UrbanizeAtlNewsBot

Chattahoochee River park's $16M upgrade is officially a go Josh Green Thu, 08/22/2024 - 13:37 A Chattahoochee River greenspace project with a stated goal of “refreshing Atlanta’s best kept secret” is set to move forward in a matter of days.

Officials with Cumberland Community Improvement District, the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, and nonprofit One Cumberland have scheduled a ceremonial groundbreaking Tuesday morning for a project called “New Day Palisades” expected to eventually cost $15.8 million.

Plans call for creating a 22-acre, riverside “tranquil greenspace” with pathways, shade structures, new restrooms, and other features from what’s little more than a sloped surface parking lot today, per project officials. 

Another goal is to restore and rehabilitate the Paces Mill in the Palisades Unit, which is considered one of CRNRA’s most popular sites and a top draw for Atlanta nature lovers. (So, yes, not exactly secret.) 

Overview of changes planned as part of the two-phase New Day Palisades project. New Day Palisades; via Cumberland CID

Plans call for closing Paces Mill on Labor Day next month to start phase one construction, with a goal of completing that work and reopening next spring.

Project leaders have raised the $6.3 million needed to complete phase one. It will build a new parking lot and landscape features to enhance access to the river, with a focus on visitor circulation and sustainability.

The more complex phase two—expected to cost $9.5 million—has yet to be fully funded, according to Cumberland CID. Plans tentatively call for it to begin construction in fall 2026 with a goal of creating a “distinct national park experience.” Expanded river entry points, a new visitor information center, and more visitor circulation improvements are in the works for that phase.

Pending funding, all New Day Palisades work is scheduled to wrap in spring 2027. All necessary construction documents were finalized last year.

Location of the $15.8 million project in relation to Cumberland, The Battery, and interstates 285 and 75. Google Maps

Paces Mill was opened in 1978 as a natural respite from Atlanta’s urban growth, and today the park counts more than 270,000 visitors annually.

“While the fun always flows, the area has seen very few improvements,” a project description reads. “[T]he need for adequate parking, environmental protection, improved facilities, and enhanced river access has never been greater.”

Below, find before/after images that vividly illustrate changes planned for the full New Day Palisades project.  

...

Follow us on social media:

Twitter / Facebook/and now: Instagram  

• Cobb County news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)

Tags

New Day Palisades Cumberland Chattahoochee River Paces Mill/Palisades rehabilitation Cobb County Smyrna Vinings Cumberland CID Cumberland Community Improvement District Atlanta Rivers National Park Service Atlanta Parks Parks and Rec Parks and Recreation

Images

Location of the $15.8 million project in relation to Cumberland, The Battery, and interstates 285 and 75. Google Maps

Overview of changes planned as part of the two-phase New Day Palisades project. New Day Palisades; via Cumberland CID

Subtitle New Day Palisades project aims to create 22-acre, riverside “tranquil greenspace”

Neighborhood Cobb County

Background Image

Image

Before/After Images

Before Image

Image

After Image

Image

Before Image

Image

After Image

Image

Before Image

Image

After Image

Image

Sponsored Post Off

Renovation, expansion cooking for landmark building near Beltline Josh Green Thu, 08/22/2024 - 08:21 A planned revival for a landmark, 1920s Masons hall within sight of a paved Atlanta Beltline section is starting to move forward.

Architects with Atlanta-based Xmetrical, a firm that counts commercial and residential projects across the city, have submitted plans to the Atlanta Beltline Design Review Committee for expanding a Masonic Lodge cherished by neighbors at 1331 Metropolitan Parkway.

According to those filings, the building’s addition would be a three-story, 9,000-square-foot structure that will feature a mix of restaurant, retail, outdoor dining, and office uses, topped with a roof deck. The Masons hall, which turns a century old this year, also stands three stories. The addition would replace a row of one-story commercial spaces behind it, per filings.

The development team is requesting a variation to existing ordinances that would allow the 635 Dill Ave. building in Capitol View to stand taller than what’s currently allowed—from 42 feet up to 45 feet tall. No timeline for construction is specified in filings.

Xmetrical officials tell Urbanize Atlanta it’s too early in the process to release project renderings or other details that shed light on plans for the historic property. But as of last year, the new owner was planning to convert the lodge into a concept that aims to be a springboard for local entrepreneurs.

The broader Southwest Atlanta context, with the Beltline's Southside Trail crossing Metropolitan Parkway via the bridge at center.Vantage Realty Partners/Ten-X Commercial, via LoopNet/CoStar

The 1924 former Masons building on Capitol View's Metropolitan Avenue, located about a block south of the Beltline corridor. Vantage Realty Partners/Ten-X Commercial/CoStar

Anthony Gee, cofounder and partner of The Core Venture Studio, closed on a $1.1-million purchase of the distinctive Masonic structure in February last year.

Gee, who specializes in adaptive-reuse commercial projects with an entrepreneurial bent, plans to create a second location of Koncept House in Capitol View. It would be modeled after a similar concept in Castleberry Hill that functions as a hub of offices, showrooms, and more private loft studios.

The original Koncept House occupies a 23,000-square-foot former warehouse on Mangum Street, near Mercedes-Benz Stadium. More than 30 businesses currently operate there—ranging from skincare brands, a vintage bike restoration company, and two coffee roasters—with more than 90 percent of those entrepreneurs being Black women, as Travis D. Hughes, of Hughes Investment Partners, who brokered the Capitol View deal, told Urbanize last year.

The Masons temple, located about a block south of the Beltline’s first finished Southside Trail segment, would in part be converted to maker, showroom, and creative spaces. “We’ll make significant capital improvements,” Hughes said via email, “while preserving the detailed original masonry aesthetic and highlighting an interior that features gorgeous high ceilings and hardwood floors.”

Gee’s other Atlanta ventures have included Collider, a tech-focused coworking space in Midtown, and the purchase of the former Capitol City Bank & Trust Company building downtown, which he eventually sold to Newport US. Gee also acted as co-developer of Pittsburgh Yards, the 31-acre, adaptive-reuse employment center located a few blocks from the Capitol View property.

The former Masons building made waves when it went to auction in early 2021, just as the nearby Beltline section was entering the home stretch of construction. It was so important to neighbors in Capitol View and Capitol View Manor, they formed a grassroots Community Investment Group to bid on the building themselves—and succeeded in raising $188,000 in just the first four days of an informal campaign.

A top-level auditorium space of 5,000 square feet.Vantage Realty Partners/Ten-X Commercial, via LoopNet/CoStar

The building's south face, with adjoining retail spaces the proposed addition would replace. The Atlanta-Fulton County Library system's Metropolitan Branch is across the street.Vantage Realty Partners/Ten-X Commercial, via LoopNet

The two-day bidding process for the three-story, 15,000-square-foot classical structure was scheduled to start at $300,000. (Although interest in the building appeared high, Hughes has said it went unsold at that auction.) Property records indicate it ended up trading for $1.1 million early last year to Gee's Metro Masons LLC. Prior to that, the last sale had been for $265,000, a relative song, in 2016.

The Southside Trail section over Metropolitan Parkway opened later in 2021, with an ADA-accessible ramp leading down to the street, making for an easy pedestrian connection from the Capitol View property.

