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Images: Suwanee is building a rather amazing new downtown park Josh Green Thu, 01/25/2024 - 08:06 More than 20 years in the making, a City of Suwanee downtown greenspace project is taking shape in ways that clearly show its impressive scale and features.

After breaking ground in September 2022, clearing a 25-acre site, and installing infrastructure that includes a sweeping centerpiece bridge, the Gwinnett County city’s Town Center on Main and DeLay Nature Park has begun the process of landscape-installation.

The goal, according to Suwanee spokesperson Bonnie Simmons, is to open the park sometime this summer.

Located at the corner of Suwanee Dam Road and Main Street, the site is situated across the street from the master-planned Suwanee Town Center, which opened in 2003—when the city’s current population of 22,000 was half what it is today—and quickly became a destination shopping, dining, residential, and festival district.

With future growth in mind, city officials purchased acreage for the new park 22 years ago as an early step in Suwanee’s comprehensive park and open-space plan.  

How the 1,200-foot-long bridge feature is coming together over what will be a versatile greenspace. Reeves Young/Courtesy of City of Suwanee

Overview of Town Center on Main & DeLay Nature Park features, in relation to Suwanee's existing city center (bottom right). Courtesy of City of Suwanee

Today, aspects of the greenspace project (see, especially: the 1,200-foot-long bridge feature over water and raised social areas) bring to mind Rodney Cook Sr. Park in Vine City. That bridge will serve to connect an existing Suwanee library branch to a hilltop section that overlooks two expansive lawns and Town Center.  

Other facets will include sandpit volleyball courts, two water features, a communal reading grotto near the library, a veterans’ memorial, and PlayTown Suwanee playground.

The goal, according to Simmons, is to seamlessly integrate the park with Town Center by way of a pedestrian tunnel beneath active railroad tracks and another greenspace called Stanton Park.

A tunnel beneath active railroad tracks (at bottom) allows for access from Suwanee Town Center. Reeves Young/Courtesy of City of Suwanee

Rendering depicting one of two water features. Courtesy of City of Suwanee

Around the rim of the new park are Suwanee’s police station, Fire Station 13, and StillFire Brewing, which remade the city’s former firehouse.

The park project continues positive momentum for Suwanee, which landed at No. 6 last year in an annual ranking of “The Best U.S. Suburbs For City-Like Living.” Just as importantly, Suwanee also made the Final Four in our inaugural Suburban Smackdown tournament to determine metro Atlanta’s best city centers in March.

In the gallery above, find more context and imagery for Suwanee's future greenspace destination.

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Town Center on Main & DeLay Nature Park OTP Gwinnett County Atlanta Parks Suwanee Library PlayTown Suwanee Fire Station 13 Stillfire Brewery Suwanee Creek Greenway Reeves Young Greenspaces Greenspace Suwanee Station Park Suwanee Town Center Atlanta City Centers

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Suwanee Town Center's location west of Interstate 85 in northern Gwinnett. Google Maps

Overview of Town Center on Main & DeLay Nature Park features, in relation to Suwanee's existing city center (bottom right). Courtesy of City of Suwanee

Aerial showing construction progress on the 25-acre greenspace additional last fall. Reeves Young/Courtesy of City of Suwanee

How the 1,200-foot-long bridge feature is coming together over what will be a versatile greenspace. Reeves Young/Courtesy of City of Suwanee

A tunnel beneath active railroad tracks (at bottom) allows for access from Suwanee Town Center. Reeves Young/Courtesy of City of Suwanee

The bridge begins next to a Suwanee branch of the Gwinnett County Public Library system (bottom right). Reeves Young/Courtesy of City of Suwanee

Reeves Young/Courtesy of City of Suwanee

Reeves Young/Courtesy of City of Suwanee

Reeves Young/Courtesy of City of Suwanee

Reeves Young/Courtesy of City of Suwanee

Rendering depicting one of two water features. Courtesy of City of Suwanee

Rendering depicting a shaded area where a signature art piece will stand. Courtesy of City of Suwanee

Where the bridge swoops around near Brushy Creek Trail. Reeves Young/Courtesy of City of Suwanee

Subtitle Greenspace project Town Center on Main and DeLay Nature Park aims to open this summer

Neighborhood Suwanee

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After leasing success, veil lifts on Campus 244's second phase Josh Green Wed, 01/24/2024 - 14:04 After two years of construction and leasing activity that appears to validate the theory highly amenitized, new offices are still attractive, a multifaceted development in Dunwoody’s Central Perimeter district is looking toward the future.

Renderings have emerged that provide a glimpse of how the 12-acre Campus 244 project’s second and final phase could come together next to a MARTA line and Interstate 285 in a growing subdistrict that’s making strides toward improved walkability.

According to marketing materials, Campus 244’s adaptive-reuse office component has fully leased four of its five floors, totaling more than 300,000 square feet. Only the top level—a smaller floorplan with 64,000 square feet—remains available.

Plans for the adjoining vacant land call for another office building and a standalone parking garage, according to New York developer Georgetown Company, which is partnering with Buckhead-based RocaPoint Partners on the project.

The first renderings for Campus 244 phase two show a standalone office building (at center) and parking deck near I-285. The Georgetown Company/Campus 244; designs, S9 Architecture

The Campus 244 site plan for full buildout. The Georgetown Company/Campus 244

Construction that includes additional timber-built floors for the first office building continues at 244 Perimeter Center Parkway, the hub’s centerpiece building. That property is the former Gold Kist headquarters, a 1970s complex the poultry company had vacated a decade prior to construction. 

Developers inked a deal in 2021 for a 145-key Element Hotel that’s also being built as part of phase one, alongside retail and restaurant space and a centralized park area.

