ATLANTA | Development Thread V

[cabasse]

Originally Posted by micropundit

U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro announced Monday Atlanta won a $30 million Choice grant. The initiative is part of a White House-led effort to improve communities through affordable mixed-income housing, youth services and partnerships with schools and private entities.The funding will be used to revitalize communities in west Atlanta, including Vine City, Ashview Heights and the Atlanta University Center Neighborhood.
“This represents our belief that we can collaborate with you to make a difference in this University Choice Neighborhood area,” said Castro. It’s not just about housing. It’s also about ensuring that we lift up overall quality of life, that there are educational opportunities, there is access to transit, that there is a safe neighborhood, that there are investments that define prosperity.”

http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local-gov...itationbox_apr2013_ajcstubtomyajcpremium

this is pretty huge. that land is far too valuable so close to downtown.

[RocketSurgeon]

Originally Posted by Ant131531

Wouldn't we have heard something by now? It's wouldn't just randomly break ground without any announcement, press conference, or anything like that right? Like jeez, are they still struggling with funding? It's been like 2 years now it feels like. The average project takes about 9-12 months from initial announcement to break ground if they secure the funding and permitting.

It's not because of funding, it's being redesigned because of the lot boundary issue. I doubt they would hold a press conference for an apartment tower but I'm still not convinced they wouldn't need reapproval for the new design, but that billboard is blank and someone said October was the scheduled date... no other signs of progress though. I see that lot every day so if anything happens you'll hear it from me unless GeorgiaPeanuts beats me to it

Honestly while it's a great project for that corner with the flurry of other ones going on lately it doesn't stand out to me anymore.

[bigstick]

Does anyone in the "know" have any word on 98 14th St. project?

Thanks

[Pemgin]

22 14th St. is still a go for October?

[micropundit]

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has learned state and local economic development officials are preparing to play host to GE representatives in early October as the company conducts one of the most high-profile headquarters searches in modern U.S. business history.

Gov. Nathan Deal was mum on the timing of the visit, saying only that he welcomes the visit with open arms. But two people with knowledge of the plans said the visit will be early next month.

http://business.blog.ajc.com/2015/09/29/...-tour-atlanta-soon-as-part-of-hq-search/

[oldpainless]

Some thoughts on visiting this thread for the first time in several months. Unfortunately more of the same - nothing but low to mid-rise sh#t. I miss the glory days of the late 80's and early 90's - the time of the true skyscraper in Atlanta. I know its not constructive to dwell in the past, but I'm sorry filling in parking lots just doesn't blow wind up my skirt. Granted it is better than nothing, but I need something tall to really get me excited. Just my $0.02. Hey if it can happen once it can happen again and the precedent has already been set. At the moment I don't think it is fashionable to build supertalls anywhere outside of a few select markets - NY, Chicago, LA, SanFran, and maybe that's it. But trends do change.

[arctk2014]

Originally Posted by oldpainless

Some thoughts on visiting this thread for the first time in several months. Unfortunately more of the same - nothing but low to mid-rise sh#t. I miss the glory days of the late 80's and early 90's - the time of the true skyscraper in Atlanta. I know its not constructive to dwell in the past, but I'm sorry filling in parking lots just doesn't blow wind up my skirt. Granted it is better than nothing, but I need something tall to really get me excited. Just my $0.02. Hey if it can happen once it can happen again and the precedent has already been set. At the moment I don't think it is fashionable to build supertalls anywhere outside of a few select markets - NY, Chicago, LA, SanFran, and maybe that's it. But trends do change.

And what was so glorious about the sh*t that was being thrown up in the 80s and 90s? Most of those developments were anti-urban....yes a skyscraper is anti-urban in the sense of being pedestrian and street-oriented. The BOA tower struggles in many senses because it poorly engages the street level presence. Living in Midtown I'm going to be a proponent of more neighorhood-like, walkable, smart-growth projects rather than cul-de-sacs in the sky you're trying to romanticize.

[bigstick]

Totally agree................

[RocketSurgeon]

Originally Posted by oldpainless

Unfortunately more of the same - nothing but low to mid-rise sh#t. I miss the glory days of the late 80's and early 90's - the time of the true skyscraper in Atlanta. I know its not constructive to dwell in the past, but I'm sorry filling in parking lots just doesn't blow wind up my skirt.

Makes sense from a distance, but the infill happening now is changing things for residents far more than those few supertalls ever did... that "shit" might be bad for skyline photos but it's great for those who live here, and they come first wouldn't you say?

To quote one of your old posts:

Originally Posted by oldpainless

As long as the street is vibrant with pedestrian activity and is pedestrian oriented, isn't that what the ultimate goal is here?

Yes!

[BunkyWay]

Originally Posted by arctk2014

And what was so glorious about the sh*t that was being thrown up in the 80s and 90s? Most of those developments were anti-urban....yes a skyscraper is anti-urban in the sense of being pedestrian and street-oriented. The BOA tower struggles in many senses because it poorly engages the street level presence. Living in Midtown I'm going to be a proponent of more neighorhood-like, walkable, smart-growth projects rather than cul-de-sacs in the sky you're trying to romanticize.

Uhm, have you been to New York or Chicago? Many of the supertalls of that era engage the street. So it wasn't an '80s thing or a supertall thing.

