Atlanta Project Thread IV

[smArTaLlone]

at 1950 Howell Mill Rd

[Sketching]

A minor construction update from Saturday morning as I drove by. Cell phone pics so these aren't the best quality.

College Football Hall of Fame




And the civil rights museum:


The civil rights museum is one building that I am looking forward to being completed based on the renderings I've seen.

[smArTaLlone]

Nice shots!
Marietta street around the park is getting pretty dense with the Homewood and Hyatt House to soon add to that density.

[Sketching]

Originally Posted by smArTaLlone

Nice shots!
Marietta street around the park is getting pretty dense with the Homewood and Hyatt House to soon add to that density.

Thanks. I agree the Luckie Marietta district has really taken off and with the new hotels planned and the potential Times Square South development it's becoming quite dense on that side of Centennial Olympic Park.

[Frankster87]

Originally Posted by clexmond

I agree 100% and unfortunately it looks as if it'll take some complaints from the community to make sure the appropriate changes are made. I was surprised that the DRC seemed all too willing to acquiesce to their demands.

Maybe they need some fresh perspectives. Anyone know the best way to get involved in these organizations? There are a lot of passionate people on this forum with great ideas; Perhaps we should have a more active role in shaping this great city.

[Terminus]

Originally Posted by Frankster87

Maybe they need some fresh perspectives. Anyone know the best way to get involved in these organizations? There are a lot of passionate people on this forum with great ideas; Perhaps we should have a more active role in shaping this great city.

DRC members are appointed by the City of Atlanta, per the specific legislation that created each SPI with one. They have a fixed number of seats for different positions (i.e. residents, property owners, business owners, etc.).

Unlike the Urban Design Commission, whose actions and desire are legally binding, the DRC is strictly advisory. They make recommendations to the City of Atlanta, but it is the Office of Planning who has final approval authority. As such, the DRC has zero legal authority to force design changes. They best they can do is offer recommendations, which the City can take into consideration, particularly if the project requires a variation from the zoning requirements.

[echinatl]

Originally Posted by Sketching

Thanks. I agree the Luckie Marietta district has really taken off and with the new hotels planned and the potential Times Square South development it's becoming quite dense on that side of Centennial Olympic Park.

Needs more residential on that side of downtown. A LOT more.

[Terminus]

Originally Posted by echinatl

Needs more residential on that side of downtown. A LOT more.

Agreed. I live in Downtown and am sick and tired of the City's emphasis on "attractions" in our neighborhood. What Downtown really needs is more housing. Sure, visitors bring money, but it is the residents who actually push for the long-term quality-of-life improvements (and will eventually support the street level retail) that benefit the whole district.

[atlantaguy]

Originally Posted by Terminus

Agreed. I live in Downtown and am sick and tired of the City's emphasis on "attractions" in our neighborhood. What Downtown really needs is more housing. Sure, visitors bring money, but it is the residents who actually push for the long-term quality-of-life improvements (and will eventually support the street level retail) that benefit the whole district.

On a side note, I loved your statements regarding Jeff Fuqua in the recent Creative Loafing article on him.

I am a huge fan, and salute you for the great work that you and your firm do.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by Terminus

... the DRC is strictly advisory. They make recommendations to the City of Atlanta, but it is the Office of Planning who has final approval authority. As such, the DRC has zero legal authority to force design changes. They best they can do is offer recommendations, which the City can take into consideration, particularly if the project requires a variation from the zoning requirements.

Does the city often overrule or disregard the DRC recommendations?

[Terminus]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Does the city often overrule or disregard the DRC recommendations?

They take them into consideration to the extent that they are related to a specific zoning requirement. More often what happens is that developers hear the DRC's comments and voluntarily make revisions to stay in their good graces. Many are, after all, their future customers.

At the end of the day, however, if the DRC wanted something that was not a zoning required (i.e. virtually anything related to aesthetics, rather than urbanism) and the developer did not want to do it, the City would be breaking the law by requiring it.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by Terminus

They take them into consideration to the extent that they are related to a specific zoning requirement. More often what happens is that developers hear the DRC's comments and voluntarily make revisions to stay in their good graces. Many are, after all, their future customers.

At the end of the day, however, if the DRC wanted something that was not a zoning required (i.e. virtually anything related to aesthetics, rather than urbanism) and the developer did not want to do it, the City would be breaking the law by requiring it.

Ah, thank you, that makes sense!

I have often heard that you can't control aesthetics and no doubt that is true. Still, it seems like if you have something like an SPI or a detailed form-based code you could impact a number of appearance issues. I wonder how the line is drawn?

[Terminus]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Ah, thank you, that makes sense!