Eventually, Campus 244 is expected to span 1-million square feet adjacent to Dunwoody’s MARTA station, near Perimeter Mall. The full project is being designed by New York-based S9 Architecture, a firm whose past and present work includes Ponce City Market, the 222 Mitchell project, 725 Ponce, and the Teachers Village tower proposal downtown.

Along with the ground-up hotel, Campus 244’s initial phase calls for reimagining the Gold Kist offices into five stories of modernized, Class A office space with 15-foot ceilings and a timber overbuild, encompassing more than 380,000 square feet total.

Campus 244's location on Perimeter Center Parkway in relation to Interstate 285, Perimeter Mall, and other area landmarks. Google Maps

A closer look at Campus 244 phase-two offices (left) and the adaptive-reuse offices with timber elements in the initial phase, which are finishing construction now. The Georgetown Company/Campus 244; designs, S9 Architecture

The S9-designed building will offer relatively large floorplates and post-pandemic features such as touch-free elevators and restrooms, sophisticated HVAC systems, large patios, and operable windows, according to developers.

The new boutique hotel, part of Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio, will feature a local chef-driven restaurant, lobby bar, and meeting areas that spill out onto the central greenspace. It’ll be owned and operated by Vision Hospitality Group, which runs nine other lodges in metro Atlanta, including the new AC Hotel by Marriott Atlanta Perimeter nearby.

Campus 244 developers have pointed to investments in Central Perimeter from Fortune 500 and 100 companies across the Southeast as reasons why the project makes sense in its location. An added bonus for companies, as developers have noted, is three-minute walkability to the MARTA station and the property’s 1,000 feet of I-285 frontage, lending “unparalleled signage opportunities.”

Once all phases are complete, Campus 244 will see 25,000 square feet of food and beverage operations, including names from another RocaPoint and Georgetown joint venture, Forsyth County’s $500-million Halcyon project. Plans call for four or five restaurants to eventually surround the central park space.

Apart from being used as a film set in Clint Eastwood’s Centennial Olympic Park bombing movie Richard Jewell, the site had seen little activity since 2011—until Campus 244’s groundbreaking in early 2022. Dunwoody city officials rejected a high-rise proposal for the property called Crown Towers several years ago.

Along with State Farm’s three-tower regional headquarters, significant new mixed-use projects in the area include the remake of Perimeter Place into Ashford Lane and GID Development Group’s under-construction, $2-billion High Street venture.

At last check, the development team told Urbanize Atlanta office tenants were expected to start moving into Campus 244 early this year.

Find more context and visuals in the gallery above.

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244 Perimeter Center Parkway NE Main Street Advisors Georgetown Company RocaPoint Partners Campus 244 Central Perimeter Gold Kist Element Hotel S9 Architecture Marriott Bonvoy AC Hotel by Marriott Atlanta Perimeter Dunwoody MARTA Station MARTA Adaptive-Reuse Atlanta Development Vision Hospitality Group Yenser Co. Pill Hill State Farm Perimeter Mall Office Space Atlanta Hotels Atlanta Offices

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Campus 244's location on Perimeter Center Parkway in relation to Interstate 285, Perimeter Mall, and other area landmarks. Google Maps

The Campus 244 site plan for full buildout. The Georgetown Company/Campus 244

The first renderings for Campus 244 phase two show a standalone office building (at center) and parking deck near I-285. The Georgetown Company/Campus 244; designs, S9 Architecture

A closer look at Campus 244 phase-two offices (left) and the adaptive-reuse offices with timber elements in the initial phase, which are finishing construction now. The Georgetown Company/Campus 244; designs, S9 Architecture

The only remaining office space available in Campus 244's phase one. The Georgetown Company/Campus 244; designs, S9 Architecture

Fresh renderings showing interiors and amenities at Campus 244's first office building. The Georgetown Company/Campus 244; designs, S9 Architecture

The last remaining office floorplan in phase one. The Georgetown Company/Campus 244; designs, S9 Architecture

A greenspace planned to connect with the Element Hotel lobby, depicted at right. Courtesy of RocaPoint Partners/Georgetown Company; designs, S9 Architecture

How Campus 244's central greenspace is planned to greet office workers and hotel guests. Courtesy of RocaPoint Partners/Georgetown Company; designs, S9 Architecture

The 1970s complex being remade into the phase-one office component. Courtesy of RocaPoint Partners/Georgetown Company; designs, S9 Architecture

The 1970s structure and its 13-acre site as seen beside MARTA tracks (left) and Interstate 285 prior to construction. Courtesy of S9 Architecture

Subtitle Central Perimeter project has leased nearly all of adaptive-reuse offices

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Toll Brothers Announces New Townhomes Available at Highlands at Vinings in Atlanta, Georgia Steven Sharp Wed, 01/24/2024 - 08:00 Toll Brothers, Inc. (NYSE:TOL), the nation’s leading builder of luxury homes, today announced the highly anticipated release of new townhomes at its Highlands at Vinings community in Atlanta, Georgia. Located in the heart of Cobb County, the community features luxury home designs with private elevators and rooftop terraces.

Highlands at Vinings is a gated, boutique community of Toll Brothers four-story townhomes in Atlanta. This community is just a short walk to shopping and dining at the Vinings Jubilee, a short drive away from the Cobb Galleria and Cumberland Mall, or entertainment at the Battery Atlanta.

Exterior of Highlands at ViningsToll Brothers, Inc.