Constructed in 1924 by the Masons, the Robert Smith Pringle-designed brick temple served as a communal hub for decades, but it was just 7 percent occupied at the time it went to auction.

Auction materials from 2021 described the Capitol View location as an “up-and-coming area of Atlanta [that’s] become extremely desirable” with “a flood of revitalizing development.”

Officials with the Atlanta Preservation Center and Easements Atlanta pledged support for the neighborhood group trying to purchase the building three years ago. At the time, APC executive director David Mitchell said the National Register of Historic Places considers the old temple a vital component of the Capitol View Neighborhood Historic District.

Find more context and images in the gallery above.

...

Follow us on social media:

Twitter / Facebook/and now: Instagram  

• Capitol View news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)

Tags

1333 SW Metropolitan Parkway Koncept House Masons Metropolitan Parkway Vantage Realty Partners Ten-X Commercial Capitol View Manor Collider Anthony Gee The Core Venture Studio Adaptive Reuse Adaptive-Reuse Adaptive-Reuse Development Hughes Investment Partners Core Venture Studios Xmetrical BeltLine Design Review Committee Atlanta BeltLine Design Review Committee

Images

The 1331 Metropolitan Parkway building's location (in red) in relation to the Southside Trail and other area landmarks. Google Maps

The 1924 former Masons building on Capitol View's Metropolitan Avenue, located about a block south of the Beltline corridor. Vantage Realty Partners/Ten-X Commercial/CoStar

The broader Southwest Atlanta context, with the Beltline's Southside Trail crossing Metropolitan Parkway via the bridge at center.Vantage Realty Partners/Ten-X Commercial, via LoopNet/CoStar

A top-level auditorium space of 5,000 square feet.Vantage Realty Partners/Ten-X Commercial, via LoopNet/CoStar

An upstairs meeting area. The first floor is divided into four retail suites.Vantage Realty Partners/Ten-X Commercial, via LoopNet

The building's south face, with adjoining retail spaces the proposed addition would replace. The Atlanta-Fulton County Library system's Metropolitan Branch is across the street.Vantage Realty Partners/Ten-X Commercial, via LoopNet

Subtitle Plans in Capitol View call for 1920s Masons hall becoming Xmetrical-designed, mixed-use hub

Neighborhood Capitol View

Background Image

Image

Before/After Images

Sponsored Post Off

Images: Historic Tudor mansion's condo redo rounds into shape Josh Green Wed, 08/21/2024 - 15:08 A unique infill project that bills itself as “a new page” in Atlanta history has begun vertical construction and continues to place properties under contract two years after site plans and initial prices were unveiled.

The Downing Park project is replacing the razed Jackson Hill Baptist Church and repurposing a historic Tudor Revival mansion on a property collectively known as Pinebloom, located where Druid Hills’ southern border meets Candler Park. It continues Atlanta’s appetite for remaking church properties, as evidenced by new projects across the city.

Sellers report that two condos remain unsold at the project’s circa-1914 Tudor mansion component. According to Engel & Völkers Atlanta, the mansion is being converted to five sizable condos, with remaining units priced from $1.75 million. That buys three bedrooms and four bathrooms in 2,730 square feet.

Inquiries to Downing Park sales leaders for updates on construction and other sales haven’t been returned. The project officially broke ground in May last year, and the initial timeline called for delivering the first condos in late 2023.

Downing Park’s website now states the project will start delivering late this year.

Construction progress on the Tudor mansion and a new row of duplexes at Downing Park this past weekend. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Expected look of a Downing Park living room, as depicted in new renderings. Downing Park/TSW/M. Crisler Designs

Overall, the project is described as a blend of Tudor design and sophisticated, modern updates. Another way of putting it, per marketing blasts on social media: “Step into a realm of eternal allure as you cross the threshold of Downing Park, where timeless architecture beckons.”

The project calls for four varieties of upscale home plans at 1585 South Ponce de Leon Avenue, ranging from the five condos and 11 attached villas to two manor houses and a repurposed carriage house—now under contract—described as one-of-a-kind in Atlanta.

Prices for villas start at $1.3 million, and $2.3 million for manor houses.

Positioned away from Ponce de Leon Avenue, near Candler Park and the PATH Foundation’s Freedom Park Trail next door, the manor homes will each have six bedrooms and relatively huge interior volumes of about 5,000 square feet.

The duplex villas, meanwhile, will offer either three or four bedrooms and sizes between 2,754 and 3,616 square feet, project officials previously told Urbanize Atlanta.

Monte Hewett Homes is building all new residences at Downing Park, while Hammertime Construction is restoring and converting the carriage house and mansion condos. Atlanta-based TSW architect firm master-planned the Downing Park site and is serving as both architect and landscape architect for the development.

Plans call for the Downing Park community to be gated, with access points on South Ponce and Clifton Terrace. Amenities will include a saltwater pool, sunbathing terrace, and lush gardens, according to project officials.

The backside of the circa-1914 mansion following exterior renovations today. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Detailing inside the Tudor landmark today. Downing Park/FB

The communal amenities at Downing Park and the planned villas, at left. A garage is pictured at right. Downing Park/Engel & Volkers Atlanta/M. Crisler Designs

Designed by architect Walter T. Downing, the Tudor home and its carriage house were built in 1914 for Georgia Railway and Power Company president Preston S. Arkwright, while the neighboring Jackson Hill Baptist Church was erected later.

The Pinebloom property had been up for sale for more than a decade, but concerns about the decaying church building next to the mansion and other circumstances hampered prospective deals.

Records indicate the property sold to Joel Reed of Reed and Company—the current developer and a longtime Candler Park resident—for $3.06 million in March 2021.According to the Atlanta Urban Design Commission, the original home and carriage house are considered contributing structures to the Druid Hills Landmark District, while the church was not. 

Reed’s plans for razing the church and repurposing the mansion were approved by both the Druid Hills Civic Association and the church congregation, which will be allowed to worship at a facility on site once construction is complete, as The Christian Index has reported.

The project marks the second repurposing of a historic church property in Druid Hills’ Ponce de Leon Avenue corridor in recent years, following Minerva’s conversion of Druid Hills United Methodist Church into condos called 1200 Ponce.

Another adaptive-reuse project—a pocket neighborhood called Frederick Trust—now stands next door to Pinebloom/Downing Park, just to the east.

Find a closer look at the Druid Hills property today—and a preview of what’s to come—in the gallery above.

How the historically protected former carriage house is being converted to a standalone home. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Floorplan for one of two Downing Park condos without contracts today. Downing Park/Engel & Volkers Atlanta

...

