus.com) are behind this project.

If you are using Chrome browser needed to convert Chinese to English, you can read additional details on the project.

https://atlanta.americachineselife.com/%...%B0%E5%A4%A7%E7%9A%84%E6%9C%AA%E6%9D%A5/

[smArTaLlone]

Midtown project to feature creative office space, restaurants and linear park

https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news...ct-to-feature-creative-office-space.html

Parkside Partners is releasing more details about its makeover of three Midtown buildings into creative office space, with restaurants, a coffee shop and a 300-foot linear park.

The renovations to 1389, 1401 and 1409 Peachtree aim to transform three mid-rise buildings at Peachtree and 17th streets, with new facades and exposed ceilings and skylights. The project could target office tenants in the range of 20,000 square feet to 40,000 square feet at gross rents starting in the high 30s per square foot.

https://www.boundaryatl.com/

[smArTaLlone]

Allen Morris Co. buys West Midtown's Star Iron and Metal site, in talks with tenants

Project developer The Allen Morris Co. bought the site at 11th Street and Howell Mill Road, a well-known scrap yard and reminder of the area's industrial roots. The company had an agreement to acquire the property.

Site work, including demolition of the scrap yard's existing building, could begin sometime later this year, he said.

[Martinman]

Originally Posted by ATL_J

With the Marietta Street condos' proposed finish level, size, and location I'd say it would be dead on arrival if it was any normal developer, but I have no clue if the Chinese developer has to "play by the rules". I wouldn't be surprised if they have plenty of equity from people looking to just park cash.

Can you elaborate on not "playing by the rules"? I like everything this group is proposing so far, although they do seem to be very much outside of the norm. I think it would really help the city reach it's full potential if there was a much broader spectrum of housing types that are getting built.

[ATL_J]

Originally Posted by Martinman

Can you elaborate on not "playing by the rules"? I like everything this group is proposing so far, although they do seem to be very much outside of the norm. I think it would really help the city reach it's full potential if there was a much broader spectrum of housing types that are getting built.

I don't mean anything unseemingly, I just mean to say almost all developers are in it to make money. They want to minimize risk, they use debt to leverage their return and also to replace equity which is costly and tough to come by. Then you have some foreign companies who are just looking to park cash into US real estate away from their home country - look at Miami, look at the empty Vancouver condos - a quote from an article:

Yan's research on empty condos used electric bills; another study that was conducted by the City of Vancouver in 2014 and used data from water bills found nearly 11,000 homes in the city are vacant (90 percent of which were condos). These are places occupied only by money.

The world is drowning in cash. Much of this surplus capital is coming via Wall Street, or directly from China, or Central and South America, which is fueling Miami's luxury condo boom.

Source.

No need to go into more, but the point I was trying to make is that if this proposal wasn't by this sort of developer I would laugh. There are condo projects in much better locations struggling to find buyers and while this land is probably cheaper, though I don't know by how much, the main driver of pricing is construction costs. So looking at this location, the finish level their proposing, etc., the only way I could see them actually hitting their number of pre-sales that would be required by a lender is if they didn't actually need any pre-sales, because they're not "playing by the same rules".

We will see! The ones on Juniper are a no brainer if they can get financing (if they need it), although the original developer seemingly had to give it up, because they couldn't make the deal work and chose to sell it to this group.

[ATL_J]

I was by the Memorial Avenue condo site today and saw they had put up a fence and were doing site work. So.. that apparently is moving along.

https://www.ansleyatlanta.com/764-memorial.php