At Highlands at Vinings, Toll Brothers home buyers will find spacious home designs featuring open floor plans, private elevators and patios, and spacious rooftop terraces with amazing views of the Atlanta skyline and Buckhead. Luxury finishes include Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances, an oversized island, quartz countertops, and large walk-in pantry in the kitchen, as well as luxurious primary suites with walk-in closets, spa-like primary baths with a large walk-in shower, and optional soaker tub. Homeowners enjoy curated designer appointed features and finishes that are hand-selected by professional designers. Pricing begins at $996,310.

For more information or to schedule an appointment to visit and tour the homes in Highlands at Vinings by Toll Brothers, call 888-686-5542 or visit TollBrothers.com/GA.

Interior of Highlands at ViningsToll Brothers, Inc.

About Toll Brothers 

Toll Brothers, Inc., a Fortune 500 Company, is the nation's leading builder of luxury homes. The Company was founded 56 years ago in 1967 and became a public company in 1986. Its common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “TOL.” The Company serves first-time, move-up, empty-nester, active-adult, and second-home buyers, as well as urban and suburban renters.

Toll Brothers was named the #1 Home Builder in Fortune magazine’s 2023 survey of the World’s Most Admired Companies®, the eighth year it has been so honored. Toll Brothers has also been named Builder of the Year by Builder magazine and is the first two-time recipient of Builder of the Year from Professional Builder magazine. For more information visit TollBrothers.com

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Highlands at Vinings by Toll Brothers is a new townhome community in Atlanta, Georgia featuring luxury home designs with private elevators and rooftop terraces.Toll Brothers, Inc.

Interior of Highlands at ViningsToll Brothers, Inc.

Exterior of Highlands at ViningsToll Brothers, Inc.

Interior of Highlands at ViningsToll Brothers, Inc.

Interior of Highlands at ViningsToll Brothers, Inc.

Interior of Highlands at ViningsToll Brothers, Inc.

Interior of Highlands at ViningsToll Brothers, Inc.

Interior of Highlands at ViningsToll Brothers, Inc.

Interior of Highlands at ViningsToll Brothers, Inc.

Exterior of Highlands at ViningsToll Brothers, Inc.

Subtitle Highlands at Vinings by Toll Brothers is a new townhome community in Atlanta, Georgia featuring luxury home designs with private elevators and rooftop terraces

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Boardwalk-style upgrades near Lenox Mall to start construction soon Josh Green Wed, 01/24/2024 - 12:45 A pedestrian-infrastructure project that aims to enhance walkability around one of metro Atlanta’s most popular malls is moving forward, though not as quickly as previously planned.

Buckhead Community Improvement District officials report this week that construction bids are open seeking companies to build a long-planned urban linear park along Lenox Road, a wide pathway connecting Lenox Square with a nearby MARTA station.  

That progress is a sign the Lenox Boardwalk, as the project is called, is “starting strong this year” and that “work will soon begin,” according to Buckhead CID leaders.

At last check in June, however, the work near Lenox Mall was expected to break ground in October.

The Lenox Boardwalk will be the first phase of a broader, three-phase plan that aims to boost pedestrian infrastructure, traffic flow, and the general aesthetics of areas near some of Atlanta’s busiest shopping destinations and Buckhead’s main intersections.

The section of Lenox Road (and its current sidewalks) in question today, with a main mall entry at right. Google Maps

Conceptual plans for the Lenox Boardwalk. Courtesy of Buckhead CID

According to Buckhead CID, both the first and second phases are now expected to begin construction in 2024, with design work on the latter still underway.

Near the mall, the boardwalk component will see a 10 to 12-foot multi-use trail installed along Lenox Road, spanning from the Lenox MARTA station at East Paces Ferry Road up to Peachtree Road.  

Phase two plans to pick up where the boardwalk leaves off, focusing on the section of Lenox Road between Peachtree Road and Phipps Boulevard. Upgrades call for additional lighting and larger sidewalks, staircases, and ramps.

Pedestrian infrastructure improvements planned for section two of the Lenox Road Complete Street vision. Courtesy of Buckhead CID

The final section of Lenox Road changes remains in conceptual mode but would bring the most dramatic alterations of all, spanning between Phipps Boulevard and Piedmont Road.

As first unveiled in 2022, an elevated pedestrian and bicycle bridge would rise and swoop over the car-choked Lenox Road and Ga. Highway 400 interchange, eventually acting as a gateway to Buckhead’s highway-capping park concept, HUB404, according to plans.

Tentative plans released in 2022 for the Lenox Road Complete Street project's third phase. Courtesy of Buckhead CID

The Buckhead Loop intersection in question today. Google Maps

A concept report for section three is being reviewed by the Georgia Department of Transportation. According to Buckhead CID’s updated timeline, construction is still expected to begin sometime in 2025.

For all three sections, Buckhead CID officials are partnering with the City of Atlanta, MARTA, GDOT, and design firms Pond & Company and Kimley-Horn.

Collectively, the Lenox Road Complete Street project is part of a study unveiled in 2017 for upgrading the busy artery through commercial Buckhead.

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3393 Peachtree Road NE Lenox Square Lenox Boardwalk Livable Buckhead Buckhead CID Pedestrian infrastructure Pedestrian Safety Alternate Transportation Alternative Transportation Kimley-Horn Kimley-Horn & Associates Pond & Company GDOT Georgia Department of Transportation Buckhead Community Improvement District

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The section of Lenox Road (and its current sidewalks) in question today, with a main mall entry at right. Google Maps

Conceptual plans for the Lenox Boardwalk. Courtesy of Buckhead CID

Pedestrian infrastructure improvements planned for section two of the Lenox Road Complete Street vision. Courtesy of Buckhead CID

The Buckhead Loop intersection in question today. Google Maps

Tentative plans released in 2022 for the Lenox Road Complete Street project's third phase. Courtesy of Buckhead CID

Subtitle Buckhead CID: First phase of Lenox Road Complete Street delayed but moving forward

Neighborhood Buckhead

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Pizza restaurant prototype lands marquee Atlanta BeltLine space Josh Green Wed, 01/24/2024 - 08:13 The most prominent retail space to take shape so far on the BeltLine’s Southside Trail corridor is being claimed by a new prototype from a popular pizza chain.

