ATLANTA | Development Thread V

[Tuckerman]

National Center for Civil and Human Rights

This is excellent news. Now we can only hope for some momentum with the National Health Museum and the College FB Hall of Fame.

It is nice to drive around town again and see some active construction and some tower cranes. OK Buckhead village or whatever it is called; let's start.

[cityenthusiast]

[QUOTE=coyotetrickster;5558689]

Originally Posted by NYbyWAYofGA

SF Building code requires all development to include street level retail. The design review also requires the planning commission to consider the aesthetics of how the building 'engages' the pedestrian.

We deff need that in atlanta i just realized something last night that of all the major high-rises in atlanta (200m+) Only two have retail at the bottom that's pretty sad the two are 1180(symphony Tower) and the soverign in Buckhead. None of those buildings really engage the pedestrian. That something Atlanta really needs to change

[cityenthusiast]

Originally Posted by RobertWalpole

I hope that half of these apartments will be reserved for African Americans to preserve Atlanta as a black city.

Really?? C'mon

[L41A]

Just ignore the small-minded, simple, imbecile fool and hopefully he would disappear. The comment has no sincerity and asking for elaboration is useless.

[pawelra]

^^^^^ 100 % agreed !!!!!

[NYbyWAYofGA]

[QUOTE=cityenthusiast;5559738]

Originally Posted by coyotetrickster

We deff need that in atlanta i just realized something last night that of all the major high-rises in atlanta (200m+) Only two have retail at the bottom that's pretty sad the two are 1180(symphony Tower) and the soverign in Buckhead. None of those buildings really engage the pedestrian. That something Atlanta really needs to change

I am in total agreement with you on this! I wish this type of code was more widespread in the Atlanta area, especially along busy corridors.

[gttx]

[QUOTE=cityenthusiast;5559738]

Originally Posted by coyotetrickster

We deff need that in atlanta i just realized something last night that of all the major high-rises in atlanta (200m+) Only two have retail at the bottom that's pretty sad the two are 1180(symphony Tower) and the soverign in Buckhead. None of those buildings really engage the pedestrian. That something Atlanta really needs to change

I'm not quite sure what you are talking about.

191 Peachtree, Suntrust, Four Seasons Midtown, AT&T, and The Mansion all have retail or restaurants that come to mind at street level. I think there is some type of retail in BofA as well.

But the broader point is true I guess - none of them really engage the street with this retail and restaurant space, except in some cases the wrong street (ie the restaurant space at Suntrust). Most of it has to do with the time these were all built: they were perceived more as one-off corporate status symbols than as building blocks of the urban realm, and often actually ignored the street purposefully (case in point Peachtree Center).

I'd like to think that we understand good urban design a bit better these days. We are slowly bringing pedestrian amenities and retail to the interface between buildings and the street. Although the prevalence of parking podiums at street level is still a major challenge.

[mahanakorn]

Originally Posted by L41A

Just ignore the small-minded, simple, imbecile fool and hopefully he would disappear. The comment has no sincerity and asking for elaboration is useless.

'User CP / Edit Ignore List' is a handy tool for depriving twits of the attention they crave.

[cityenthusiast]

[QUOTE=gttx;5560226]

Originally Posted by cityenthusiast

I'm not quite sure what you are talking about.

191 Peachtree, Suntrust, Four Seasons Midtown, AT&T, and The Mansion all have retail or restaurants that come to mind at street level. I think there is some type of retail in BofA as well.

But the broader point is true I guess - none of them really engage the street with this retail and restaurant space, except in some cases the wrong street (ie the restaurant space at Suntrust). Most of it has to do with the time these were all built: they were perceived more as one-off corporate status symbols than as building blocks of the urban realm, and often actually ignored the street purposefully (case in point Peachtree Center).

I'd like to think that we understand good urban design a bit better these days. We are slowly bringing pedestrian amenities and retail to the interface between buildings and the street. Although the prevalence of parking podiums at street level is still a major challenge.

I walk by most of those buildings everday and 191, the westin, the BofA tower and all the other I mentioned do not have street level retail that engages pedestrians they may have a snack shop or restaurant inside the building but a pedestrian walking by would not know anything about it. And dont even get me started on the bank of america tower, that tower has been complained about since it was built because of the suburban like setback from the street with no retail( Ive been in there it has a cefetaria and other shops for the people that work in the tower which also keeps the employees from leaving the building during the day to go for lunch which = much less ppl on the street like many other buildings in atlanta have like Sam Nunn federal center which was talked about on the forum a few weeks ago) They desperately need to change this and make it mandatory for buildings in Atlanta to engage pedestrians if they want to make this city more urban and walkable

[cityenthusiast]

Originally Posted by L41A

Just ignore the small-minded, simple, imbecile fool and hopefully he would disappear. The comment has no sincerity and asking for elaboration is useless.

I know but people just amaze me sometimes. And by the way can you ban someone from coming on certain threads because he always makes remarks like that on the atlanta thread and we don't need to be subjected to his retarded comments anymore

[gttx]

[QUOTE=cityenthusiast;5560462]

Originally Posted by gttx

They desperately need to change this and make it mandatory for buildings in Atlanta to engage pedestrians if they want to make this city more urban and walkable

You see, there's the problem. Do people actually want Atlanta to be more urban and walkable? And I don't mean us - I mean both the majority of Atlantans and decision makers in the city.