I have often heard that you can't control aesthetics and no doubt that is true. Still, it seems like if you have something like an SPI or a detailed form-based code you could impact a number of appearance issues. I wonder how the line is drawn?

I write zoning for a living. It can be done legally, but only if there's political will. Many cities in the region, including Roswell, Milton, and Alpharetta, have citywide design review boards that are more powerful than Atlanta's DRCs and can legally address aesthetics.

[arjay57]

Wish we could do that in the COA! But as you say, it would take a strong level of political will -- which we probably don't have.

[ATL_J]

Originally Posted by Terminus

Agreed. I live in Downtown and am sick and tired of the City's emphasis on "attractions" in our neighborhood. What Downtown really needs is more housing. Sure, visitors bring money, but it is the residents who actually push for the long-term quality-of-life improvements (and will eventually support the street level retail) that benefit the whole district.

I would argue that all these attractions (and visitors) make downtown that much more appealing in the long term to future residents. Without the investment in these areas, downtown would not be appealing at all to most residents. With these investments its creating a place with a lot of attractions, heavily visited by locals and tourists all week, forcing the city to keep the area clean, crime free, and then all the amenities such as restaurants that otherwise would not be there. Those attractions, coupled with GSU's growth and push to bring students downtown, are what are going to make downtown a truly unique, lively, and wonderful place to live now and in the near future.

[Newnan_Eric]

Originally Posted by Terminus

Agreed. I live in Downtown and am sick and tired of the City's emphasis on "attractions" in our neighborhood. What Downtown really needs is more housing. Sure, visitors bring money, but it is the residents who actually push for the long-term quality-of-life improvements (and will eventually support the street level retail) that benefit the whole district.

I'd like to see more residetial downtown too. I have to wonder when Post will do something with their lots. They apparently control three lots around the former Allen Plaze 50 site, to the West, South, and Southwest. The ones to the West and SW are empty lots - not even parking lots. It would seem to me that something would happen there. The other half of the lot next to the Museum Tower has been empty for how many years?

[smArTaLlone]

The project at 930 Spring Street recently filed for a building permit and have already started removing trees from the site.

[Dettmann1]

Originally Posted by trnsplnt

I'm about this >< close to blowing a fuse. Can someone please explain the economics of building an above ground parking structure versus an underground structure a la Colony Square?

I read somewhere that the city of Atlanta sits on a hard rock foundation making blasting for underground construction costly, but doesn't it seem that the http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/images/smilies/cheers.gifmaterial removed for parking spaces, particularly if its granite, could be reused in the buildings or resold in the marketplace. Would that not offset the cost of blasting?

The cost difference is actually pretty significant. Based on when I was in school (6 years ago), it was at least 3x as much for underground vs. above ground. Part of it has to with above ground can be prefab while an underground has to be poured in place.

[Terminus]

Originally Posted by Dettmann1

The cost difference is actually pretty significant. Based on when I was in school (6 years ago), it was at least 3x as much for underground vs. above ground. Part of it has to with above ground can be prefab while an underground has to be poured in place.

This is a very insightful article on the impacts of parking. Locally, I've heard that these above ground pre-cast spaces are around $30k each.

http://daily.sightline.org/2013/08/22/apartment-blockers/

[plorenc]

http://atlanta.curbed.com/archives/2013/09/26/10m-mixeduse-project-on-tap-for-grant-park.php

$10M Mixed-Use Project On Tap For Grant Park?


[Rendering via Archetype Design]

A $10-million mixed-use development may be coming to Grant Park. Curbed Atlanta has learned that developers are hoping to bring a five-story project — comprised of apartments, retail, a restaurant and office space — to the lot at 301 Memorial Drive, located between Harden and Hill streets. Documents we found say the project would include 94 apartments (smallish studios, ones and twos), as well as 3,500 square feet of retail and 2,500 square feet for a restaurant. Room would be left for a small amount of office space. Simon Tuohy of Urban Realty Partners tells Curbed that the site is currently under contract and that closing is anticipated by the end of next month. If all goes as planned (which happens, you know, never), construction could be ALL DONE by July '14.

The 301 Memorial project would be an addition to the (hopefully continued) growth of Grant Park's west end. In one of the former locations of iconic live-music dive bar Lenny's, it's only about two-tenths of a mile down from the neighborhood's chief restaurant locale (Tin Lizzy's, Six Feet Under, Republic Social House, etc.) and the next block over from this mystery lot we told you about last week. If the latter development — originally pitched as some type of grocery-restaurant-maybe residential project — comes to fruition as well, things could really get going in Grant Park.

— By Curbed Atlanta contributor Tyler Estep

The design is more of the same, but this will be good to inject some much-needed life along this stretch of Memorial.