Mellow Mushroom reps released images and details Tuesday for a rebranded location at the southern rim of Grant Park that will overlook a section of the Southside Trail that’s under construction now—and another (Segments 2 and 3) that BeltLine leadership hopes to start building in a matter of months.

Mellow Mushroom plans to open a 3,400-square-foot space this summer as the anchor tenant of Middle Street Partners’ The Boulevard at Grant Park apartment community, located where Boulevard crosses the BeltLine.

Courtesy of Middle Street Partners

The complex, which began opening in early 2023 following two years of construction, counts 300 feet of at-grade BeltLine frontage. Beyond the corner pizza joint, about 1,600 square feet of retail space will remain.

Mellow Mushroom, founded in Atlanta 50 years ago, now counts more than 160 locations nationwide. The Grant Park restaurant will mark the company’s first new location in its headquarters city since 2019—and the first in the neighborhood.

Along with two patios fronting the BeltLine corridor, the 1015 Boulevard location will be a new model featuring counter service for ordering, upgraded technology behind the scenes, and what’s described as “new, modern menu flavor profiles for both food and beverage,” according to company reps.

The retail section claimed by Mellow Mushroom as part of the new development's 300 feet of Southside Trail frontage. Courtesy of Middle Street Partners

Charleston-based Middle Street built the mixed-use complex on what had been a 3.5-acre industrial site a few blocks south of Zoo Atlanta.

Formerly called “BeltLine & Boulevard,” the project marked the first Southside Trail apartment venture to bury its parking structure. The 323-unit, six-story building was designed with WFH culture in mind, with dedicated office spaces in each unit, plus a dog park, coworking spaces, and a 24-hour gym on site, officials have said.

Just to the east, on the same trail, another BeltLine retail pitstop is in the works at The Penman project.

The Boulevard development marks the Atlanta debut for Middle Street. Meanwhile, in Midtown, the company’s two-tower Juniper Street high-rise project is well underway with vertical construction.

The Boulevard at Grant Park's location at 1015 Boulevard. Google Maps

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1015 Boulevard SE The Boulevard at Grant Park BeltLine & Boulevard Beltline Middle Street Partners Atlanta BeltLine Southside Trail Pacific Coast Capital Partners Brock Hudgins Architects J.M. Wilkerson Chosewood Park Atlanta Development Atlanta Construction Boulevard Mellow Mushroom SK Commercial Realty

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The Boulevard at Grant Park's location at 1015 Boulevard. Google Maps

Courtesy of Middle Street Partners

The retail section claimed by Mellow Mushroom as part of the new development's 300 feet of Southside Trail frontage. Courtesy of Middle Street Partners

Subtitle Grant Park development's trailside retail to feature new take on Mellow Mushroom

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Photos: First glimpse inside Ponce City Market's next high-rise Josh Green Tue, 01/23/2024 - 15:18 Plans are coming into clearer focus for the second new tower to rise around Ponce City Market since the landmark property reopened in 2015.

PCM developer Jamestown announced this week it has christened its latest high-rise Scout Living. It’s billed as a 21-story hospitality living concept that will feature 405 one and two-bedroom units—offering stays as short as one night, up to one-year leases.

Jamestown president Michael Phillips says the building is designed to accommodate a range of lifestyles, be it “a starter residence for someone new to a city or homebase for someone living and working across multiple cities,” according to an announcement today. Jamestown is debuting the Scout Living concept at PCM but hopes to spread it to cities across the company’s global portfolio.

Positioning of new buildings around Ponce City Market's century-old main structure. Ponce City Market/Jamestown

Courtesy of Jamestown

Scout Living’s units will differ from most traditional new Atlanta apartments by coming fully furnished (to include art on the walls and kitchens with all cooking equipment and utensils), along with hotel-style services and amenities, per Jamestown. Laundry and dry-cleaning, housekeeping, and other services such as restocking of essentials will be available at the push of a button.

Expect a “sleek pool” on the roof, a wellness studio, virtual check-in, a chef’s kitchen, and a lounge/coworking space on the second floor, among other amenities.

Elsewhere, Jamestown officials revealed the building will include 12,000 square feet of retail at the ground floor—all of it with 21-foot ceiling heights “occupied by a food and beverage concept and convenience shopping providing essential grab-and-go items,” per the company.

Courtesy of Jamestown

Courtesy of Jamestown

Plans for micromobility at Scout Living will include designated rideshare drop-off sites, onsite bike and scooter parking, EV charging stations, and electric bike and car-share programs.

Exactly what residing at Scout Living will cost hasn’t been specified, but Jamestown officials say the first flexible-stay units will be available this year. Scout Living’s website specifies the building is “coming fall 2024.”

Jamestown began building on PCM and the BeltLine’s popularity in early 2022, breaking ground on the property’s first new ground-up tower, Signal House, an active-adult building that’s now leasing (with rents up to $7,000 monthly) over the Eastside Trail. That building also stands 21 stories, bookending PCM’s century-old former distribution center with new high-rise construction.

The campus expansion also includes 619 Ponce, a four-story mass timber loft office building that’s scheduled to finish construction along Ponce de Leon Avenue later this year.

