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Makeover planned for long-empty, centralized Buckhead building Josh Green Mon, 06/17/2024 - 14:50 Despite its location in the shadow of Tower Place high-rises and hundreds of new luxury apartments, the former standalone bank facility 3465 Buckhead Loop has been largely empty since the COVID-19 pandemic. But that could soon change.

A proposal has emerged to remake the brick-clad former Wells Fargo near a main Tower Place entrance into a Jared jewelry gallery, marking the first ITP location for the national brand with hundreds of locations across most U.S. states.

The building in question is situated next to Buckhead Church and Marriott’s SpringHill Suites hotel Buckhead Loop location. 

The longstanding bank branch closed several years ago as part of a broader Wells Fargo contraction that continues today. The property has been dotted with leasing signs but has remained vacant since.

The building operating as Wells Fargo in 2019 prior to its closure. Google Maps

Representatives with Nashville-based MJM Architects recently brought plans for the jewelry galleria to the Buckhead SPI-12 Development Review Committee’s June meeting, calling for the current building to be expanded by 45 percent.

Jared’s redevelopment proposal would tear down the existing bank drive-thru and build a new 1,731-square-foot flank toward Buckhead church. Other changes would include removing all existing windows, re-cladding the building in white masonry, and relocating the main entrance.

The full interior of the current 3,869-square-foot structure would be also be renovated, according to a SPI-12 DRC meeting recap. No zoning variations have been requested.

DRC members recommended the applicants check with the City of Atlanta’s Office of Zoning and Development to see if the planned makeover is substantial enough to classify the project as a fully new development, which would be subject to SPI-12 zoning code requirements.

Once that’s determined, according to the DRC, a formal Special Administrative Permit application needs to be submitted to the Buckhead board for input and review.

The 3465 Buckhead Loop location in relation to the area's main thoroughfares, including Piedmont Road and Ga. Highway 400. Google Maps

As a first step, DRC members recommended the project comply with SPI-12 codes that require clearly marked, safer crossings in the parking lot and between sidewalk frontages and the former bank.

The committee also recommended that Jared’s reps remove a former drive-thru loop on the northeast side of the building to allow for more greenspace. Another recommendation: to better screen the current parking lot with more vegetation.

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• Buckhead news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta) 

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3465 Buckhead Loop NE Buckhead Loop Buckhead Church Buckhead Development Wells Fargo MJM Architects Jared Jared Jewelry Buckhead Construction Livable Buckhead Buckhead Development Review Committee Atlanta Banks Buckhead Banks Buckhead Well Fargo Tower Place

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The 3465 Buckhead Loop location in relation to the area's main thoroughfares, including Piedmont Road and Ga. Highway 400. Google Maps

The building operating as Wells Fargo in 2019 prior to its closure. Google Maps

Subtitle Jewelers’ Buckhead Loop plans call for expansion, demo of former bank branch

Neighborhood Buckhead

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Images: 2 projects aiming to boost Greenbriar Mall area have arrived Josh Green Mon, 06/17/2024 - 12:13 Following two years of construction, a pair of housing developments with relatively affordable ITP rents have begun leasing efforts in Southwest Atlanta, each aiming to attract both new residents and future business opportunities in Greenbriar Mall’s once-thriving retail district.

Affordable housing developer Dominium has scheduled a ribbon-cutting July 9 for the two residential projects completed on formerly underused sites adjacent to Greenbriar Mall. Georgia state officials and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens are scheduled to speak at the event next month, according to Dominium reps.

Collectively, the $135-million projects have brought nearly 500 units of more attainable housing to sites previously heavy with parking lots along Greenbriar Parkway, adjacent to the 1960s mall that’s struggled—like many—in recent years after losing anchor tenants. The sites are located in the Greenbriar community, next to Interstate 285 and just west of East Point.

The Paramount is a multifamily complex with 240 apartments and a range of amenities, while Briar Park Senior Living has brought 244 units for independent-living tenants ages 55 and older. Both are described by project reps this week as being high-quality.

Amenity spaces at The Paramount. Dominium/The Paramount

Where the two residential complexes have been completed southwest of downtown, adjacent to the 1960s mall property. Google Maps

Household income and student status limitations do apply at both new complexes; a single occupant, for instance, can’t earn more than $45,180 annually. Both projects have qualified for the federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program. 

When announcing the Paramount and Briar Park ventures in 2020, Invest Atlanta officials said one to three-bedroom rents for both projects would be capped at between 50 and 80 percent of the area’s median income.

What’s that look like today, now that leasing has begun?

At The Paramount, units with a single bedroom and bathroom in 686 square feet start at $1,113.

Larger options—three bedrooms and two bathrooms in 1,228 square feet—start at $1,511 per month.

Those rents buy access to Paramount amenities that include two outdoor playgrounds, a yoga studio, a dog park, swimming pool with lounging area, and a fitness center, among other perks.

Depiction of The Paramount project's swimming pool and outdoor lounging area in Greenbriar. Dominium/The Paramount

Meanwhile, at Briar Park, rents are similar ($1,115 monthly) for one-bedroom, one-bathroom rentals in 686 square feet. But smaller three-bedroom, two-bathroom options (in 1,008 square feet) also start at just over $1,500 monthly.  