Follow us on social media:

Twitter / Facebook/and now: Instagram  

• Druid Hills news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta) 

Tags

1585 South Ponce de Leon NE Downing Park Frederick Trust Atlanta Churches Reed and Company Atlanta Townhomes Atlanta Condos Pinebloom Jackson Hill Baptist Church Gorman and Company Joel Reed Atlanta Urban Design Commission Walter T. Downing Architecture Tourist Atlanta Architecture Veritas Church at Pinebloom Veritas Church Druid Hills Landmark District Candler Park Freedom Park Trail Shady Side Park Moreland Avenue Baptist Church M. Crisler Designs Engel & Völkers Atlanta TSW Architects Monte Hewett Homes Hammertime Construction Atlanta Homes for Sale Churches

Images

Construction progress on the Tudor mansion and a new row of duplexes at Downing Park this past weekend. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The backside of the circa-1914 mansion following exterior renovations today. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Vertical construction on Downing Park's duplex flank—or "villas"—as shown earlier this month. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

How the historically protected former carriage house is being converted to a standalone home. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Site work where Downing Park's amenities are planned. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Expected look of a Downing Park living room, as depicted in new renderings. Downing Park/TSW/M. Crisler Designs

Downing Park/TSW/M. Crisler Designs

Downing Park/TSW/M. Crisler Designs

Downing Park/TSW/M. Crisler Designs

Downing Park/Engel & Volkers Atlanta

Preview of a condo kitchen and living room at Downing Park, per the first interior renderings. Downing Park/FB

Preserved glass detailing at the 1914 former estate. Downing Park/FB

A preserved fireplace inside the former residence. Downing Park/FB

Exterior Tudor detailing. Downing Park/FB

Detailing inside the Tudor landmark today. Downing Park/FB

Downing Park/FB

Floorplan for one of two Downing Park condos without contracts today. Downing Park/Engel & Volkers Atlanta

Overview of amenities and the community layout. TSW's Landscape Architecture team "honored the estate's original gardens in the design of the new central courtyard and swimming pool focal point," per one official. Downing Park/Engel & Volkers Atlanta/M. Crisler Designs/TSW

Facades of the two manor houses at the property's south end, near Candler Park. Downing Park/Engel & Volkers Atlanta/M. Crisler Designs/TSW

The planned look of Downing Park manor houses. Downing Park/Engel & Volkers Atlanta/M. Crisler Designs/TSW

Downing Park/Engel & Volkers Atlanta/M. Crisler Designs/TSW

How the villas will face a PATH trail in the area that leads to downtown, Decatur, and Stone Mountain. Downing Park/Engel & Volkers Atlanta/M. Crisler Designs/TSW

The communal amenities at Downing Park and the planned villas, at left. A garage is pictured at right. Downing Park/Engel & Volkers Atlanta/M. Crisler Designs

The Tudor mansion on the Pinebloom property is being repurposed as condos and incorporated into Downing Park. Downing Park

Subtitle Vertical construction also begins at fanciful Downing Park project in Druid Hills

Neighborhood Druid Hills

Background Image

Image

Associated Project

Downing Park

Before/After Images

Sponsored Post Off

Howell Mill Road’s people-friendly overhaul enters new phase Josh Green Wed, 08/21/2024 - 13:07 Nearly a year after the Atlanta City Council green-lighted a project to remake one of Atlanta’s most rapidly developing corridors into a friendlier, more efficient place for non-motorists and drivers alike, the Howell Mill Road Complete Street project has entered a new phase of construction.

It’s not the only people-friendly road overhaul to gain momentum this month west of downtown and Midtown.

As visitors to Westside Provisions District and points north have likely noticed in recent weeks, the City of Atlanta’s Department of Transportation has begun installing pedestrian safety and signal improvements as part of the broader Howell Mill Road redo.

That includes wider sidewalks and ADA-friendly curb replacements, along with median and resurfacing work in the corridor closer to Interstate 75.

Part of pedestrian-focused changes implemented in recent weeks around Westside Provisions District. Atlanta Department of Transportation

According to ATLDOT, the next steps will see utility relocations—power, gas, and telecommunications—along with three new traffic signal installations and continued curb, sidewalk, concrete gutter, and driveway apron repairs and replacements.

All work is being relegated to the hours between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays, according to ATLDOT officials.  

The full scope of the Complete Streets project calls for resurfacing Howell Mill from just north of Collier Road down to Marietta Street, a distance of about two and ½ miles.

Along the route the city plans to synchronize traffic signals with fiber technology upgrades and build raised bike lanes from Forrest Street (about a block north of Atlanta Water Works) to all points south along Howell Mill.

Other upgrades will focus on sidewalk repairs, more mid-block crossings, ADA upgrades, and additional safety improvements such as roadway-grade bike lanes, officials have said.

All told, seven left-turn lanes, three new signalized intersections, and three new mid-block crossing are scheduled to be implemented, along with a new right-turn lane installation where Howell Mill meets Huff Road.

How a typical section of Howell Mill Road with a new median and raised bike lanes is expected to function. Atlanta Department of Transportation

Recent asphalt work near Howell Mill Road's intersection with Interstate 75. Atlanta Department of Transportation

The Atlanta City Council approved legislation in September to fund the full project, and construction partners P2K and Lefko Construction were picked in a joint venture as general contractors to build the street upgrades.  

The corridor’s upgrades aim to help accommodate a population influx in the area that’s created a wave of new businesses—and traffic snarls.

Since 2018, more than 1,100 apartments and townhomes have delivered in the Howell Mill blocks between 14th and 10th streets alone, with hundreds more in the pipeline. Despite the surge of private development, the three-lane roadway snaking through neighborhoods such as Home Park, Underwood Hills, and Marietta Street Artery had been mostly unchanged in recent years, apart from a few new crosswalks.

Howell Mill’s Complete Streets overhaul was once expected to begin in 2017—adding bike lanes, upgraded sidewalks and bus stops, fresh pavement, and new turn lanes—but was later axed from Renew Atlanta’s $250 million project list. Until September, the project still hadn’t been fully funded.

The general scope of the Howell Mill Road section in question, with traffic conditions at 2 p.m. on a Monday. Google Maps

According to ATLDOT’s most recent estimates, the Howell Mill project is expected to cost roughly $21 million.

The target completion date is still listed as winter 2026, pending weather delays. Nearby residents and Howell Mill drivers can expect to experience “significant disruption” from here until then, with intermittent lane closures being part of the process, per ATLDOT officials.

…

Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard

Meanwhile, ATLDOT reports this week that crews are mobilizing to begin construction on the Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard Complete Street, another project west of the city center that will begin at Atlanta University Center and travel about a mile and ½ north.

Scope of the Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard Complete Street project, west of Midtown and downtown. Atlanta Department of Transportation

Along with road resurfacing, the Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard plans call for raised and roadway bike lane installations, new midblock crossings, ADA ramp upgrades, new signalized intersections and signal upgrades, and new dedicated left-turn lanes.

The project’s scope spans from two blocks south of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, between Clark Atlanta University and Booker T. Washington High School, up to Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway.

“The corridor will become not just smoother but also safer for pedestrians and transit users,” ATLDOT officials wrote in an update this week.

Atlanta Department of Transportation

...

