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Best Atlanta Neighborhood 2023, Elite Eight: East Atlanta vs. O4W Josh Green Thu, 12/21/2023 - 16:00 As part of ongoing Best of Atlanta 2023 coverage, Urbanize’s third-annual Best Atlanta Neighborhood tournament kicked off last week with 16 places vying for the prestige of being called the city’s greatest.

Now, for each Elite Eight contest, voting will be open until noon on Tuesday, allowing anyone time to chime in who’s currently traveling or enduring their family. Please, let’s keep the tourney fun and positive, as one neighborhood rises above the rest in very public fashion. The quest to crown a champion resumes now!

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(10) East Atlanta

The new Marbut building's balconies, storefronts, and Art Moderne detailing in East Atlanta Village. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

In round one action, No. 10 seed East Atlanta pulled a minor upset by booting Chamblee (No. 7) from 2023 contention, capturing 55 percent of more than 1,000 votes cast. A solid start, for sure.

Unlike several voted-appointed competitors in ’23, East Atlanta is a bona fide ATL neighborhood, with a famed village at its core where change is persistent but gloss never outweighs funk. This year saw a unique Starbucks concept bow out in EAV, which some might consider worthy of bonus votes. But elsewhere, artist Greg Mike’s church makeover is very much moving forward, like a nearby infill project on Flat Shoals Avenue with relatively attainable housing in its mix. On the bougier side of things, East Atlanta wasn’t lacking in new options this year, either. As the tourney’s 2016 champion, East Atlanta clawed to the Elite Eight round last year but was ousted by current trophy-holder Avondale Estates. Could that light a fire under this perennially hip eastside district? We shall see.

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(15) Old Fourth Ward

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

No. 15 seed Old Fourth Ward barely garnered enough nominations to make the Best Atlanta Tournament cut this year, but that didn’t matter in round one, when O4W flexed by tossing high-seed Midtown out the door.

As large-scale development goes, O4W is clearly on a roll, with the Atlanta Civic Center redevelopment’s initial phase finally showing verifiable signs of life, and Portman delivering one of the most eye-catching BeltLine buildings to date with Junction Krog District in 2023. Ponce City Market sprouted two new towers this year, and the dreaded Chick-fil-Apocalypse on Boulevard didn’t really come to pass. But the feather in O4W’s cap this year—from an architecture and public space standpoint—is New City’s Fourth Ward Project, where two plazas opened, a diamond-patterned high-rise hotel topped out, an apartment venture like no other intown delivered, and offices actually got leased. O4W has pulled together and brought home the hardware before, winning the full tourney in 2012. 

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Best of Atlanta 2023 Best Atlanta Neighborhoods Best Atlanta Neighborhood Where to Live Atlanta Atlanta Neighborhoods Urbanize Tournament Polls Urbanize Polls East Atlanta Old Fourth Ward

Subtitle Who should advance to the Final Four? Cast your vote now!

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Apartment project moves forward on planned 40-mile trail system Josh Green Thu, 12/21/2023 - 14:11 A multifamily development with unique access to a sprawling new trail system northeast of Atlanta has broken ground.

The Class-A apartment community, a partnership between investment firm BCDC and Atlanta-based Imperium Development, also hopes to capitalize on proximity to Lake Lanier and Gainesville’s growing downtown, along with Hall County’s jobs and population influx.

The 7.65-acre site in question is located at 2800 Frontage Road in Oakwood, just off Interstate 285 and east of the lake, about 48 miles from downtown Atlanta.

Plans call for a 229-unit development spanning about 190,000 square feet total. What will set the community apart, according to project leaders, is its alignment with Hall County’s Highlands to Islands Trail, a planned 40-mile system that aims to link numerous landmarks around Hall County with the lake.

Highlands to Islands

The Highlands to Islands system opened its newest section in July, complete with a boardwalk over a creek near the University of North Georgia campus.

As for the apartment venture, BCDC and Imperium officials say it will feature a “market-leading amenity package” that includes coworking space, a two-story clubhouse, and swimming pool befitting a resort.