Renting restrictions at Briar Park stipulate that one household member must be at least 55 years old—and that all other tenants are at least 40 years old. (Sorry, Hefner-esque ATL players).

Apartments.com pegs the average monthly rent in Atlanta at $1,569 right now, a 4.3 percent dip since last June. 

Developed in conjunction with the Beverly J. Searles Foundation, the projects marked the first for Dominium within the City of Atlanta, and the second in Georgia overall. They were also Dominium’s first collaboration with Atlanta-based builder H.J. Russell and Co.

Dominium/The Paramount

Invest Atlanta officials have said the injection of new housing and population boost will serve as a catalyst in attracting future development, retail, and other services to the mall corridors and broader Greenbriar neighborhood.

Greenbriar’s mall, as designed by legendary Atlanta architect and developer John Portman’s firm, debuted in 1965 as a pioneering enclosed shopping center with air-conditioning and a food court, both rare features at the time. (Two years later, the mall would welcome the world’s first Chick-Fil-A.) But today, Greenbriar Mall is a shell of its former self, having lost cornerstone big-box tenants such as Burlington Coat Factory and Macy’s in recent years.

For more images and context, head up to the gallery above.

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• Affordable housing news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta) 

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2841 Greenbriar Parkway SW Greenbriar Mall Greenbriar Paramount Atlanta Malls Affordable Housing Invest Atlanta Briar Park Dominium Development & Acquisitions Beverly J. Searles Foundation Atlanta Development Atlanta Construction Southside Interstate 285 I-285 H.J. Russell & Co. H.J. Russell Company

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Where the two residential complexes have been completed southwest of downtown, adjacent to the 1960s mall property. Google Maps

Depiction of The Paramount project's swimming pool and outdoor lounging area in Greenbriar. Dominium/The Paramount

Dog park amenity section at The Paramount. Dominium/The Paramount

Amenity spaces at The Paramount. Dominium/The Paramount

Dominium/The Paramount

A rendering depicting Briar Park's courtyard. Dominium/Briar Park

Example of a kitchen space at Briar Park Senior Living. Dominium/Briar Park

Invest Atlanta

Subtitle Complexes bring nearly 500 (relatively) affordable housing units adjacent to 1960s mall

Neighborhood Greenbriar

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Paramount, Briar Park

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BeltLine updates: Popular gravel trail to survive; groundbreaking set Josh Green Mon, 06/17/2024 - 11:05 Unlike the thick, soupy air that’s crept over Atlanta lately, the outlook is becoming clearer for two sections of the BeltLine corridor in strategic places.

The first involves the long construction zone that is the BeltLine’s Northeast Trail corridor through Piedmont Park these days.

As reported on these pages last month, Piedmont Park’s Clear Creek bridge abruptly closed a few weeks ago, restricting some access to the popular gravel pathway (and interim BeltLine trail) that runs along the eastern side of the Midtown greenspace.

BeltLine officials have since responded to questions that help clear the air as to exactly what’s happening in that area and how long it will take.

The gravel trail—referred to as the “Transit Trail” in BeltLine communications—will remain open to the public in largely the same state once construction of the BeltLine’s mainline trail is finished through Piedmont Park. The paved trail section will sit below the gravel trail and be separated by “dense planting,” according to a BeltLine representative.

As for the wooden Clear Creek bridge, a construction team is currently refurbishing the structure with a new boardwalk walkway and wooden handrails and replacing large timbers. That work is expected to take roughly another two months.

“These improvements will ensure the bridge remains safe and accessible for all users,” noted the BeltLine rep via email.

As shown in May, the Piedmont Park gravel trail in relation to the BeltLine's Northeast Trail, Segment 1 (phase two) construction, at left. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The bridge closure and refurbishment follow the completion of Segment 1, Phase 1 of the Northeast Trail earlier this year, which marked the first completed new BeltLine project to debut across the city in 2024.

Meanwhile, on the flipside of Midtown, BeltLine officials have scheduled a groundbreaking the morning of June 24 in Blandtown to start construction of the Northwest Trail, a complex leg of the 22-mile loop that will link the Westside with Buckhead.

The first new piece of that trail, Segment 5, will take the BeltLine from its temporary end point—where the Westside Trail terminates at Huff Road and Marietta Boulevard today—and travel northeast to Ellsworth Industrial Boulevard, before ending at the intersection of English and Culpepper streets, near the Atlanta Waterworks complex. That’s a distance of .7 miles.

BeltLine officials call the Segment 5 groundbreaking a significant milestone in that it marks the first Northwest Trail section to see actual construction. It’s expected to take 14 months to complete.

Three planned segments of the BeltLine's Northwest Trail linking the Westside to Buckhead. Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

Project leaders relayed in a media update today that design work for the remaining 3.6 miles of the Northwest Trail has either been finished or is currently in progress.

The trail will be built in five sections overall, the longest of them 1.2 miles.

Once finished, the 4.3-mile Northwest Trail will link together another 12 neighborhoods, spanning from Blandtown to Collier Hills, Brookwood, and the Lindbergh/Morosgo communities, according to the BeltLine’s tally.