Follow us on social media:

Twitter / Facebook/and now: Instagram  

• Home Park news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta) 

Tags

Howell Mill Road Complete Streets Howell Mill Road Complete Street Home Park Marietta Street Artery Marietta Street Artery Overlay District Alternate Transportation Alternative Transportation Bike Infrastructure Atlanta Bike Lanes Propel ATL Atlanta Bicycle Coalition Councilmember Dustin Hillis Dustin Hillis P2K Lefko Construction P2K Civil Construction Contractors Joseph E. Boone Boulevard Joseph E. Boone Boulevard Complete Street Clark Atlanta University Booker T. Washington High School

Images

Recent asphalt work near Howell Mill Road's intersection with Interstate 75. Atlanta Department of Transportation

Part of pedestrian-focused changes implemented in recent weeks around Westside Provisions District. Atlanta Department of Transportation

How a typical section of Howell Mill Road with a new median and raised bike lanes is expected to function. Atlanta Department of Transportation

The general scope of the Howell Mill Road section in question, with traffic conditions at 2 p.m. on a Monday. Google Maps

Atlanta Department of Transportation

Scope of the Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard Complete Street project, west of Midtown and downtown. Atlanta Department of Transportation

Subtitle Meanwhile, Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard Complete Street project kicks off

Neighborhood Home Park

Background Image

Image

Before/After Images

Sponsored Post Off

New mixed-use district near downtown Athens has delivered Josh Green Wed, 08/21/2024 - 08:07 An hour and change northeast of Atlanta, a national apartment developer has delivered a new mixed-use community in hopes of capitalizing on what it calls rapid growth in Georgia’s quintessential college town.

Charleston-based Woodfield Development, which ranks among the top 20 U.S. developers of Class A multifamily projects, recently opened Holden at Oak Grove—the company’s first project in Athens and fifth in Georgia to date.

A blend of 296 garden-style apartments and ground-floor retail near a central greenspace, the multi-building project is part of a larger master-planned community called Village at Oak Grove.

The 110 Addison Road location is situated along U.S. Highway 129, northwest of downtown Athens and the University of Georgia’s campus. Athens Country Club is about two miles away on the same road.

Woodfield officials describe leasing momentum at the apartments as “extraordinary,” with more than 81 percent of the nearly 300 units being rented since leasing efforts began in September.

Holden at Oak Grove's new central green, bordered by retail spaces. Courtesy of Woodfield Development

Courtesy of Woodfield Development

Woodfield partner Patrick Kassin pointed to Athens’ “significant growth” as a driving factor, along with the city’s “high quality of life, great access to education through the university system, and a vibrant retail and restaurant scene,” per a project announcement.

U.S. Census estimates from 2022 put metro Athens’ population at about 220,000—up from 193,400 in 2010.

Holden at Oak Grove’s one to three-bedroom rentals are spread across nine three-story buildings, in addition to three mixed-use buildings with about 10,000 total square feet of retail at the base.

Communal perks include a dog spa, coworking spaces, a large pool, yoga room, private workstations, and a game room, while each unit features washers and dryers and finishes that include granite countertops.

Courtesy of Woodfield Development

Courtesy of Woodfield Development

Next door, a 48,387-square-foot Publix anchors the project’s more traditional retail portion. Ancillary tenants include Los Reyes Mexican Restaurant, Great American Cookie, Sugar Polish Nail Bar, and Great Clips, per Woodfield reps.

Rents for available Holden at Oak Grove units start at $1,598 monthly. That floorplan includes one bedroom and one bathroom in 796 square feet.

The priciest floorplan—a third-floor apartment with three bedrooms and two bathrooms in 1,342 square feet—is going for $2,213 monthly.

In Atlanta, Woodfield’s recent projects have included the 505 Courtland apartment tower and the Union Green project southwest of the city.

The company is also behind plans in Oakland City to develop a multi-building mix of commercial and residential spaces overlooking the Beltine’s Westside Trail, but that has yet to break ground.

Beyond the developer, Holden at Oak Grove’s team included Fifth Dimension Architecture and Interiors (architect of record), CBG (general contractor), and Shelton Taylor + Associates (interior design).

Find more context and visuals in the gallery above.

Holden at Oak Grove's 110 Addison Road location. Google Maps

...

Follow us on social media:

Twitter / Facebook/and now: Instagram  

• Athens news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta) 

Tags

110 Addison Road Athens Holden at Oak Grove Woodfield Development OTP CBG Fifth Dimension Architecture and Interiors Shelton Taylor + Associates Publix Village at Oak Grove Great American Cookie Los Reyes Mexican Restaurant Sugar Polish Nail Bar Great Clips Georgia College Towns Georgia Mixed-Use Development Athens Development Athens Growth Oak Grove

Images

Holden at Oak Grove's 110 Addison Road location. Google Maps

Holden at Oak Grove's new central green, bordered by retail spaces. Courtesy of Woodfield Development

Courtesy of Woodfield Development

Courtesy of Woodfield Development

Courtesy of Woodfield Development

Courtesy of Woodfield Development

Courtesy of Woodfield Development

Courtesy of Woodfield Development

Courtesy of Woodfield Development

Courtesy of Woodfield Development

Courtesy of Woodfield Development

Courtesy of Woodfield Development

Courtesy of Woodfield Development

Courtesy of Woodfield Development

Courtesy of Woodfield Development

Subtitle Woodfield Development calls Holden at Oak Grove leasing momentum "extraordinary"

Neighborhood Athens

Background Image

Image

Before/After Images

Sponsored Post Off

Following mayor comments, pro-Beltline transit chorus grows louder Josh Green Tue, 08/20/2024 - 15:01 By now, most Atlantans with even a passing interest in mobility and Beltline growth have caught wind of Mayor Andre Dickens’ recent skepticism that light-rail transit on the 22-mile loop will be viable soon.

Dickens questioned Beltline rail transit’s financial feasibility in late July in an interview on WABE’s “Closer Look,” but the comments continue to reverberate with—and motivate—proponents of light-rail vehicles operating next to Beltline pathways.

In the WABE interview, Dickens again floated the idea that bus rapid transit or driverless “pods” could be viable alternatives to Beltline rail. The city has hired outside consultants to study transit options and provide a breakdown of costs, including potential fare prices.

Dickens told host Rose Scott he favors light-rail options and plans to continue to push for that transit method but fears encircling the full 22-mile Beltline with rail would be prohibitively expensive, especially in a state like Georgia that provides the city no financial support for public transit. He also expressed concerns about potential impacts to small businesses on the Beltline during the construction phase for light-rail transit.

“We are still in the state that does not fund its public transit… We have New York hopes of transit, but New York state supports the New York Transit System,” Dickens told WABE. “We do not have support for MARTA nor will we have support for the Beltline, as it currently stands.”

Not surprisingly, the mayor’s skepticism has proven a rallying point for the Beltline rail naysayers at Better Atlanta Transit. But the same can be said for Beltline rail’s most vocal supporters—including some now in high places.

Nonprofit advocacy group Beltline Rail Now staged a rally Saturday and unfurled a new banner in support of their cause that overlooks a popular segment of trail on Wylie Street in Reynoldstown.

Pro-Beltline rail transit signage unveiled over a popular section of trail near Krog Street Tunnel this past weekend. Beltline Rail Now!

Beltline Rail Now!

Matthew Rao, BeltLine Rail Now president, says Dickens garnered support from rail proponents during his run for the city’s top office by promising to push for new rail alternatives as Atlanta’s “transit mayor.” Rao and company hope to see the Streetcar East Extension to the Beltline not only supported but accelerated. MARTA estimates the project will cost $230 million.