The 21-story Scout Living project's facade. Courtesy of Jamestown

Courtesy of Jamestown

Courtesy of Jamestown

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619 Ponce De Leon Ave NE Scout Living 619 Ponce Office at Ponce City Market Ponce City Market Jamestown Atlanta Offices Cross-Laminated Timber Heavy timber Timber construction Jamestown Properties Ponce Handel Architects Georgia-Pacific SmartLam Dothan CLT StructureCraft J.E. Dunn Flexible-Stay Units Placemakr Hospitality Living

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Positioning of new buildings around Ponce City Market's century-old main structure. Ponce City Market/Jamestown

The 21-story Scout Living project's facade. Courtesy of Jamestown

Courtesy of Jamestown

Courtesy of Jamestown

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Subtitle Jamestown details hospitality concept now christened "Scout Living"

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Revisiting the awe-inspiring proposal for Atlanta's tallest building Josh Green Tue, 01/23/2024 - 12:58 The skies over intown Atlanta are filled with empty space where big dreams were hatched but never grew up. Think of the titanic, 11-block GLG Park Plaza project—or more recently, Midtown’s infamous No2 Opus Place.

A lesser-known but equally impressive whopper of a proposal in the annals of Atlanta history was called Union Tower, which would have lorded over downtown as the tallest building in the Southeast.

But unlike the aforementioned examples, the architect believes the concept is still viable downtown, pending some monumental puzzle pieces falling into place.

The Union Tower concept called/calls for a 1,138-foot-tall skyscraper standing over and breaking up the above-ground massing of MARTA’s Five Points station, allowing North and South Broad streets to reconnect at the tower’s base, as they once were before the station divided them. It would top out 115 feet taller than Bank of America Plaza, which has held the title of Atlanta’s tallest high-rise for more than three decades. 

In terms of location, the logic went that the birthplace of Atlanta naturally deserved to lay claim to its tallest building. 

Union Tower was originally the brainchild of two Georgia Tech students studying for their master of architecture degrees, Pavan Iyer and Jennifer Lee Johnson, as part of the school’s Portman Prize annual competition between studio classes. In 2017, the program’s focus was on South Downtown as prospects of redevelopment started heating up.

“As part of the project, we went out to the site and talked to random people on the street to ask if they could draw a map of South Downtown,” says Iyer, who would go on to found eightvillage, an Atlanta-based architecture, urban design, and ecology consultancy firm. “Just about everyone's drawings acknowledged that Broad Street is a tale of two sides in every way.”

The tower concept's placement next to a reconnected Broad Street, over today's Five Points station. eightvillage

The 1,138-foot-tall idea's exterior scheme. eightvillage

Thus, Union Tower’s key objective of reconnecting the street grid was hatched. Another theme of the project would nod to Atlanta’s deep movie history and status as a new powerhouse in the TV/film industry; plans called for weaving film spaces—production studios and post-production offices, for instance—alongside an unspecified number of residential units. The name itself paid homage to Atlanta’s Union Station, which was razed a block from Five Points in the early 1970s.  

“Our original thesis was to create a tower that celebrated film as an homage [to] Atlanta’s film history with a street-level replacement of the demolished Lowe's theater,” Iyer says. “We also had explored grocery stores [and other uses], given that there are multiple ways to do access and loading for the site.” 

How the Union Tower building could have appeared from elevated MARTA tracks near Grant Park and Sweet Auburn. eightvillage

Vision for the tower's street activation. eightvillage

Other aspects called for Union Cinemas, Atlanta’s “premiere downtown theater,” at street level alongside Blade Runner-style LED signs, large monitors, and “back-projected textile skin” that showcased local art and culture around base levels.   

The wildest element would have harkened to Broad Street’s history as an epicenter of action, with its restaurants, department stores, and even carnival rides and games. Drawing on the kitsch of a carnival and Willy Wonka’s glass elevator, Union Tower’s “Wonka-Vator” would have been a cyclical elevator system that “takes patrons in a Ferris-wheel like ride in a glass elevator up and over the top of the building, allowing for full views of the city,” per the original pitch.

View of Union Tower from the west showing the Wonka-Vator exterior elevator system. eightvillage

Iyer says he spent an additional year or so trying to pitch the tower concept after grad school, and that he hasn’t given up hope since. “I do think the project is still possible, if MARTA could be open to reconnecting the [street] grid,” he says. (Plans for Five Points station’s overhaul do call for reconnected streets, but the tower’s base would certainly interfere with MARTA’s renovation goals.)

Union Tower clearly didn’t materialize (yet), but Iyer says the big idea did lead to positive developments. It opened the door to him meeting with Newport US, the Germany-based company that would come to own many blocks in South Downtown, and South Broad Street arts organizations. That allowed Iyer to pitch the idea and get the ball rolling, he says, on having well-attended Atlanta Streets Alive programs extended to the area—a tradition that continues today.

“I was as passionate about getting North and South Broad [streets] reconnected as I was trying to get a mixed-use vision going for Five Points,” Iyer says. “I actually was supposed to get a chance to pitch it to MARTA, but I never got to.”

Find more Union Tower site context and visuals—all depicting what could have been, in another reality—in the gallery above.