Where the BeltLine's Westside Trail ends at Huff Road today—and an approximation of where Northwest Trail Segment 5 will pick up progress soon toward Underwood Hills and Buckhead. Courtesy of Atlanta BeltLine Inc./PATH Foundation

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Beltline Atlanta BeltLine Northeast Trail Ansley Golf Course Morningside Lenox Park Lindbergh Lindbergh MARTA Piedmont Road BeltLine Construction Georgia Power Armour Yards Trees Atlanta Atlanta Trees Plantings Ansley Mall Segment 1 Atlanta Botanical Garden photo tours Piedmont Park Visual Journeys Piedmont Park Gravel Trail Northwest Trail Northwest Trail—Segment 5

Subtitle Latest on two sections of multi-use BeltLine construction on opposite sides of city

Neighborhood Midtown

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On scenic Lake Oconee, new mixed-use district under construction Josh Green Fri, 06/14/2024 - 16:01 Vertical construction is set to begin this summer for a project that aims to bring mixed-use walkability to one of Georgia’s most scenic and celebrated lakes, development officials say.

Situated about an hour and 20 minutes east of downtown Atlanta, due south of Athens, the Airabella Lake Oconee project by Choice Gateway developers officially broke ground in March near the City of Greensboro.

Eventually, plans call for more than 200 single-family houses and townhomes, a boutique Marriott hotel, restaurants, a brewery, and a retail section called Village at Airabella.

Additional features will include greenspaces, a wedding venue, and new nine-hole golf course, according to project leaders.

Overview of the planned Village at Airabella. Courtesy of Airabella Lake Oconee/Shoora EB-5

Project reps tell Urbanize Atlanta phase one—21 upscale townhomes plus a pocket park—is under construction now.

The full Airabella residential section calls for 72 townhomes and 130 standalone houses. Prices and sizes of residential offerings hasn't been specified.

“Demand is high, with many eager to learn more about the townhomes, place deposits, customize options, and finalize purchase agreements,” project reps wrote via email.

The lodging component, called Hotel Airabella, will feature a spa and amenities described as premium. Village at Airabella calls for specialty retail, restaurants, a grocery, and even office space.   

Developers hope to complete all aspects of the project by 2026. 

Courtesy of Airabella Lake Oconee/Shoora EB-5

Example of Airabella townhome facades. Courtesy of Airabella Lake Oconee/Shoora EB-5

In April, the project received I-956F approval from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, allowing for quicker and more secure foreign investment and paths toward U.S. residency through the project, according to investment firm Shoora EB-5.

Swing up to the gallery for more context and to see all available Airabella renderings.

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Airabella Lake Oconee Lake Oconee Greensboro Mixed-Use Development Georgia Lakes townhomes Lake Oconee Development Choice Gateway Red Clay Development Group Airabella

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Greensboro's lakeside location southeast of Atlanta, and south of Athens. Google Maps

Overview of the planned Village at Airabella. Courtesy of Airabella Lake Oconee/Shoora EB-5

Courtesy of Airabella Lake Oconee/Shoora EB-5

Courtesy of Airabella Lake Oconee/Shoora EB-5

Example of Airabella townhome facades. Courtesy of Airabella Lake Oconee/Shoora EB-5

The sales center today. Courtesy of Airabella Lake Oconee/Shoora EB-5

Subtitle Airabella project calls for 200 homes, boutique hotel, retail village, brewery, more

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Modern-style Kirkwood project debuts on former church site Josh Green Fri, 06/14/2024 - 13:16 Ten months after construction began in earnest, a unique, relatively dense pocket of standalone modern homes is ready for its closeup on the site of a former Kirkwood church.

JD Kirkwood, the latest infill project of many along the eastside’s Memorial Drive, has delivered five single-family houses across the street from Drew Charter School. 

Situated where East Lake Terrace meets Memorial Drive, the project took a corner lot where a small church property—the former home of Zion Pentecostal Evangelistic Church of God in Christ—was demolished in 2022. It was designed by Atlanta-based Xmetrical, an architecture firm with modern homes and commercial ventures dotted across the city.

According to listing agent Sara Lee Parker, of Keller Williams Intown Atlanta, two JD Kirkwood properties are currently listed, but all will be finished and on the market soon, with first closings scheduled for the end of June.

The staged model home went under contract after the first open house weekend, according to Parker. All units stand three stories tall.

The Bespoke Developments project has generated “lots of interest and activity,” Parker wrote in an email to Urbanize Atlanta. “The overall design and quality have been very well-received.”

The vacant former home of Zion Pentecostal Evangelistic Church of God in Christ that JD Kirkwood replaces at 2246 Memorial Drive. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

How JD Kirkwood facades, porches, and landscaping came together at East Lake Terrace and Memorial Drive. Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Prices start at $889,000 for the smaller offerings with three bedrooms and three and ½ bathrooms, those being Lots 1, 2, and 3. Each has around 2,500 square feet of interior space, with another 664 to 719 square feet of patios and terraces.

Meanwhile, the larger four-bedroom, four and ½ bathroom units will ask between $989,000 and $995,000, according to Parker. The largest of those two has 2,761 square feet inside.