Access to the 8,500-student university and Northeast Georgia Medical Center, which employs nearly 9,000 people 15 minutes away, are additional plusses, according to the development team.

The project’s 2800 Frontage Road location in relation to Lake Lanier, Interstate 985, and Gainesville. Google Maps

BCDC; design, McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture

Officials say the apartments are on pace to deliver in the third quarter of 2025.

Other development team members include McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture, Ecker Construction, SeaCoast Bank, and Stockbridge Capital Group.

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2800 Frontage Road Oakwood Hall County Gainesville Highlands to Islands Trail BCDC Imperium Development Atlanta Development Atlanta apartments Atlanta Construction SeaCoast Bank Stockbridge Capital Group Ecker Construction McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture Lake Lanier Northeast Georgia Northeast Georgia Medical Center

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The project’s 2800 Frontage Road location in relation to Lake Lanier, Interstate 985, and Gainesville. Google Maps

BCDC; design, McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture

Highlands to Islands

Subtitle 229-unit development banks on Highlands to Islands Trail, Lake Lanier, downtown Gainesville proximity

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Best Atlanta Neighborhood 2023, Elite Eight: Grant Park vs. Reynoldstown Josh Green Thu, 12/21/2023 - 13:00 As part of ongoing Best of Atlanta 2023 coverage, Urbanize’s third-annual Best Atlanta Neighborhood tournament kicked off last week with 16 places vying for the prestige of being called the city’s greatest.

Now, for each Elite Eight contest, voting will be open until noon on Tuesday, allowing anyone time to chime in who’s currently traveling or enduring their family. Please, let’s keep the tourney fun and positive, as one neighborhood rises above the rest in very public fashion. The quest to crown a champion resumes now!

…

(5) Grant Park

View across the GlenCastle buildings and neighboring apartments as construction neared completion. Urban Realty Partners

In first round action, No. 5 seed Grant Park showed Kirkwood the door, capturing 56 percent of 844 votes.

For such a celebrated place to live, relatively little changed around Grant Park in 2023 (unless you count a game-changer BeltLine segment breaking ground as part of the neighborhood). That relative idleness could speak to how awesome Grant Park already is (with one idle, hollow exception), a place where gorgeous Victorians and bungalows soiree with one of Atlanta’s prettiest, most functional greenspaces. If anything, Grant Park added a dash of modern amongst its antiquity, with BeltLine-adjacent townhomes and a large new apartment stack that look plucked from Sweden. Believe it or not, Grant Park has never taken the crown across a decade of these competitions. Could lucky ’23 change all that?

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(13) Reynoldstown

The planned Reynoldstown venture where Pearl Street meets Fulton Terrace. The NRP Group; designs, Lord Aeck Sargent

Small-but-mighty Reynoldstown (No. 13) dispatched Decatur in the tourney’s first contest this year, scooting into the Elite Eight with 55 percent of votes.

Across the busy year that 2023 has been, R-town’s most buzz-worthy addition had to be Breaker Breaker, the easy-breezy BeltLine pitstop that’s part of growing Empire Stein Steel. Also along the BeltLine (surprise!) an all-affordable stack of rent-capped homes has recently topped out, while a truly unique motel conversion gets underway for Atlantans who need a boost most. Elsewhere, that penchant for flashy duplexes in Reynoldstown shows few signs of slowing. Longtime followers of this criteria-free contest may recall that R-town valiantly claimed the crown in 2014, as BeltLine hoopla heated up. Could it become just the second neighborhood in history to repeat in 2023? We’ll see.  

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Best of Atlanta 2023 Best Atlanta Neighborhoods Best Atlanta Neighborhood Where to Live Atlanta Atlanta Neighborhoods Urbanize Tournament Polls Urbanize Polls Grant Park Reynoldstown

Subtitle Who should advance to the Final Four? Cast your vote now!

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Westside ATL mixed-use development officially breaks ground Josh Green Thu, 12/21/2023 - 10:47 An English Avenue mixed-use development that aims to replace a vacant lot with attainable housing and commercial activity is officially underway west of downtown.