Saturday’s rally also served to celebrate the completion of consultant HDR’s final recommendation to MARTA for a grass track system on the Beltline—as opposed to a bed of concrete beneath light-rail vehicles that opponents have feared. According to Rao, the next step in the process calls for MARTA to direct HDR to finalize transit designs and compile an engineering package.

BRN leaders remain hopeful the project can break ground in late 2025 and start service in 2028, as MARTA’s plans have called for.

Speakers at the Saturday event included Atlanta City Council president Doug Shipman. (In addition to Shipman, councilmembers Jason Dozier, Liliana Bakhtiari, and Amir Farokhi, who collectively represent a wide swath of intown neighborhoods, have also recently spoken up in favor of branching the current Atlanta Streetcar loop to Ponce City Market via the Eastside Trail.)

How the planned Atlanta Streetcar extension's Ralph McGill stop could relate to Fourth Ward Project's offices, per an earlier study. Kimley-Horn/MARTA 2040; via Vimeo

At Saturday’s rally, Shipman called the implementation of Beltline rail essential for Atlanta’s future in terms of not just mobility but equitability and sustainability in the face of climate change.

“Equity will never be solved unless we have transportation,” Shipman told the Saturday gathering, as Saporta Report relays. “Affordability will never be solved unless we have transportation. Transportation in areas that have been underinvested in is not enough. Transportation from areas that have been underinvested in—to affluent areas—is required.”

...

Follow us on social media:

Twitter / Facebook/and now: Instagram  

• Beltline news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta) 

Tags

Atlanta Streetcar MARTA 2040 MARTA Alternate Transportation Alternative Transportation Edgewood Avenue Ponce City Market Streetcars Streetcar East Extension project Downtown Beltline Atlanta BeltLine Kimley Horn Kimley-Horn Kimley-Horn & Associates BeltLine Rail Now! Hans Klein Georgia Tech Georgia Tech School of City and Regional Planning Georgia Tech School of Public Policy BeltLine Rail Streetcar Expansion Better Atlanta Transit BAT Atlanta City Council Doug Shipman

Images

Pro-Beltline rail transit signage unveiled over a popular section of trail near Krog Street Tunnel this past weekend. Beltline Rail Now!

Beltline Rail Now!

Subtitle Light-rail advocates hopeful project can break ground in 2025, providing equitable mobility

Neighborhood Citywide

Background Image

Image

Before/After Images

Sponsored Post Off

Next to legendary Stankonia Studios, residential project taking shape Josh Green Tue, 08/20/2024 - 12:52 Next to the legendary recording studios that gave birth to Two Dope Boyz (In a Cadillac), a project with four large stories (and a roof deck) is rising now, juxtaposing Atlanta’s musical history and infill development trends on a single corner south of Buckhead.

The townhome project, Fräbel West Midtown, is under construction immediately south of the nondescript Antone Street building that’s home to Stankonia Studios, where Atlanta rappers Outkast recorded one iconic album after the next throughout their career. One half of the duo, Big Boi, has continued to use the facilities for solo albums.

(Interesting ATL trivia: The studio complex, formerly called Bosstown, had been owned by recording artist Bobby Brown but was quickly scooped up by Outkast and rechristened “Stankonia” when it fell into foreclosure.)

The Fräbel project calls for a node of 16 townhomes in Berkeley Park, about a block west of Northside Drive and directly north of Monday Night Brewing’s original location. The developer is Atlanta-based JackBilt Development, which counts recently finished and under-construction single-family and larger, infill projects across the intown landscape.

So what's up with the project's name? It’s replacing a low-rise building and parking lot formerly occupied by Fräbel, an art gallery and glass studio, that has relocated on the same Berkeley Park street.

The Fräbel West Midtown project's Antone Street frontage. Office of Design architects; JackBilt Development

As seen during an earlier construction phase, the Fräbel West Midtown site in relation to Stankonia Studios—hallowed ground for Atlanta hip-hop fans. Google Maps

Allen Snow, a broker with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty, tells Urbanize the Fräbel project has recently begun vertical construction with framing. Prices are projected to range from the high $700,000s to low $800,000s, and units will be posted for sale later this year, according to Snow.

As designed by Decatur-based architecture firm Office of Design, Fräbel’s buildings will all stand four stories with numerous rooftop decks, according to building permits. (We’re seeking clarification on how large the townhomes will be, in terms of room count and square footages, and we’ll update this story should those details come.)

The residences are described as a “diverse mix” and “an immersive living experience”in marketing materials.

Office of Design architects; JackBilt Development

Fräbel West Midtown's 701 Antone St. site in relation to Northside Drive. Google Maps

Besides the history next door, one attribute of the site is a Walk Score of 76 (of 100), which qualifies as “very walkable,” per that algorithm. The Bike Score (56) and Transit Score (39) are less impressive.  

In the gallery above, find more Fräbel context and images.

...

Follow us on social media:

Twitter / Facebook/and now: Instagram  

• Berkeley Park news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta) 

Tags

701 Antone Street Northwest Fräbel West Midtown Office of Design JackBilt Development Atlanta Townhomes townhomes townhouse Atlanta Construction Atlanta Development JackBilt Allen Snow Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty Walk Score Northsid Drive Howell Mill Road Loring Heights Underwood Hills West Midtown Stankonia Studios Outkast Big Boi Atlanta Music History Townhouses Fräbel

Images

Fräbel West Midtown's 701 Antone St. site in relation to Northside Drive. Google Maps

As seen during an earlier construction phase, the Fräbel West Midtown site in relation to Stankonia Studios—hallowed ground for Atlanta hip-hop fans. Google Maps

The Fräbel West Midtown project's Antone Street frontage. Office of Design architects; JackBilt Development

Office of Design architects; JackBilt Development

The corner property in question in 2021. Google Maps

Subtitle Fräbel West Midtown calls for pocket of 16 townhomes in Berkeley Park

Neighborhood Berkeley Park

Background Image

Image

Before/After Images

Sponsored Post Off

South of downtown, epic Atlanta Streets Alive route making comeback Josh Green Tue, 08/20/2024 - 08:12 Who says everywhere south of Interstate 20 never gets any love?

Come next month, Atlanta’s largest open-streets block party is shifting from the heart of downtown and Midtown to a new route spanning between a West End greenspace along the Beltline to the doorstep of the city’s oldest park.

Atlanta Streets Alive will begin a series of three monthly events from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15 along a straight route from West End to Grant Park, with Mechanicsville and Summerhill’s lively commercial district in between.

It will return to that route—opening Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard and Georgia Avenue—on Oct. 20 and Nov. 17. 

By our calculations, that’s a little more than three and ½ miles. And that’s considerably longer than the 2.8-mile Peachtree Street route Streets Alive has used for four consecutive events, dating back to the September comeback last year.  

The route planned for three Atlanta Streets Alive programs between Gordon-White Park (left) and Grant Park. Propel ATL

More than a dozen cross-streets will also be open to pedestrians and cyclists in neighborhoods along the West End-Grant Park route during the three upcoming events, according to organizers Propel ATL and the Atlanta Department of Transportation. (Find an interactive map of the route here.)

After a four-year hiatus, Streets Alive made a lively return in September, opening Peachtree’s traffic lanes and sidewalks from south of Underground Atlanta up to 15th Street in Midtown. The Peachtree route was among the most attended and frequently staged of the events over the years, with crowds often topping 100,000, as estimated by volunteer counters.