Each house counts a rooftop deck, patios off the living rooms, two-car garages, and a sleek aesthetic with functional modern touches like clerestory windows. Proximity to parks, downtown Kirkwood, Oakhurst, the Hosea + 2nd project, East Lake Publix, and Lidl are all cited as perks of the location.

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Initially pitched by JDW Development, the project first came before the Kirkwood Neighbors Organization in summer 2021, and as of early 2022 appeared to be green-lighted for full construction. But the site went quiet for more than a year before the new development team stepped in.

On blocks immediately south of the JD Kirkwood project are Drew Charter School facilities and the East Lake YMCA. Like another property across the street, the 2246 Memorial Drive site was home to a church that hadn’t been used regularly for years.

As with Toll Brothers’ Oxley Edgewood project, the Empire Paintbox townhomes and 103 newtownhomes called Eastwood elsewhere in Kirkwood, and the 1200 Ponce venture that transformed Druid Hills United Methodist Church, among others, it’s a case of developers moving in to claim land from an intown congregation willing to sell and move on.

Find more context and a model home tour in the gallery above. Meanwhile, floorplans for each unit are posted here.

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• Kirkwood news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)

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2246 Memorial Drive SE JD Kirkwood JDW Development Southern First Highland Mortgage Keller Williams Realty Intown Atlanta Sara Lee Parker and Associates Regents Custom Builders Keller Williams Luxury International Modern Homes Atlanta Architecture Atlanta Churches Memorial Drive Atlanta Development Xmetrical JB Development Partners Bespoke Developments Wes Cummings RealKit Photography

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The JD Kirkwood project's 2246 Memorial Drive location, due east of downtown. Google Maps

The vacant former home of Zion Pentecostal Evangelistic Church of God in Christ that JD Kirkwood replaces at 2246 Memorial Drive. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The Memorial Drive location in question, with Drew Charter School and East Lake YMCA facilities below.Google Maps

Plat for the five-home development. JD Kirkwood; designs, Xmetrical

How JD Kirkwood facades, porches, and landscaping came together at East Lake Terrace and Memorial Drive. Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Inside the JD Kirkwood model home, Lot 1. Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Proximity to Drew Charter School's campus across Memorial Drive. Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Subtitle JD Kirkwood's standalone houses start in high $800Ks along Memorial Drive

Neighborhood Kirkwood

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Photographer Wes Cummings/RealKit Photography

Checking in on these changing Midtown blocks, from high above Josh Green Fri, 06/14/2024 - 11:05 With the drone back from the repair shop and summery skies upon us, it's time for another installment of Aerial Tours over the changing landscape of intown Atlanta. 

Today we're hovering over the Spring and West Peachtree street corridors of Midtown, where the city's tallest new building since the early 1990s (and fifth tallest project overall) is starting to rise up, and another two-pronged development with 70 total stories is wrapping up, among other significant changes. Buckle up, and welcome aboard! 

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Let’s start by looking east toward Piedmont Park, where a flock of construction cranes includes work, from left, on Dewberry Capital’s slowly progressing Campanile project, Middle Street Partners’ two-tower 12th and Juniper, and Mill Creek Residential’s topped-out, 32-story Modera Parkside building:  

Urbanize Atlanta

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The block at center below—situated between 12th and 13th streets and Peachtree Walk—was cleared in winter 2023 by veteran Atlanta firm Selig Development.

Selig plans to replace the fenced-off site with mixed-use venture Midtown Exchange, which calls for a residential tower standing 37 stories and a 26-story office building. In between would be a central courtyard accessed from Peachtree Walk, while 24,500 square feet of retail would be placed at street level. We asked Selig reps for an update on the project’s status in April, but those emails weren’t returned:

Urbanize Atlanta

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After officially launching construction in July, New York City-based Rockefeller Group’s 1072 West Peachtree skyscraper is making a mark where 12th and West Peachtree streets meet:

Urbanize Atlanta

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Just south of Rockefeller’s site, the office component, 1020 Spring, of Portman Holdings’ block-size Spring Quarter development is sheathed in glass and topped out:  

Urbanize Atlanta

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Another view of the 1072 West Peachtree skyscraper—from the west, near the Connector—as it stands roughly 1/10th of the way toward its eventual 60 stories:

Urbanize Atlanta

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Midtown’s high-rise construction from 14th to 10th streets right now:

Urbanize Atlanta

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How Toll Brothers Apartment Living’s new Momentum Midtown project, at left, relates to Portman’s ongoing construction:

Urbanize Atlanta

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A closer look at Rockefeller’s construction progress and the building’s West Peachtree Street frontage:

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As seen looking southwest, Momentum Midtown’s two towers brought 70 total stories of new construction between West Peachtree and Spring streets, just north of 10th Street. The project’s least expensive rental option listed to date is a 500-square-foot studio going for $1,970 monthly:

Urbanize Atlanta

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Lastly, a closer look at Momentum Midtown’s dark-hued, Tetris-like façade and rooftop amenities level, with Portman’s latest building lording over the Connector and, at right, more high-rise construction rising from West Midtown in the distance:

Urbanize Atlanta

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Subtitle Drone tour over Rockefeller project, Momentum Midtown, Portman's block-size build, more

Neighborhood Midtown

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Atlanta’s e-bike rebate bonanza starts Sunday. Here’s the 411 Josh Green Thu, 06/13/2024 - 16:11 Come Sunday, Atlanta will officially become the first city in Georgia to offer an e-bike rebate program—and just the third in the Southeast, alongside Tampa and Raleigh.