I mean, it was just a few years ago that Mary Norwood proposed a ban on all new buildings that would block views from existing buildings.

[cityenthusiast]

[QUOTE=gttx;5560481][QUOTE=cityenthusiast;5560462]

You see, there's the problem. Do people actually want Atlanta to be more urban and walkable? And I don't mean us - I mean both the majority of Atlantans and decision makers in the city.

I mean, it was just a few years ago that Mary Norwood proposed a ban on all new buildings that would block views from existing buildings.[/QUOTE

Well Mary Norwood in my opinion is an idiot and shouldn't live in the city. I love this city but It needs a lot of work and i hope for the cities sake they shape up with public transportation and creating a more urban environment for this city.

[simms3_redux]

Almost anything built after 2000 has street level retail. The buildings that you guys speak of are pre-1992, built before Atlanta even had the Olympics.

I really don't think we have so much to worry about, but it is still difficult for developers to factor in street level retail that won't lease up, or won't lease up with certain reasonable assumptions. Besides, with some major class-A office buildings home to certain tenants like banks and law firms, it is more difficult to do street level retail because the tenants who have signed on to the building and made the building possible may want nearby amenities, just not IN their building.

Best bet for vibrancy and street level interaction is not 40+ floor class-A office (in virtually any city), but rather your aging class B office, your multi-phase mixed-use projects, your condo/multifamily towers, and your mid to low rise developments. This is true anywhere, not just Atlanta.

[simms3_redux]

January Construction Update

Photos taken over past 2 weeks.

Skyhouse...already way outdated





77 12th...moving slower than Skyhouse it seems









Dual Hilton Brand Hotel...1.5 floors











McCamish Pavilion - Georgia Tech...already way outdated, making serious progress on this!



Emory Pointe from my old office



3 random recent pics...tell me which of the B&Ws you like better!








I seriously have no time for serious comprehensive updates, but I'll get what I can. There are big things happening in Atlanta regarding leasing activity, condo sales, and infill. I'll post what I can when I can.

[BunkyWay]

While street-level retail is important, most urban planners do not think every building must have it. Rather, there should be certain areas/nodes that are designated as commercial centers, and the buildings should be required to have street-level retail.

In non-commercial centers (i.e., residential nodes), most urban planners only require that the building engage the street, or be built to a pedestrian scale and orientation.

Most urban planners also admit an office lobby is acceptable in areas where retail is not feasible. Basically, windows and street-level access engage the pedestrian, making him feel safe, while parking garages and blank walls do not. This is why Downtown is such a mess--it's all blank walls and parking garages, making it a no-man's land.

MODA in Midtown did a great job of turning a parking garage into a street-level lobby. Could this work in Peachtree Center? Maybe, but Downtown is dominated by 1970s-80s buildings, and those in turn are dominated by the insular urbanist style of the era. There are just too many buildings to retrofit.

[BunkyWay]

Originally Posted by Tuckerman

National Center for Civil and Human Rights

This is excellent news. Now we can only hope for some momentum with the National Health Museum and the College FB Hall of Fame.

It is nice to drive around town again and see some active construction and some tower cranes. OK Buckhead village or whatever it is called; let's start.

Meh... seems like a major waste of TAD money that could have been used for a redo of Five Points MARTA. There's no reason why an expanded MLK center could not have accommodated this museum.

[Terminus]

Originally Posted by BunkyWay

Meh... seems like a major waste of TAD money that could have been used for a redo of Five Points MARTA. There's no reason why an expanded MLK center could not have accommodated this museum.

In my opinion, a redo of Five Points Station would be a waste too. it's a well built station that just needs a good cleaning.

[UVAsuperman]

Simms--I like the 2nd B&W. Thanks for the pictures!

[Tuckerman]

"There's no reason why an expanded MLK center could not have accommodated this museum." BunkyWay

Yes there is a good reason. The remains of the MLK center has been dysfunctional for years and an eyesore for those visiting the MLK area. Thee is little hope, IMO, that the newly changed leadership at the Center will change much. It is a pity, but there is probably more hope for totally different management and a different location.

[testarossa50]

Originally Posted by simms3_redux

I seriously have no time for serious comprehensive updates, but I'll get what I can. There are big things happening in Atlanta regarding leasing activity, condo sales, and infill.

I'd be interested in knowing what these are. Over at City-data I regularly review Atlanta's recent economic data, and it is without a doubt more positive than it has been since 2008 right now.

Over the last 12 months, we lost a net 600 jobs, but that includes offsetting catastrophic losses in government (-8,600 jobs), construction (-2,300 jobs), and real estate (-5,700 jobs). Meanwhile, we gained a whopping 15,000 jobs in professional, technical, and scientific (including 6,000+ computer systems design jobs), 2,300 jobs in education, and 3,600 jobs in manufacturing--all very solid industries to be growing in. Initial unemployment claims are 15% below their level of a year ago.

Things definitely seem to be trending up.