Atlanta Bicycle Coalition (now Propel ATL) originated Streets Alive, inspired by ciclovíaevents in Bogotá, Colombia and other cities. The Atlanta phenomenon began meagerly one day in 2010 when a stretch of Edgewood Avenue opened to bicyclists, skaters, walkers, and anyone else not driving a car. Over the next decade, organizers say Streets Alive staged 29 events and covered some 83 miles of city streets, drawing an estimated 1.7 million people total.

Atlanta Streets Alive on Georgia Avenue in Summerhill about six years ago. Urbanize ATL archives

The final pre-hiatus event was held on Peachtree in 2019, before going dormant through pandemic years as logistics for a more frequent Streets Alive were worked out with ATLDOT and other city leaders.

Should all plans come to fruition, six different Streets Alive events in 2024 would mark a record for a single year, with the previous highmark being four in 2016.

Not to be outdone, the Howell Mill Road corridor west of Midtown is once again hosting its own open-streets bonanza this fall, too. 

The second-annual Westside Stride is planned from 12 to 6 p.m. Oct. 6, with live music, food, retail vendors, and other family-friendly activities spread across roughly a mile, between Trabert Avenue and 8th Street this year. (Tip: Don’t miss the music lineup in Northside Tavern’s parking lot.)

Here’s a look at that route:

Westsidestride.org

...

Follow us on social media:

Twitter / Facebook/and now: Instagram  

• West End news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)

Tags

West End Gordon-White Park Grant Park Atlanta Streets Alive Propel ATL Bike Routes Alternative Transportation Alternate Transportation Atlanta Biking Atlanta Festivals Street Festivals Atlanta Department of Transportation

Images

Atlanta Streets Alive on Georgia Avenue in Summerhill about six years ago. Urbanize ATL archives

The route planned for three Atlanta Streets Alive programs between Gordon-White Park (left) and Grant Park. Propel ATL

Westsidestride.org

Subtitle Monthly street-opening route shifts from Peachtree Street beginning in September

Neighborhood West End

Background Image

Image

Before/After Images

Sponsored Post Off

Next to eastside Atlanta Beltline, for-sale condos begin ascent Josh Green Mon, 08/19/2024 - 14:46 The replacement of a longstanding Reynoldstown steel mill with a full village of Atlanta Beltline-adjacent housing has officially entered a new phase.

Empire Communities’ Stein Steel project, the largest in Reynoldstown, has begun vertical construction on a flank of condos that will be the closest buildings to the Beltline section previously known as the Eastside Trail (it’s now technically the Southeast Trail).

For-sale condos are still a relatively rare product for Atlanta, with the only other recent, Beltline-adjacent example being the upscale Roycraft project in Virginia-Highland.

At Stein Steel, the condos are part of a portion called the Central Tract that Empire considers the project’s fourth development phase, as officials confirmed this week.

Proximity of the next Stein Steel condo project to the Eastside/Southeast Trail corridor, at left. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The Beltline-fronting section of Stein Steel under vertical construction now. Courtesy of Empire Communities

Exactly how many condos are being built now, how large they will be, and what they will cost hasn’t been specified. (We’ll update this story if inquiries regarding these details are returned.) None of the Central Tract dwellings have been listed for sale yet. Earlier projections called for construction finishing in November, but that doesn’t appear likely now.

Renderings indicate the stacked condos will stand four stories, with garages at base levels facing away from the Beltline.

The Central Tract’s plans also call for 15 new townhomes and detached cottages in future phases. Project officials have said the seven cottages will not include garages or any dedicated parking—a true rarity in Atlanta.

After breaking ground in 2021, the Stein Steel project—named for a steel plant that operated on the 6.5-acre site for nearly a century—has remade property once marketed as Beltline “beachfront” near the junction of neighborhoods such as Cabbagetown, Old Fourth Ward, and Inman Park.

Entry off Kirkwood Avenue in Reynoldstown today. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

How Stein Steel's next residences are expected to meet the Beltline, with the Breaker Breaker restaurant component in the distance. Courtesy of Empire Communities

Elsewhere around Stein Steel, the first two phases of townhomes have all sold. The southernmost portion of the project—Milltown Stacks, or phase three—is offering condos priced from $325,000. That buys one bedroom and one bathroom in 691 square feet, above a one-car garage.

Overall, Stein Steel is aiming to better weave itself into the historic neighborhood with buildings standing between two and four stories, project officials have said. Its dozens of condos, townhomes, and cottages will mostly be arranged around new streets.  

On the greenspace front, Empire finished work on the Upper Lang-Carson Park component (a half-acre expansion of an existing park next door) and officially transferred the private land and its infrastructure upgrades to the City of Atlanta earlier this year.

Stein Steel’s lone retail offering, Breaker Breaker restaurant, completed its buildout in the spring by opening its upstairs bar, Floridaman.

Head to the gallery above for more context and a closer look at where Stein Steel stands today.

...

Follow us on social media:

Twitter / Facebook/and now: Instagram  

• Reynoldstown news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta) 

Tags

933 Kirkwood Avenue SE Empire Stein Steel Stein Steel Square Feet Studio Empire Communities Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail Beltline Lang-Carson Park Smith Dalia Architects Troy King Lord Aeck Sargent Local Architects KTGY Lessard Kimley-Horn & Associates Merritt Lancaster Bridger Properties Breaker Breaker Atlanta Restaurants Atlanta Development Atlanta Construction Atlanta Condos Atlanta Condos for Sale Upper Lang-Carson Park

Images

Proximity of the next Stein Steel condo project to the Eastside/Southeast Trail corridor, at left. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

How Stein Steel's next residences are expected to meet the Beltline, with the Breaker Breaker restaurant component in the distance. Courtesy of Empire Communities

Entry off Kirkwood Avenue in Reynoldstown today. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Where the base level of Stein Steel's flank of Beltline-adjacent condos stands today. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The Beltline-fronting section of Stein Steel under vertical construction now. Courtesy of Empire Communities

The latest Stein Steel site plan, with a centralized condo building replaced by a variety of for-sale housing types. Courtesy of Empire Communities

Subtitle Where Reynoldstown’s largest development, Stein Steel, stands now

Neighborhood Reynoldstown

Background Image

Image

Associated Project

Stein Steel - 933 Kirkwood

Before/After Images

Sponsored Post Off

City releases findings of More MARTA audit, says program owed $70M Josh Green Mon, 08/19/2024 - 12:41 Another bone of contention between the City of Atlanta and its transit agency has come to light after an independent audit found that MARTA owes its taxpayer-approved, transit-expansion program tens of millions of dollars.

City officials today published findings from an outside firm’s audit of the More MARTA Atlanta Program. Atlanta voters overwhelmingly approved the program’s half-penny sales tax via referendum in 2016 to fund expansion of the transit system over the next 40 years, well into the 2050s.

In more recent years, observers have criticized MARTA for not breaking ground on transit expansion projects despite years of collecting tax revenues. The MARTA Rapid Summerhill bus project, which began construction in June last year, is now the exception.