The Atlanta City Council in January approved a $1 million investment to establish the city’s e-bike rebates as a means of providing more affordable transportation options to residents with incomes considered moderate and low. Another goal is to thin out traffic congestion and improve air quality in the city.  

That million bucks will be administered by the Atlanta Regional Commission, starting with a kickoff event at 3 p.m. Sunday during the second Atlanta Streets Alive of 2024. The event returns to its 2.8-mile route between 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday, stretching along Peachtree Street from south of Underground Atlanta to near the High Museum in Midtown. 

According to ARC officials, income-qualified Atlanta residents will be eligible to receive $1,500 rebates for standard e-bikes, or $2,000 for larger cargo e-bikes with additional room for passengers, groceries, or other loads. (People generally spend around $2,000 on their first e-bike purchase, according to eBicycles, though cheaper and much more expensive models are out there.)

The majority of rebates—75 percent—will be reserved for residents earning at or below 80 percent of metro Atlanta’s median household income. That income limit will vary, based on the size of households, but it starts at $60,200 for individuals.

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The deal goes that rebate amounts will be deducted from total prices of bikes once rebate holders purchase them. Important note: The rebates are capped at one per City of Atlanta resident—and all e-bikes must be bought from a participating, brick-and-mortar local bike shop. (There’s a dozen of them to choose from.)

Fear not, Atlantans who don’t meet income qualifications—you won’t be left out. Rebates of $500 (standard e-bikes) and $1,000 (cargo) will be available in those cases.  

ARC and city officials expect that 700 e-bikes will be bought through the inaugural rebate program.

E-bike rebate applications must be submitted by June 23 (that’s a week from Sunday) via ARC’s website. According to program officials, a randomized lottery will held soon to select rebate recipients.

According to ARC stats, the average metro Atlantan spends $11,000 annually on vehicle fuel, maintenance, and other expenses, while less than $15 in electricity costs will power an e-bike for a year.  

When it comes to cleaner air, ARC officials point west to Denver, where a $3-million e-bike rebate initiative has put 7,600 e-bicycles on the road. That’s reduced weekly vehicle miles traveled in the Colorado city by 165,000—and kept roughly 3,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions from the air annually, per the ARC.

“E-bikes offer a meaningful solution to many of our city’s transportation challenges, particularly for people who are burdened by the high cost of owning a car,” Rebecca Serna, Propel ATL executive director, said in a prepared statement. “E-bikes increase access to transit by making it easier and faster to reach a train station or bus stop. And a cargo e-bike can be used to haul kids safely to school or run errands, making it possible for a family to own just one car.”

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IF YOU GO:

What: ARC/City of Atlanta E-Bike Rebate Program Launch

When: 3 p.m. Sunday, at second Atlanta Streets Alive of 2024

Where: Staging area across from St. Luke’s Episcopal Church (435 Peachtree St.)

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• Alternate transportation news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta) 

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Atlanta Streets Alive Atlanta Regional Commission Electric Bikes electric bikes Alternate Transportation Alternative Transportation Atlanta Bicycling Bicycling Bicycling Infrastructure E-bikes e-bike rebates Georgia E-bikes Atlanta E-bikes

Subtitle $1M initiative aims to boost accessibility to electric bikes, cut back on congestion

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Exclusive: Amtrak seeks $30M to start building new Atlanta rail hub Josh Green Thu, 06/13/2024 - 13:27 As part of an ambitious growth spurt and hiring spree, America’s National Railroad Passenger Corporation has pinpointed downtown Atlanta as a strategic location for a new intercity station that could cost hundreds of millions of dollars and reestablish the city as the true rail hub it historically was.

Amtrak’s general and legislative annual report for fiscal year 2025 includes a request for nearly $30 million in federal funding to secure a site for a new rail hub in Atlanta and to begin the process of building it.

According to Amtrak’s report, some of the land in question is “at imminent risk of development.” The location is repeatedly referred to as being in downtown Atlanta.  

Exactly where the rail hub could be located downtown—or if downtown, in this case, is a general reference to more urban parts of the city—is not yet clear. Inquiries to Amtrak press officials this week for more information have not been returned.

Amtrak’s $29.9 million grant request for “Atlanta Hub” would support property acquisition to preserve future railroad right-of-way and "ensure that the Hub station site can be connected with existing main line track,” per the report. The funding would also help cover early phase prerequisites such as engineering and work to have the project cleared under the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA.

But that amount could ultimately be a drop in the bucket.

Amtrak estimates the new Atlanta facility would cost roughly $700 million once needed infrastructure investments are factored in. That includes new trackage to separate passenger service from freight operations, per Amtrak.

The request for Atlanta funding comes as part of $4 billion in Amtrak grant requests for base needs and modernization of its system as passenger numbers are on the uptick.

