ATLANTA | Development Thread V

[gttx]

Originally Posted by sevensixtwo

In order to charge 200,000,000 electric car batteries every night the entire electrical infrastructure would need to be upgraded to handle the new load. I wonder how many coal-fired/nuclear plants it would take to power a hydrogen/electric nation. Its more than what is feasible, that much appears clear to me. And what about a blend of the three solutions? How are we going to fund three emergency research initiatives when there is no guarantee the technologies will pan out AND they only constitute a valid solution if they all succeed and have synergy?

I am no physicist, but I am an engineer, so I stay reasonably up to date on stuff like this. It was my understanding that plug-in hybrids (or pure electric cars) would take advantage of the energy being produced and wasted during off-peak hours. That is, it is less expensive for power plants to operate at peak demand full-time (and just not use the excess power) than to scale back operations during the day to fall in line with demand. This leaves us with an oversupply of energy at night.

I know that there would need to be additional capacity added to the system, but if I remember correctly, it was not that much. Perhaps some actual data will be necessary to properly frame the discussion....although at the moment I don't have it available.

[SCUTTLE]

Originally Posted by cybele

As a Fulton County (and MARTA) taxpayer, I am not sure I want Gwinnett County offloading its woes on us. Gwinnett has been offered countless opportunities to participate in MARTA. We even gave Gwinnett a seat on MARTA's board, for reasons that are inexplicable. In return all we've gotten is a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.

And we are now supposed to provide a direct pipeline for Gwinnett crime into our neighborhoods?

I love me some irony!

[sevensixtwo]

Originally Posted by gttx

I am no physicist, but I am an engineer, so I stay reasonably up to date on stuff like this. It was my understanding that plug-in hybrids (or pure electric cars) would take advantage of the energy being produced and wasted during off-peak hours. That is, it is less expensive for power plants to operate at peak demand full-time (and just not use the excess power) than to scale back operations during the day to fall in line with demand. This leaves us with an oversupply of energy at night.

I know that there would need to be additional capacity added to the system, but if I remember correctly, it was not that much. Perhaps some actual data will be necessary to properly frame the discussion....although at the moment I don't have it available.

Ahhh, yes. The elusive data. Rhetoric's eternal enemy.

[Fiorenza]

Southern Company is adding extra capacity with the nuke expansion, assuming the feds let it happen.

[sunking1056]

I'm always amazed to hear people talk about MARTA stations and trains being dirty. They're just.... not. In my opinion, MARTA does a great job with what it has in pretty much every aspect of service. It's only true limitation is that there simply isn't enough track laid, and that's certainly not MARTA's fault.

[cybele]

Garnett Street is not exactly what I'd call spiffy. Nor is Five Points.

[NYClife2005]

Originally Posted by sevensixtwo

Good point NYClife2005, it doesnt depend on the mortgage/condo crisis. Maybe you should stop enjoying your own magnificence and catch up on current events. I mean, HELLO!, credit crisis, duh.

"enjoying your own magnificence" --- WHAT? My own "magnificence"??? How do you find i think that of myself?

My points are very clear, though maybe not to you - that simply yapping on about how we "think" certain projects arent gonna happen is PESEMISTIC, NEGATIVE, & UNREALISTIC. That's like saying a junior broker knows more about the real estate market than Donald Trump. Not sure how some people on here think they know better than the PROFESSIONALs & INVESTORS that are banking on THIER projects. Doesnt make sense - and i think we're all tired of it.

[NYClife2005]

Originally Posted by sunking1056

I'm always amazed to hear people talk about MARTA stations and trains being dirty. They're just.... not. In my opinion, MARTA does a great job with what it has in pretty much every aspect of service. It's only true limitation is that there simply isn't enough track laid, and that's certainly not MARTA's fault.

The only problem i have with Marta (other than the late trains) is anyone ever notice how most of the time the INTERCOM voice comes on & tells us the next stop & what's around it - THEN, the CONDUCTOR comes on & does the EXACT SAME THING.

WHY? That's beyond annoying if you ride it every day. Course that was 2007, havent ridden in a while, so maybe they fixed that.

[gttx]

Originally Posted by NYClife2005

My points are very clear, though maybe not to you

Sort of like how Sarah Palin's points are clear......although not to anyone with a college education.

Not sure how some people on here think they know better than the PROFESSIONALs & INVESTORS that are banking on THIER projects. Doesnt make sense - and i think we're all tired of it.

To quote a professor here at Wharton, "Any idiot with Sketchup and Excel can be a developer." I think one of the fascinating pieces of the way our society has developed is that we rely largely on the market and on the resourcefulness of risk-taking developers. Sometimes, that means that 3 guys in a basement can be responsible for a 50-story building. That is also its largest defect, since anyone with money can shape the built environment, for better or worse. And the nature of real estate lends itself perfectly to boom-bust cycles, with a lot of the big "losers" coming on at the end to make a quick buck...with little more than a half-assed pro forma that typically has absurd assumptions built into it (terminal cap rates at or below 5%, for example, or 3-4% annual NOI growth with no growth in operating expenses).