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20 Broad St. SW Union Tower Downtown Atlanta Broad Street MARTA Eight Village eightvillage Atlanta Tallest Building Atlanta Skyscrapers Skyscrapers Five Points Jennifer Johnson Portman Prize

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How the Union Tower building could have appeared from elevated MARTA tracks near Grant Park and Sweet Auburn. eightvillage

Vision for the tower's street activation. eightvillage

The 1,138-foot-tall idea's exterior scheme. eightvillage

Existing conditions with Five Points station dividing Broad Street downtown. eightvillage

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The tower concept's placement next to a reconnected Broad Street, over today's Five Points station. eightvillage

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View of Union Tower from the west showing the Wonka-Vator exterior elevator system.eightvillage

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Subtitle Architect: "I do think the project is still possible"

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Images: Old fire station being reborn as—yes—coworking space Josh Green Tue, 01/23/2024 - 08:22 Across metro Atlanta, retired or outdated fire stations have been refashioned as restaurants, a brewery, and potentially soon, high-rise affordable housing in Midtown.

Now, a Cobb County initiative is putting an aged firehouse to work in a different, more philanthropic way.

Nonprofit organization CobbWorks broke ground Thursday on the transformation of Mableton’s shuttered Fire Station 1 into a facility called the Cobb Work Source Center and Coworking Space.

Deemed to be at the end of its useful lifecycle, the 5656 Mableton Parkway fire station closed four years ago when the fire department moved to a new, larger facility.

CobbWorks; designs, MAPP-PGAL

CobbWorks has partnered with design-build firm MAPP-PGAL for the adaptive-reuse project, which aims to create a cutting-edge facility “designed to build talent pipelines for employers, nurture entrepreneurship, and address the unique needs of underserved communities,” according to project leaders.

Free services and resources will be offered to residents and small businesses CobbWorks determines to be of the highest needs. That will include Wi-Fi, a computer lab, incubation, business coaching, professional development workshops, literacy services, employment placement, and other services.

Estimated to cost about $4 million, the coworking hub will be CobbWorks’ second workforce development center in the county. The 10,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to open quickly—sometime this summer, according to CobbWorks officials.

CobbWorks; designs, MAPP-PGAL

The facility's 5656 Mableton Parkway location northwest of Atlanta. Google Maps

CobbWorks leaders say contributions and support from Cobb County Commissioners, the Mableton Improvement Coalition, and the Cobb County Fire Department, among others, have made the project feasible.

Find a closer look at interior and exterior renovation plans in the gallery above.

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5656 Mableton Parkway Mableton Cobb County Adaptive-Reuse Adaptive-Reuse Development Adaptive-Reuse Project Cobbwoks Cobb Work Source Center Coworking OTP Coworking spaces MAPP Construction PGAL LISC CDBG WIOA Cobb County Fire Department Mableton Improvement Coalition Cobb County Commissioners MAPP-PGAL

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The facility's 5656 Mableton Parkway location northwest of Atlanta. Google Maps

CobbWorks; designs, MAPP-PGAL

CobbWorks; designs, MAPP-PGAL

CobbWorks; designs, MAPP-PGAL

CobbWorks; designs, MAPP-PGAL

CobbWorks; designs, MAPP-PGAL

CobbWorks; designs, MAPP-PGAL

Subtitle Cobb Work Source Center and Coworking Space is adaptive-reuse you don't see every day

Neighborhood Mableton

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Photos: Atlanta's largest hotel in four decades has officially arrived Josh Green Mon, 01/22/2024 - 14:31 Having risen from the ashes of Atlanta’s Georgia Dome, the city’s largest ground-up hotel development in more than 40 years has officially arrived.

From its vast modern lobby to elevated poolside bar and 42-story height (up from a previously declared 40 stories), project officials say the Signia by Hilton Atlanta project is poised to become an instant downtown landmark, following nearly three years of pandemic-delayed construction and several years of planning.

The 976-room tower at 159 Northside Drive marks the first Georgia hotel for the Signia by Hilton brand and the tallest building on downtown’s western flank. (Fun fact: Everything above level 32 at the hotel is taller than Mercedes-Benz Stadium next door.)

Hotel highlights include eight food and beverage concepts, including signature Italian fine-dining restaurant Capolinea, daytime eatery Homespun, and a large bar called Highball at a seasonal, elevated pool area that faces The Benz. More than 100,000 square feet of meeting space, boardrooms with views, Georgia’s largest ballroom, and what’s described as a “grand outdoor event deck and lawn” are also dotted around the 1.25-million-square-foot property.

Interior design of the Signia lobby. Courtesy of Signia by Hilton Atlanta

This view from Vine City's Cook Park shows the hotel's height in relation to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Owned by the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, Signia is part of what GWCCA calls its Championship Campus, which along with The Benz and Centennial Olympic Park forms “North America’s largest combined convention, sports, and entertainment destination,” according to GWCCA. In announcement for Signia’s opening, GWCCA executive director Frank Poe said the project puts Atlanta “on the shortlist for the most prestigious live events the industry has to offer.”

According to project leaders, all Signia rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows designed to capture city views, while a mix of “earth toned-fabrics, rich wood and rattan textures, and brass finishes,” are meant to “reflect the warmth and refinement of Southern luxury.”

Rates this week start at $295 nightly for rooms with two queen beds, according to the hotel’s website. On-site parking is another $50 per day. 

A full floor at the hotel is dedicated to wellness, with a large fitness center, plus a spa and beauty bar expected to open later this winter. 

An elevated plaza area where the hotel's proximity to The Benz is apparent. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Views over Mercedes-Benz Stadium from rooms facing south. Courtesy of Signia by Hilton Atlanta

The Signia’s room count ranks it between the fifth largest hotel in Atlanta (Omni Atlanta Hotel: 1,038 rooms) and the current sixth (Sheraton Atlanta Hotel: 749 rooms).

The Signia marks Atlanta’s fifth tallest all-hotel tower overall. That category is led by the 73-story Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel, a John Portman-designed building completed in 1976 that’s still Atlanta’s fifth-tallest building—for now. 