Amtrak

As the report details, Atlanta’s current Amtrak station was built in 1918 in what was then a suburban setting, designed for a small number of passengers. Other drawbacks include no parking, no connections to local transit options, an undersized waiting room, and poor access from the station building to its single platform below, which is a particular challenge for disabled passengers, the report notes.

Amtrak has signaled interest in recent years to reestablish Atlanta as a true railroad hub, with an octopus of routes to Charlotte, Nashville, Macon, Montgomery, Birmingham, Savannah, and other cities. Today, just one Amtrak line serves Atlanta—the New York City-to-New Orleans Crescent.

In 2022, the Atlanta City Council passed a resolution urging Amtrak to consider downtown as a viable location for a rail hub; at the time, the $5-billion Centennial Yards megaproject was considered the leading alternative, with the Armour Yards district near Lindbergh also being mentioned. In April, Armour Yards was revealed as one of four locations where Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens wants to see BeltLine-connected MARTA infill stations built in coming years, though how those would be funded remains a question mark.

Amtrak’s report states the modernized new station would boost the customer experience on the Crescent route and link Atlanta with new intercity passenger trains to cities small and large—Chattanooga, Greenville, SC, Memphis, and Meridian, MS are all named—in addition to the airport.  

The grant request isn’t tied to any proposals already moving through the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development program process, but it’s compatible with that effort, per Amtrak.

According to CEO Stephen Gardner, Amtrak is on pace to grow its ridership to 66 million annual passengers—more than doubling peak ridership in pre-pandemic 2019—by 2040. In fiscal year 2025, Amtrak expects ridership to reach nearly 35 million.  

“We strongly believe that intercity passenger rail can—and must—become a much bigger part of American mobility,” Gardner wrote in the annual report, “if we are to support a growing nation and keep pace with our global competitors.”

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Subtitle Downtown site transit agency covets is "at imminent risk of development"

Neighborhood Downtown

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Ghostly North DeKalb Mall is about to meet its maker Josh Green Thu, 06/13/2024 - 11:19 The death knell is tolling for another tired, suburban-style shopping mall in metro Atlanta.

Real estate developer Edens, Decide DeKalb, and elected DeKalb County officials have scheduled a press conference June 26 that will double as the kickoff for North DeKalb Mall’s demolition.  

Located about three miles northeast of downtown Decatur, the 1960s mall property is largely vacant today, apart from a Marshalls clothing retailer and AMC movie theater. As with Gwinnett Place Mall and other formerly popular shopping destinations ringed with parking lots, North DeKalb Mall has been the subject of redevelopment talks for years as tenants slipped away and its retail corridors grew darker.

Edens plans to convert the North DeKalb Mall property into a more diversified town center called Lulah Hills. According to preliminary renderings and scope, the mixed-use lifestyle complex could resemble Halcyon or Avalon in Atlanta’s northern suburbs.

A project representative tells Urbanize Atlanta the June 26 demolition event will signal “that site’s next chapter” but is not considered the official groundbreaking for Lula Hills. An update on the status of the project will be released closer to the event date, and all details are pending until then, according to the rep.

Plans for a centralized greenspace near the AMC theatre, as illustrated in the upper left corner. Courtesy of Edens

The ailing mall's 20242 Lawrenceville Highway location in the context of ITP Atlanta's northeast side. Google Maps

Plans call for Lulah Hills to span some 73 acres and include nearly 2,000 units of housing, in addition to shopping, dining, and lodging options. Only the existing AMC movie theater will remain in place. (A site plan does depict Marshalls operating in a space adjacent to the theater in a new retail section.) 

As of last year, Edens, a national firm with regional headquarters in Atlanta, was aiming to deliver the first phases of Lulah Hills development in 2025. The company’s other retail properties in the metro include Whole Foods-anchored Buckhead Market Place and the refreshed Toco Hills.

Edens’ Lulah Hills blueprint calls for 2.5 million square feet overall, with a new PATH Foundation trail linking the property to nearby Emory University. The redevelopment breakdown: 1,700 multifamily units, 100 townhomes, a 150-key hotel, roughly 320,000 square feet for retail and restaurants, and no office space, according to details provided last year.  

Edens officials have previously said their goal is to fully open the reimagined mall property in 2028.

Planned look of the project's residential section. Courtesy of Edens

Overview of redevelopment plans. Courtesy of Edens

Upon its 1965 debut, North DeKalb Mall was the first in metro Atlanta to be fully enclosed, operating where North Druid Hills Road meets Lawrenceville Highway until it shuttered in 2020. Edens acquired the mall property the following year.

In 2022, DeKalb’s Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a Market Square Tax Allocation District, or TAD, to help kickstart North DeKalb Mall's redevelopment.

The TAD also covers areas near the mall property, including North Druid Hills Road and Lawrenceville Highway, in hopes of spurring economic development similar to what other parts of DeKalb have seen in recent years, according to county officials.

In conjunction with other redevelopment projects in the area, backers have said the TAD could spell $806 million in new property value for the outdated commercial zone—nearly 20 times the current valuation. The tax measure will also help fund affordable housing in central DeKalb, alongside new parks, landscaping, lighting, and transportation and mobility enhancements, county officials have said.

In the gallery above, find a preview of how the finished Lulah Hills district is planned to look and function where parking lots and retail skeletons are today.