[Harry Cane]

Originally Posted by Tuckerman

Dekalb Farmer's Market

Over the past year I have watched the DFM develop and grade an enormous plot of land for a planned major expansion. However, I have not seen any particular details on this since the earlier announcement in 2014. Is there any update on this development?

I've been wondering about this for a bit. They were moving dirt for the better part of a year but nothing vertical yet. I imagine with this type of building there must be a serious amount of drainage, but c'mon. It's been over a year.

Last two times I was there during the week there was no activity at all.

[arctk2014]

Originally Posted by BunkyWay

Uhm, have you been to New York or Chicago? Many of the supertalls of that era engage the street. So it wasn't an '80s thing or a supertall thing.

I was in NYC a week ago...whatever supertalls you're referring to from the same era (1980s and 1990s) have already been superceded by the even more supertalls of today's standards. Those phallic edifices are mere symbolic middle finger to the rest of Manhattans' dwellers and are completely devoid of any proper street presence.

Perhaps the "supertalls" of the 1980s and 1990s in NYC and Chicago were a bit more responsive to the street level/urban grid...but that's because there were following more restrictive setbacks/FAR requirements already set in quite dense places, but that wasn't the case in Atlanta's scheme of "supertalls" from the same era.

[arctk2014]

Originally Posted by Harry Cane

I've been wondering about this for a bit. They were moving dirt for the better part of a year but nothing vertical yet. I imagine with this type of building there must be a serious amount of drainage, but c'mon. It's been over a year.

Last two times I was there during the week there was no activity at all.

The first phase was only supposed to be site work/prep. The building/vertical construction never had a specific deadline/time table.

http://clatl.com/freshloaf/archives/2014...oth-your-dekalb-farmers-market-expansion

[Triptychtwo]

Well. Shit.

From Curbed's article today in the comments:

The listings for 811 Peachtree are older. The project was slated to
begin in October 2015, but a redesign has backed that up. It will go
before the DRC again, likely in November 2015, with permit drawings
due sometime in early January 2016. The new start date is to be
determined.

[GeorgiaPeanuts]

http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/19448972/333-Spring-Street-Atlanta-GA/

Land near the Suntrust Plaza has gone up for sale.

[RocketSurgeon]

Originally Posted by Triptychtwo

Well. Shit.

From Curbed's article today in the comments:

Ah, there it is... I thought it was weird that they could redesign it without getting it re-approved by the DRC.

[MdtwnATL]

Originally Posted by arctk2014

And what was so glorious about the sh*t that was being thrown up in the 80s and 90s? Most of those developments were anti-urban....yes a skyscraper is anti-urban in the sense of being pedestrian and street-oriented. The BOA tower struggles in many senses because it poorly engages the street level presence. Living in Midtown I'm going to be a proponent of more neighorhood-like, walkable, smart-growth projects rather than cul-de-sacs in the sky you're trying to romanticize.

Exactly. What's happening now is much more exciting.

[gttx]

Originally Posted by arctk2014

I was in NYC a week ago...whatever supertalls you're referring to from the same era (1980s and 1990s) have already been superceded by the even more supertalls of today's standards. Those phallic edifices are mere symbolic middle finger to the rest of Manhattans' dwellers and are completely devoid of any proper street presence.

I don't understand. All of the new supertalls in New York have a street presence. One nice thing about super-restrictive zoning is that there are certain things that are inviolate. And to get these supertalls built, developers have to stay as-of-right (ie, not trigger any potential interventions by the city).

[BunkyWay]

Originally Posted by arctk2014

I was in NYC a week ago...whatever supertalls you're referring to from the same era (1980s and 1990s) have already been superceded by the even more supertalls of today's standards. Those phallic edifices are mere symbolic middle finger to the rest of Manhattans' dwellers and are completely devoid of any proper street presence.

Perhaps the "supertalls" of the 1980s and 1990s in NYC and Chicago were a bit more responsive to the street level/urban grid...but that's because there were following more restrictive setbacks/FAR requirements already set in quite dense places, but that wasn't the case in Atlanta's scheme of "supertalls" from the same era.

You went off the rails about patriarchal phallic references, but the portion in bold is false. One Atlantic Center (1987) engages the street as does 191 Peachtree (1990).

[arctk2014]

Originally Posted by BunkyWay

You went off the rails about patriarchal phallic references, but the portion in bold is false. One Atlantic Center (1987) engages the street as does 191 Peachtree (1990).

Eh....well the ones I was referring to were the supertalls of today's NYC architecture the superskinny talls have you that are lining up along Billionaires Row near the park.

And in response to the bold portion....

I do agree 191 Peachtree was one of the few exceptions to the rules in Atlanta as being respective in the urban sense.

But I will have to disagree with the One Atlantic Center since it's the very reason we have one of the largest parking decks on Spring Street in Midtown.

You might consider the tower alone as urban but that parking deck is very much a necessitated part of that development and takes away from it's urban design. This deck will honestly be the thorn on the side for a long time if Midtown Alliance wants to encourage better urban design in that corridor.

I'm glad that not all 4 corners were developed into what was supposed to have been 3 "mini-me" towers as that whole area would have been an island of parking garages as well.

While I'm not a fan of the 191 Peachtree Parking deck it's not as negatively impacting on the urban environment as the One Atlantic Complex's parking deck.

Just curious are there any other "supertalls" from that era in Atlanta that would qualify for good urban design other than Philip Johnson's towers?