The Signia project was developed by Boston-based Drew Company, with the Gensler architecture firm on board for interior and exterior designs, and a partnership between Skanska and SG Contracting working as general contractor. See how downtown’s towering new hotel turned out—from a multitude of angles—in the gallery above.

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285 Andrew Young International Blvd NW Signia by Hilton Atlanta Georgia World Congress Center Authority GWCC Drew Company Andrew Young International Boulevard HGOR Manhattan Construction Company Gensler Hilton Skanska Kimley-Horn & Associates Mercedes-Benz Stadium Gulch Atlanta Hotels Atlanta Development Atlanta Construction Atlanta United Atlanta Falcons SG Contracting Capolinea Homespun The Nest on Four Atlanta Urban League City of Refuge Restoration Atlanta Stride Dekalb Westside Works

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The 42-story Signia by Hilton Atlanta hotel's southern facade toward Mercedes-Benz Stadium today. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The hotel is described by project leaders as the tallest building on Atlanta's Westside, which is illustrated by this view from Vine City. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The Signia by Hilton's east facade toward Centennial Olympic Park and the bulk of downtown. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Views over Mercedes-Benz Stadium from rooms facing south. Courtesy of Signia by Hilton Atlanta

Example of Midtown views from north-facing rooms. Courtesy of Signia by Hilton Atlanta

Interiors at Italian fine-dining concept Capolinea, considered the Signia's signature restaurant. Courtesy of Signia by Hilton Atlanta

Interior design of the Signia lobby. Courtesy of Signia by Hilton Atlanta

This view from Vine City's Cook Park shows the hotel's height in relation to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

An elevated plaza area where the hotel's proximity to The Benz is apparent. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The 1.25-million-square-foot tower's facade of wall-to-wall glass. Courtesy of Signia by Hilton Atlanta

Subtitle Signia by Hilton adds nearly 1,000 rooms, eight food-and-beverage concepts to downtown stock

Neighborhood Downtown

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Report: Atlanta lags smaller cities in office-to-apartment conversions Josh Green Mon, 01/22/2024 - 13:07 First, the good news: In this era of heightened demand for apartments, sky-high rents, and record office vacancies, metro Atlanta has cracked the top 10 (barely) in a new analysis ranking the most populous U.S. cities and their sheer number of former offices being converted to rental units.

The news less worthy of celebration: Atlanta still lags behind considerably smaller metros when it comes to the often-costly and tricky process of remaking underused or outdated office space into housing.

That’s according to an analysis released today by national apartment search website RentCafe.com. It tabulates that a record 55,339 apartments are being created right now across the country from old offices as cities continue to adjust to new hybrid or remote-work realities.

That’s nearly five times the number of adaptive-reuse rentals—a modest 12,100—that were in the U.S. pipeline just three years ago. And office conversions have climbed to 38 percent of the 147,000 apartments in the works for adaptive-reuse projects overall, according to RentCafe analysts.

“Our cities are riding a wave of change that’s been building up for the last four years,” the study’s summary notes. “The urban landscape is getting a makeover, shifting from corporate to community.”

RentCafe

Locally, metro Atlanta is currently bringing 1,422 apartments into existence from former office space—or more than half of the rentals expected to deliver this year. That’s an impressive 40 percent increase of adaptive-reuse units over the past year, with the 295-unit Broadstone Peachtree Corners project leading the way in terms of sheer size, according to the RentCafe analysis.

Those numbers, in metro Atlanta’s case, are good for No. 9 in the county.

That puts Atlanta behind three smaller, non-Sunbelt metros: Cleveland (No. 6, with 2012 office-conversion apartments forthcoming), Cincinnati (No. 7), and Kansas City (No. 8).

Opened in 2021, the Centennial Yards South apartments (at left) were once offices occupied by Norfolk Southern employees. They're a rare example of a downtown adaptive-reuse conversion to housing. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

It’s important to note the study is based on apartment data for buildings with 50 units or more, eliminating many boutique projects. And today, office buildings being converted to rentals are 72-years old on average—or 20 years newer than the previous average.

The top metro for office conversions is Washington D.C., where 5,820 units in the pipeline are more than quadruple Atlanta’s count, per RentCafe's numbers.

That’s followed by New York (5,215 units), Sunbelt competitor Dallas (3,163 units), Chicago (2,822), and Los Angeles (2,442) to round out the Top 5.

RentCafe

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Opened in 2021, the Centennial Yards South apartments (at left) were once offices occupied by Norfolk Southern employees. They're a rare example of a downtown adaptive-reuse conversion to housing. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Subtitle Still, the metro has recently seen conversion projects increase by 40 percent, RentCafe finds

Neighborhood Citywide

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Unique affordable housing ventures enter Westside pipeline Josh Green Mon, 01/22/2024 - 08:05 Last month, City of Atlanta and Westside Future Fund officials broke out the fancy shovels for a formal groundbreaking at 839 Joseph E. Boone Boulevard, a vacant lot where 33 apartments and street-side retail space are being built in English Avenue.

But we couldn’t help notice a couple of residential renderings displayed at the event that have nothing to do with the Joseph E. Boone Boulevard site, apart from sharing the same developer and neighborhood—and the same affordability mission.

With designs that are anything but cookie-cutter, the two English Avenue projects are being put together by Westside Future Fund, an Atlanta nonprofit organization comprised of public, private, and philanthropic partners that serves five Westside neighborhoods: Vine City, English Avenue, Ashview Heights, Atlanta University Center, and Just Us.