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The ailing mall's 20242 Lawrenceville Highway location in the context of ITP Atlanta's northeast side. Google Maps

Overview of redevelopment plans. Courtesy of Edens

Planned look of the project's residential section. Courtesy of Edens

Plans for a centralized greenspace near the AMC theatre, as illustrated in the upper left corner. Courtesy of Edens

Courtesy of Edens

Courtesy of Edens

Courtesy of Edens

Courtesy of Edens

Courtesy of Edens

Courtesy of Edens

Courtesy of Edens

Courtesy of Edens

Courtesy of Edens

Courtesy of Edens

The car-centric mall property in its 1960s heyday. Courtesy of Edens

Subtitle Lulah Hills, a planned retail, lodging, and housing hub, to replace 1960s DeKalb County shopping mall

Neighborhood Decatur

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First look: Pocket-sized project with mix of uses enters pipeline Josh Green Wed, 06/12/2024 - 15:53 Plans are moving forward to transform a vacant corner of a South Atlanta crossroads into unique mixed-use node geared toward boosting the local community.

Dubbed “Brownsville Pointe,” the project would reclaim an empty, arrow-shaped lot where McDonough Boulevard meets Jonesboro Road, about three miles south of downtown and a few blocks from the BeltLine’s Southside Trail corridor.

Focused Community Strategies, the landowner and developer, specializes in creating equitable housing and commercial projects and has worked in South Atlanta for decades. FCS also created small businesses Carver Market and Community Grounds Café across the street from the proposed development site.

As designed by Kronberg Urbanists + Architects, the 105 McDonough Boulevard project would see a flatiron-shaped commercial building at the corner with two taller residential structures behind it, along with street upgrades such as bicycle racks and additional parking.

The brick-clad, triangular piece of Brownsville Pointe includes 2,765 square feet of retail at the base. Kronberg Urbanists + Architects

The 108 McDonough Boulevard project site at a key South Atlanta crossroads. Google Maps

Kevin Lynch of Keller Knapp Commercial Real Estate Advisors says demolition and site work are scheduled to kick off for Brownsville Pointe soon. Lynch and colleague Bobbie Spiller are tasked with leasing the 2,765-square-foot street retail portion of the corner building, where selling points include 11 and 12-foot ceilings.

“This is an exciting project,” Lynch tells Urbanize Atlanta. “The timing factors that every intown developer deals with are at play for us, and given the nature of this site as a gateway to South Atlanta from the BeltLine, downtown, and west Atlanta, we’re working together [with FCS] to make sure we get this right.”

The property, which FCS purchased in 2018, once functioned as a gas station, but that shuttered years ago. More recently, the buried fuel tanks were removed, and only the former convenience store portion remains standing. In 2019, FCS floated plans for converting that building into a sit-down restaurant that didn’t come to fruition.

Kronberg Urbanists + Architects

The former gas station site in question in February. Google Maps

The general concept could look familiar to Atlanta development hounds.

Across town in English Avenue, another Kronberg-designed project with a similar scope and blend of uses is under construction now, as led by nonprofit Westside Future Fund. And in East Atlanta, another flatiron-shaped proposal has also recently emerged. 

Have a closer look at what’s planned in South Atlanta in the gallery above.

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The 108 McDonough Boulevard project site at a key South Atlanta crossroads. Google Maps

The former gas station site in question in February. Google Maps

The brick-clad, triangular piece of Brownsville Pointe includes 2,765 square feet of retail at the base. Kronberg Urbanists + Architects

Kronberg Urbanists + Architects

Kronberg Urbanists + Architects

The Brownsville Pointe location in relation to South Downtown and the BeltLine's Southside Trail corridor. Google Maps

Subtitle Brownsville Pointe concept in South Atlanta calls for reclaiming empty, arrow-shaped lot

Neighborhood South Atlanta

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Poll: Should MARTA proceed with Five Points redo—or slam brakes? Josh Green Wed, 06/12/2024 - 12:44 MARTA brass is intent on moving forward in coming weeks with a $230-million makeover of Five Points station meant to turn the 1970s hub into what the agency describes as a vibrant, centralized city center with smoother access to trains and buses. But the chorus of opposition to those plans from powerful places is growing louder, as the war of official letters concerning Five Points continues.

A.J. Robinson, longtime president of Central Atlanta Progress and Atlanta Downtown Improvement District, sided with Mayor Andre Dickens in a letter issued to media Tuesday. Robinson is calling for MARTA to slam the brakes on a Five Points overhaul that, in his estimation, is deeply flawed and too consequential to thousands of riders who rely on the hub daily.

Robinson suggests MARTA should instead focus on a Five Points aesthetic “refresh,” reinvigorated programming, and safer pedestrian crossings before the 2026 FIFA World Cup comes to Atlanta in two years. Following that, a revised redevelopment of Five Points should begin in a way that doesn’t restrict rider access—as other major cities including New York and Chicago have been able to pull off—and that capitalizes on $1 billion in private development underway near the station, Robinson opines.