The idea that "professionals" and "investors" are somehow enlightened when it comes to real estate is skeptical at best. And with recent developments in the financial sector (which you have surely seen if you aren't under a rock), I think we can all agree that unfettered deference to these people is absolutely undeserved.

[gttx]

Originally Posted by sevensixtwo

Ahhh, yes. The elusive data. Rhetoric's eternal enemy.

It's incredible that Fiorenza chose to make his reappearance immediately following this post.....see the Atlanta political thread if you want to bask in the irony.

I brought up the issue of data not to discredit either of us, but rather to say that I wish I had a reliable source for it. When I was at Georgia Tech, one of my professors had some sort of NSF grant (I think?) to study battery technology for cars, and he would go on long rants in class about how easy it would all be to implement into our current system. He did advocate nuclear power to fill the gap, however.

If you have any ideas on data sources feel free to bring them up...

[ClaySkyHigh]

This one is much better from today. The one from yesterday was to depressing after the clouds started rolling in. I wish I knew about this angle before 1010 started.
[IMG][/IMG]

[gttx]

Are you just taking that from the open space (park? not really) across the street from the Fed?
Also, what is going on the bottom left of that picture?

[caninatl]

Looks like Buckhead Place Apartments, now known as 05, is set to wrap up construction.

[sunking1056]

Originally Posted by cybele

Garnett Street is not exactly what I'd call spiffy. Nor is Five Points.

Maybe it's just because I'm used to filthy NYC subway stations, but I would consider any complaining about the cleanliness of Five Points would be excessive nitpicking.

The only problem i have with Marta (other than the late trains) is anyone ever notice how most of the time the INTERCOM voice comes on & tells us the next stop & what's around it - THEN, the CONDUCTOR comes on & does the EXACT SAME THING.

Well, if that's your biggest problem then I think we're doing pretty well And for what it's worth, I almost never encounter a late train (nor do I ever have to wait longer than 6-7 minutes (or 10-11 on weekends or late nights).

[colemonkee]

ClaySkyHigh, that's a great shot.

[sevensixtwo]

Originally Posted by NYClife2005

"enjoying your own magnificence" --- WHAT? My own "magnificence"??? How do you find i think that of myself?

My points are very clear, though maybe not to you - that simply yapping on about how we "think" certain projects arent gonna happen is PESEMISTIC, NEGATIVE, & UNREALISTIC. That's like saying a junior broker knows more about the real estate market than Donald Trump. Not sure how some people on here think they know better than the 'PROFESSIONALs & INVESTORS' that are banking on THIER projects. Doesnt make sense - and i think we're all tired of it.

Isn't Donald Trump getting sued right now over his failed Chicago and Mexico developments? Not to mention that he is going to lose a ton of personal equity in Chicago no matter what the courts decide.

Are you referring to the type of 'PROFESSIONALs & INVESTORS' that got us into this whole world crisis situation? Yes, I know better than they do.

gttx:No idea on data sources. All those reports have politcal agendas anyways so I'm skeptical.

In 5 years of riding MARTA daily, I never saw a rat in the human walking area or any human feces. I smelled urine a few times but never saw a puddle. That makes MARTA pretty clean IMHO.

edit: WOW! Seriously? Palin is a moron because she thinks neighboring Russia gives her policy experience, she is against abortion, she thinks South Africa is the southern region of the country of Africa and was unable to cite one current events journal that she reads by name. She thought it would be a good idea to name her kids things like Trigg and Track. Her formal education is third rate at best. She thinks the Earth is 6,000 years old and evolution is fake. That is why she is a moron. She got elected by a bunch of horny mountain men, dont give her any credit. She's hot, thats the only reason anyone ever heard of her.

[M II A II R II K]

*MANY POSTS DELETED*


No more hijacking this thread with off topic blather or next time there will be suspensions.

[oldpainless]

Originally Posted by ClaySkyHigh

This one is much better from today. The one from yesterday was to depressing after the clouds started rolling in. I wish I knew about this angle before 1010 started.
[IMG][/IMG]

Nice vantage point... thanks for posting. This will be one of the densest parts of the city when finished.

[oldpainless]

I work for a transportation engineering company and today in the office I saw some concept circulation plans in the vicinity of North Midtown - near Peachtree and West Peachtree intersection near Pershing Point.

The interesting part is that the plan is being made for Dewberry Capital.

The plan was for the demolition and redesign of the existing I-85 offramp that ties into Peachtree, and a realignment of surface streets in the area. No information on what office, residential, or retail component there would be. Does anybody know anything about this proposal?

[delarosa]

Originally Posted by oldpainless

Does anybody know anything about this proposal?

I know that the Connect Atlanta Plan makes mention of several of those road projects in that area. And if I remember correctly, the detailed project list mentions something about facilitating development in that block. But otherwise I've not seen any specific building(s) mentioned.