Together, the infill projects would bring 50 more units of affordable multifamily housing to English Avenue, with rents between 30 and 80 percent of the area median income, according to Candace Wheeler, Westside Future Fund spokesperson. It’s still relatively early in the development process, however.

“We expect to break ground on both projects within the next year and a 1/2,” Wheeler wrote via email.

Here’s a quick primer, based on what’s known so far:

646 Echo St.

Planned facades for the 646 Echo St. corner lot. Kronberg Urbanists + Architects

Situated a block west of the Westside BeltLine Connector trail and T.I.’s Trap Music Museum, this English Avenue project would bring 24 units with architecture that nods to Atlanta apartment buildings of a century ago.

That includes brick facades and generous balconies.

Kronberg Urbanists + Architects is designing the project—the same firm behind the aforementioned Joseph E. Boone Boulevard development, the under-construction, 42-unit Trust at Oakland City, and Finley Street Cottages, a pocket neighborhood that finished construction in Edgewood last year.

The 646 Echo St. location due west of Midtown. Google Maps

The 646 Echo St. corner lot shown in 2022, with construction cranes at English Avenue's Echo Street West project up the street. Google Maps

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390 Sunset Ave.

The lone available rendering showing how 390 Sunset Ave. would meet challenging topography. eightvillage

On the same street Dr. Martin Luther King called home at the time of his death, this project is expected to deliver 26 units on a sloped lot tucked just north of Joseph E. Boone Boulevard.

Another area highlight, Vine City’s Rodney Cook Sr. Park, is situated about two blocks to the southeast.

The Sunset Avenue venture is being designed by Atlanta-based eightvillage, the firm behind an arts-focused church redo in College Park and other projects.

390 Sunset Ave.'s location in relation to Cook Park, at bottom. Google Maps

The 390 Sunset Ave. property as seen in early 2023. Google Maps

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646 Echo St. 390 Sunset Ave. Westside Future Fund Affordable Housing Kronberg Urbanists + Architects Rodney Cook Sr. Park Infill Development Infill Housing apevillage Vine City Westside

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390 Sunset Ave.'s location in relation to Cook Park, at bottom. Google Maps

The 390 Sunset Ave. property as seen in early 2023. Google Maps

The lone available rendering showing how 390 Sunset Ave. would meet challenging topography. eightvillage

The 646 Echo St. location due west of Midtown. Google Maps

The 646 Echo St. corner lot shown in 2022, with construction cranes at English Avenue's Echo Street West project up the street. Google Maps

Planned facades for the 646 Echo St. corner lot. Kronberg Urbanists + Architects

Subtitle Westside Future Fund aims to develop 50 units in unconventional buildings

Neighborhood English Avenue

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Portman land deal; 'Cop City' development; tiny home pushback Josh Green Fri, 01/19/2024 - 14:50 WESTSIDE—Atlanta’s urbanist community flew into a tizzy this week after Portman Holdings’ top brass hinted a major land purchase is brewing somewhere along the Atlanta BeltLine’s Westside Trail.

The commotion stemmed from an Atlanta Journal-Constitution story published Tuesday that chronicled Portman’s priority shift from the downtown central city to walkable Midtown and BeltLine areas, noting: “Portman is developing three projects along the BeltLine’s Eastside Trail and is under contract to buy 15 acres near the Westside Trail for a fourth development.”

Say what!?!

The linear site in question along Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway? Brock Built's Ten29 West townhome project is seen at left, as construction began a couple of years ago. Courtesy of Allen Morris Company

We checked with Portman reps for details on this fabled purchase, who confirmed a sale is pending but that it’s “too early to share” more details. Could it be a coincidence The Allen Morris Company—the developer behind West Midtown’s growing Star Metals District—happens to own a 15.5-acre parcel at 1060 Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway in Bankhead and, according to the rumor mill, has been looking to offload it? Allen Morris bought the property, which borders the Westside Trail’s under-construction final segment, for $31 million in 2022.

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SOUTHSIDE—City of Atlanta officials caused a stir this week when reporting the controversial Atlanta Public Safety Training Center is more than 75 percent complete now, despite what was described as “numerous, repeated criminal attempts to sabotage its progress for nearly two years” that have resulted in more than 170 arrests.

Police officials say the disruptions have “contributed significantly” to the training center’s skyrocketing estimated cost, up from $90 million originally to a projected $109.6 million today. (Included in the new number is $6 million for additional security and $400,000 for increased insurance rates, per city officials.) Neither the city nor taxpayers will be on the hook for the additional nearly $20 million, as the original allocation of $31 million for the training center remains unchanged, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ office insists.

Tentative breakdown of planned uses at the now $110-million training complex, as approved by Atlanta City Council in 2021. Atlanta Police Foundation

According to the city, construction on the new training center—what opponents have derisively coined “Cop City”—is on pace to finish in December. Grading, utilities infrastructure, and other site work is ongoing.  

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CITYWIDE—As an eagle-eyed reader points out, proposed legislation put forth by Atlanta City Councilmember Marci Collier Overstreet, who represents Southwest Atlanta’s District 11, appears geared toward making the process of building small secondary dwellings on single-family lots more difficult—or at least more complicated.

The legislation would require all detached, single-family dwellings with less than 750 square feet to apply for Special Use Permits that would have to be approved by the city council before building could commence.

According to an overview compiled last month, the legislation’s intent is “not to create a ‘cookie cutter’ effect but to permit structures that are substantially similar to maintain established character in the neighborhoods of Atlanta.” More details here.

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The linear site in question along Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway? Brock Built's Ten29 West townhome project is seen at left, as construction began a couple of years ago. Courtesy of Allen Morris Company

Subtitle Real estate, architecture, and urban planning news from around Atlanta

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