Members of the Atlanta City Council in March 2023 demanded an audit of the More MARTA program for more transparency on spending. Three months later, the city hired the Mauldin & Jenkins firm, an independent auditor, to perform an operational review of the program—eventually with MARTA’s blessing.

Those findings were provided to MARTA Wednesday and to the news media today.

According to the city, auditors conducted More MARTA cost allocation calculations for a timespan between fiscal years 2017 and 2022. One key finding, according to city officials, is that More MARTA coffers are due roughly $70 million, based on MARTA’s current operational programs cost allocation methodology.

The audit also found that MARTA used funding meant for More MARTA capital programs to cover operational expenses.

The agency also spent far less on More MARTA enhanced bus services than was budgeted in fiscal years 2021 and 2022, as transit in Atlanta was trying to find its footing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the audit found.

Auditors determined MARTA would transfer funds allocated for capital expansion programs to cover operational costs in years when those operations expenses exceeded what had been budgeted. In those years, MARTA officials transferred funding from the City of Atlanta Reserve account to MARTA’s Unified Reserve account to cover the difference, per city officials.

Conversely, in years when the More MARTA program’s operations expenditures were lower than budgeted amounts, MARTA would transfer the leftover money back into the coffer meant for expanding the transit system with taxpayer funds, according to auditors.   

In its formal response to the audit today, MARTA pulled no punches in calling the audit’s calculations “wrong.”  

“[Auditors] used a flawed methodology by applying a COVID-based formula to reverse engineer what they believe should have been charged for bus service in 2017, 2018, and 2019, resulting in false calculations,” reads a MARTA statement. “MARTA charged for the cost of actual bus service during those years and the city officials then in charge were aware of the costs, as the minutes of monthly meetings prove.”

Where sidewalk-widening efforts include biking infrastructure along Hank Aaron Drive as part of the More MARTA-funded Summerhill rapid bus project under construction now. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

MARTA officials contend they provided notice of the audit’s flaws to both the city and Mauldin & Jenkins auditors but that input was not taken into consideration, leaving MARTA brass “disappointed.”

In a memorandum responding to the audit, MARTA general manager and COE Collie Greenwood says his agency agrees with many recommendations and observations provided in the analysis that are aimed at improving MARTA’s transparency and efficiency. He calls a More MARTA intergovernmental agreement with the city, as currently structured, “cumbersome, restrictive, and ineffective” in that it leaves a sales-tax funded initiative vulnerable to “shifting political dynamics” in local government.

But Greenwood disagrees with several of the audit’s findings, especially as it pertains to the cost allocation math prior to fiscal year 2022.

“[The audit’s] method used a threshold calculation created by MARTA during the pandemic in response to drastically changing route plans and reduced ridership,” Greenwood wrote. “By retroactively revising data using a COVID-era formula and incompatible methodology, Mauldin & Jenkins unfortunately has produced erroneous findings.”

Other aspects of the audit focused on managerial activity at MARTA related to the program between its inception and June last year, when the audit was approved. Greenwood was first installed as leader of the transit agency on an interim basis in January 2022, following the death of former CEO Jeffrey Parker.

The audit makes 10 recommendations for MARTA—most of them related to More MARTA program efficiency, accounting, and transparency—and city officials agree with all 10 of those, according to a city-issued press release today. The audit has been shared with the Atlanta City Council and members of MARTA’s board.

Greenwood, Mayor Andre Dickens, and attorneys and chief financial officials for both the city and MARTA “have been in discussions about the findings and a path forward,” per the city.

Despite their distaste with the audit, MARTA officials pledged to “continue to work in good faith with the city to improve the [intergovernmental agreement] and strengthen the overall success of the More MARTA Atlanta Program.”

The full audit can be found online here. Greenwood’s memo to city officials and auditors in response to the audit’s findings, dated Sunday, is provided in full in the comments section below.

...

Follow us on social media:

Twitter / Facebook/and now: Instagram  

• MARTA-related news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta) 

Tags

MARTA City of Atlanta Five Points MARTA Transit MARTA Audit Mauldin & Jenkins Atlanta Transit Alternate Transportation Alternative Transportation Atlanta City Council More MARTA More MARTA Atlanta Program

Subtitle MARTA officials blast auditors' calculations for using "flawed methodology"

Neighborhood Citywide

Background Image

Image

Before/After Images

Sponsored Post Off

CNN Center's 'world-class' transformation moves forward downtown Josh Green Mon, 08/19/2024 - 07:59 With Atlanta’s first FIFA World Cup 2026 match just 665 days away, another project with the potential to benefit from an influx of global sports enthusiasts is rumbling to life downtown.

According to a Special Administrative Permit application filed Friday, commercial real estate and management firm CP Group is moving forward with the renovation of one of its trophy Atlanta properties, the 1.2-million-square-foot CNN Center.

CNN departed the building earlier this year and stripped off its branding as its offices were moved to Midtown’s Techwood, ending a four-decade era of the media company being headquartered downtown.  

CP Group plans to remake the 1970s landmark known for its soaring atrium into a modernized, “world-class” hub of dining, retail, entertainment, and content creation, officials have said. Its new name will be simply The Center.

Representatives with engineering firm Kimley-Horn filed the SAP application with Atlanta's Department of City Planning last week. Those filings indicate the first phase of renovations would see exterior façade improvements at CNN Center’s north and south entries.

Plans for the northernmost entry, near Georgia World Congress Center. CP Group; Healey Weatherholtz Properties; designs, ASD/SKY

CP Group; Healey Weatherholtz Properties; designs, ASD/SKY

Renderings for The Center show its low-key, concrete-and-glass entries revived with large digital panels, street-art murals, and new signage, along with outdoor seating and other hangouts.

A new social area called “Hawks Plaza” is in the works for the building’s southernmost entry, nearest to State Farm Arena’s main entrance, according to marketing materials. Elsewhere would be a remade atrium and reimagined retail corridors leading to arenas, the Omni hotel, and downtown lynchpin Georgia World Congress Center. 

CP Group’s renovations call for 130,000 square feet of retail space, alongside 920,000 square feet of creative office and media production spaces. Another component is the recently renovated, 1,067-key Omni hotel attached to the facilities. It’s all part of a massive portfolio the Boca Raton, Fla.-based company has amassed in Atlanta in recent years.   

CP Group officials haven’t specified when the former CNN Center’s next incarnation could start to open. The initial focus will be on activating the complex’s ground-floor level, company leaders have said.

CNN Center's vast interiors, as seen in 2018. Shutterstock

CP Group; designs, ASD/SKY

Built in 1976 as the Omni Complex, the property was reshaped by mogul Ted Turner into CNN Center in 1986. Three years ago, CP Group bought the complex from CNN’s former parent company, AT&T, by way of a sale-leaseback that ran through this year. Along with Mercedes-Benz Stadium, The Center’s neighbors include State Farm Arena, Centennial Olympic Park, and the country’s fourth-largest convention center—attractions that draw more than 12 million visitors per year alone, per CP Group.

The Center is located across the street from Centennial Yards’ under-construction new entertainment district, which developer forecasts call for becoming a lively hub of World Cup-related activities in two years. Atlanta Ventures’ growing portfolio of South Downtown properties is situated just beyond that.