Robinson also suggests MARTA should channel energy and dollars toward reviving other downtown stations prior to 2026, including Garnett, DOME/CNN Center/Philips/GWCC, and Vine City stations. He criticizes MARTA’s post-pandemic ridership bounce-back in relation to competing cities and says Five Points’ planned overhaul does little to fix what’s ailing the station today, including idle plaza spaces and on-street bus bays clogging areas around the station.

“I take this decision to ignore the mayor’s request as unresponsive to taxpayers,” reads Robinson’s letter. “MARTA’s refusal to hold off on closing Five Points for four years underscores MARTA’s lack of accountability to taxpayers and riders.”

A refined preview depicting how the opened-up transit hub could look and function. Courtesy of MARTA

In his own letter this week (a response to Dickens’ bombshell letter last week that asked MARTA to pause Five Points plans until an audit wraps), MARTA head Collie Greenwood denied claims the station could close to buses and street access until 2028, with only a brief opening gap to accommodate World Cup visitors. Greenwood acknowledged concerns that plaza-level closures will have on riders but said MARTA’s strategy puts safety first amid such heavy construction.

“Significant adjustments to the project at this point will undermine MARTA’s ability to apply for and receive future federal funding for this and other City of Atlanta capital projects,” Greenwood wrote to Dickens in the Monday response.

“After nine rounds of station design and discussion with you and your senior leadership team,” Greenwood continued, referring to Dickens, “including discussion about the need to restrict pedestrian access to Five Points at the plaza level during the deconstruction and demolition phases of the project, the project was approved by both the City of Atlanta and the MARTA Board of Directors. In the eleven months since [the city] approved the current design, MARTA has proceeded with all due haste to begin construction.”

On the opposition side, another letter distributed last week by a coalition of groups including mobility advocates Propel ATL calls for MARTA to keep Five Points access open, citing “an undue effect on the lives of... 17,000 pedestrians and bus riders.” As of this writing, a petition to keep Five Points accessible had 496 signatures.

MARTA announced in May that Five Points station would be closed to street-level access and that its bus connections would be rerouted to other downtown stations beginning in July. Those initial changes are expected to last for 18 months, or roughly until the end of 2025. The agency has shown no signs of wavering from those plans.

For $230 million, MARTA officials say the Five Points project will provided Atlantans and visitors with better transit connectivity, improved customer amenities, and increased safety, with perks including communal spaces, public art, and sections for urban agriculture. By MARTA’s count, the station sees roughly 12,000 daily entries and exits, and about 4,500 transfers between buses, or from buses to rail, each day. It’s the largest and busiest transit hub across the system.

Given all of the above, it seems an appropriate time to hear directly from the people of Atlanta. Please take a second to cast a vote in the below poll.

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Subtitle Central Atlanta Progress joins chorus of opponents to makeover of largest, busiest MARTA hub

Neighborhood Downtown

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Revived Decatur building scores old-school speakeasy, cafe, bar Josh Green Wed, 06/12/2024 - 10:56 Downtown Decatur’s roster of social hangouts is about to grow.

Competitive Social Ventures announced today a second location of its Roaring Social concept is bound for a 7,500-square-foot space across the street from Decatur’s Historic Square. Expect a restaurant and bar on the first level and a full-service speakeasy in the basement, with boutique bowling lanes, an entertainment stage, a dance floor, bar seating, and a VIP section.  

The two separate concepts will be called Sophia’s Café and Cocktails (upstairs) and RoSo Treasury (positioned behind a banker’s vault downstairs). The latter offering, a nod to 1920s vintage glam, will require a “secret password” for entry, and the motif calls for dim lighting, live music, and plush velvet seating, according to CSV reps.  

The location is described as a Class-A building at the corner of Clairmont Avenue at W. Ponce de Leon Avenue. The only building fitting that description is the renovated 101 W. Ponce complex fronting both streets. (We’ve asked project reps for clarification on exactly what portion of those buildings Roaring Social will occupy, and we’ll update this story with any additional details that come.)

The 2nd Star Group

The six-story building's revised street frontage at 101 W. Ponce de Leon Avenue. Courtesy of Colliers; photography by Nick Shiovitz

Plans call for opening Roaring Social late in the fourth quarter of this year. It will follow a concept of the same name that opened in downtown Alpharetta in 2021 as part of the Hamilton boutique hotel project.

Elsewhere, CSV owns and operates four entertainment venues in Georgia under several brands, including Fairway Social, Roaring Social, and Pickle and Social. 

Previously occupied by Emory Healthcare, the 109,000-square-foot property at 101 W. Ponce de Leon Ave. was redeveloped by asset management firm The RMR Group in 2022.

The 2nd Star Group

The 2nd Star Group

The six-story building and an outbuilding beside it—originally constructed in 1992—are located immediately north of Decatur’s Historic Square, among a West Ponce de Leon Avenue strip with some of the city’s most prized restaurant and retail destinations. It’s been described by marketers as a “creative and amenity rich office building,” with features that include a communal conference facility, fitness center, modernized lobby, and a large courtyard off Ponce, for eateries or shops to operate.  

Swing up to the gallery for Roaring Social Decatur preview images.

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The 2nd Star Group

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Subtitle Roaring Social concept will take space at 101 W. Ponce building near Historic Square

Neighborhood Decatur

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