Meanwhile, just west of The Center, the Georgia World Congress Center Authority selected in June a development team that includes Atlanta-based firm Fuqua Development to transform the 11-acre Home Depot Backyard (formerly the Georgia Dome’s site) into another new entertainment district.

CBRE has been tapped to lease The Center’s office component, where no space had been available to lease for 40 years.

Marketing materials compiled earlier this year by retail advisors Healey Weatherholtz Properties beckon potential tenants to “Find Your Way to The Center.”

The marketing package describes Atlanta’s retail landscape as “grossly underserved” by its existing 2.9 million square feet of retail space. Downtown alone logged 42.5 million non-employee visits in 2023, it also states.

Another point of interest for prospective tenants: State Farm Arena hosts more than 300 events per year; that’s good for fourth in the nation in terms of sheer number of events, and seventh in the world among comparable venues for ticket sales, per the marketing package.

Elsewhere in Atlanta, CP Group is moving forward with additional changes to another landmark property it owns—Bank of America Plaza, the tallest building in the Southeast—where a new plaza, outdoor café, and top-floor amenity space are now planned.  

Find more context and a closer look at CNN Center’s planned changes in the gallery above.

...

Follow us on social media:

Twitter / Facebook/and now: Instagram  

• Downtown news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)

Tags

CNN Center The Center Downtown Atlanta CP Group World Cup 2026 Healey Weatherholtz Properties Adaptive-Reuse Adaptive-Reuse Development Omni Atlanta Hotel Atlanta Hotels Atlanta Landmarks ASD|SKY CBRE Kimley Horn Kimley-Horn & Associates Kimley-Horn

Images

CNN Center's vast interiors, as seen in 2018. Shutterstock

Shutterstock

Plans for The Center's revised Marietta Street facade. CP Group; designs, ASD/SKY

CP Group; designs, ASD/SKY

Plans for the northernmost entry, near Georgia World Congress Center. CP Group; Healey Weatherholtz Properties; designs, ASD/SKY

CP Group; Healey Weatherholtz Properties; designs, ASD/SKY

CP Group; Healey Weatherholtz Properties; designs, ASD/SKY

CP Group; Healey Weatherholtz Properties

CP Group; Healey Weatherholtz Properties

CP Group; Healey Weatherholtz Properties

CP Group; Healey Weatherholtz Properties

CP Group; Healey Weatherholtz Properties

Subtitle Conversion to The Center calls for revived interiors, “Hawks Plaza,” TV/film production facilities

Neighborhood Downtown

Background Image

Image

Before/After Images

Sponsored Post Off

Rooftop at new Georgia Tech apartment building is bananas Josh Green Fri, 08/16/2024 - 14:16 Before urbanists of Atlanta unleash the pitchforks, let’s acknowledge this project isn’t technically new. But it’s newish (with no previous coverage here—oops), and with Georgia Tech’s fall semester beginning Monday, it’s an opportune time to catch up.

Topped with a suite of rooftop amenities like yesteryear’s dorms never dreamed of, Theory Interlock is a 240-unit (674-bed) mixed-use apartment project that opened last August at 1040 Northside Drive, following 22 months of construction.

What recently caught our eye is the rooftop luxury pool with lounge seating, sweeping skyline views, and what’s described as a “huge Jumbotron screen.” Just off the pool—also with skyline vistas—is a 24-hour gym with Echelon Fit equipment.

The building is situated a block from Georgia Tech (a private shuttle runs residents back and forth), and it counts Five Guys as one in-building retail tenant.

Theory Interlock also made recent headlines regarding its anchor retail space.

How Theory Interlock replaced a parking lot, a used car sales business, and other low-rise buildings where Northside Drive meets Ethel Street. Theory Interlock; courtesy of PeakMade Real Estate

Sweeping views from Buckhead to Midtown (and of the Jumbotron) atop the student housing project.Theory Interlock; courtesy of PeakMade Real Estate

Interlock’s developer, Atlanta-based firm SJC Ventures, confirmed last month that German grocer Lidl will anchor the retail portion of Interlock Tower at Northside, the second phase of a mixed-use district that’s sprouted over the past five years between the Howell Mill Road corridor and Georgia Tech.

Lidl has signed on for 31,000 square feet of street-level space at Theory Interlock’s base, fronting Northside Drive, that was initially slated to become a Publix Super Market. It’ll mark the third ITP location for Lidl, a discount retailer with other stores on Briarcliff Road and on Memorial Drive near Kirkwood.

We inquired with the development team this week for information on how leasing has performed at Theory Interlock and other details, and this story will be updated with any additional info that comes. The property’s website indicates no studio, one, two, or even three-bedroom options are currently available for rent. But a range of four and five-bedroom floorplans are.

The least expensive option is a five-bedroom, five-bathroom floorplan with 1,892 square feet that rents for $1,349 per month (per tenant). All apartments come furnished.

Northwest views from the poolside lounging areas. Theory Interlock; courtesy of PeakMade Real Estate

Theory Interlock; courtesy of PeakMade Real Estate

Beyond the rooftop, the building’s perks are listed as private study pods, a variety of courtyard spaces with grilling stations and games, coworking stations, and conference rooms.

PeakMade Real Estate developed and is operating Theory Interlock. The team also included Dynamik Design (architects), Blue Vista Capital Management (investment manager), and Choate Construction (general contractor).

Find a quick tour of the Theory Interlock property and amenities in the gallery above.

Theory Interlock's 1040 Northside Drive location, between 10th and 14th streets. Google Maps

...

Follow us on social media:

Twitter / Facebook/and now: Instagram  

• Home Park news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta) 

Tags

1040 Northside Drive Theory Interlock PeakMade Real Estate Choate Construction Blue Vista Capital Management Dynamik Design Georgia Tech Student Housing Atlanta Construction Atlanta Development Atlanta Student Housing Student Apartments West Midtown

Images

Theory Interlock's 1040 Northside Drive location, between 10th and 14th streets. Google Maps

Sweeping views from Buckhead to Midtown (and of the Jumbotron) atop the student housing project.Theory Interlock; courtesy of PeakMade Real Estate

How Theory Interlock replaced a parking lot, a used car sales business, and other low-rise buildings where Northside Drive meets Ethel Street. Theory Interlock; courtesy of PeakMade Real Estate

Northwest views from the poolside lounging areas. Theory Interlock; courtesy of PeakMade Real Estate

Theory Interlock; courtesy of PeakMade Real Estate

Theory Interlock; courtesy of PeakMade Real Estate

Theory Interlock; courtesy of PeakMade Real Estate

Theory Interlock; courtesy of PeakMade Real Estate

Theory Interlock; courtesy of PeakMade Real Estate

Theory Interlock; courtesy of PeakMade Real Estate

Theory Interlock; courtesy of PeakMade Real Estate

Theory Interlock; courtesy of PeakMade Real Estate

Five-bedroom floorplan for the least expensive Theory Interlock apartment currently listed as available. Theory Interlock; courtesy of PeakMade Real Estate

Subtitle "Huge Jumbotron," private shuttle to campus called top perks at Theory Interlock

Neighborhood Home Park

Background Image

Image

Associated Project

The Interlock - 1115 Howell Mill Road NW

Before/After Images

Sponsored Post Off