Nonprofit organization Westside Future Fund joined city officials for a formal groundbreaking last week at 839 Joseph E. Boone Boulevard, a site located immediately east of Kathryn Johnston Memorial Park.

Vine City’s impressive new Rodney Cook Sr. Park is about five blocks to the east, with the Georgia World Congress Center a few blocks beyond that.

WFF’s plans call for 33 mid-rise apartments alongside a corner component with 1,200 square feet of space for new retail, which much of the east-west corridor is lacking. As designed by Kronberg Urbanists + Architects, the project would help accomplish WFF’s goal of building on land near greenspaces such as Kathryn Johnston Park, which the agency partnered with community leaders to create and open four years ago.

The mixed-use project's location in English Avenue, just west of downtown Atlanta. Google Maps

Funding for the project came from a Robert W. Woodruff Foundation grant, with additional capital provided by Invest Atlanta and WFF’s Impact Fund. A recent groundbreaking announcement didn’t specific how affordable rents for the 33 apartments will be.

WFF’s goal with housing development is to help retail permanent affordability and legacy residents in Westside neighborhoods as the city and nation grapple with limited housing inventory. In a prepared statement, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens called the English Avenue project “a significant contribution to one of our city’s priority neighborhoods.”

Kronberg Urbanists + Architects

The 839 Joseph E. Boone site in question, at center, with the entrance to Kathryn Johnston Park shown at left. Google Maps

A larger apartment building that would also include affordable housing has been proposed for a former church property across the street.

WFF’s venture isn’t the only recent development news in English Avenue.

After a two-year search, racial justice agency the Southern Poverty Law Center announced plans earlier this month to build its Atlanta headquarters on 2.5 acres it recently purchased alongside the Westside BeltLine Connector trail, roughly midway between Georgia Tech and Westside Park.

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In other housing news this week, the developer behind Peoplestown’s Terminal South food hall and office project has revealed plans to add between 350 and 425 mid-rise residential units on a property next door.

Stafford Properties executive director Melissa Ahrendttold the Atlanta Business Chronicle the residential component would see one and two-bedroom units with at least 10 percent of them reserved for households earning less than 80 percent of the area median income.

Rezoning is pending for the estimated $100 million project, which Ahrendt hopes to deliver in about three years.

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839 Joseph E. Boone Boulevard Westside Future Fund Vine City Atlanta Construction Affordable Housing Mixed-Use Development Atlanta Development Mayor Andre Dickens Stafford Properties Terminal South Food Halls Civil Rights Movement Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Kronberg Urbanists + Architects Kathryn Johnston Memorial Park Invest Atlanta

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The mixed-use project's location in English Avenue, just west of downtown Atlanta. Google Maps

The 839 Joseph E. Boone site in question, at center, with the entrance to Kathryn Johnston Park shown at left. Google Maps

Subtitle Westside Future Fund project aims to blend commercial vitality with affordable housing

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Stone's throw from BeltLine, 'permanently affordable' project a go Josh Green Tue, 12/19/2023 - 11:52 Another residential project is aiming to break ground soon in Oakland City with permanent affordability baked in as a means of combating the ills of displacement and gentrification in Southwest Atlanta, according to project officials.

Called The Trust at Oakland City, the 42-unit development will take shape across 3.5 acres at 1024 Donnelly Ave., roughly 100 yards from the Atlanta BeltLine’s Westside Trail near the Lee + White food and drink district.

MARTA’s West End station is also located less than a mile away, via Lee Street, as project officials note.

Amanda Rhein, Atlanta Land Trust executive director, says the Oakland City project reached a “major milestone” last week by closing on all financing needed to start construction, with groundbreaking on the first phase expected sometime in early 2024. ALT’s partners in the project include Invest Atlanta, Reinvestment Fund, and ANDP Homes.

The traditional-style project is designed by Kronberg Urbanists + Architects. ALT is partnering with Cityscape Housing to develop the site and build the homes.

Atlanta Land Trust; designs, Kronberg Urbanists + Architects

The project's 1024 Donnelly Ave. location in relation to the Westside Trail (green line), the Lee + White district, and West End MARTA (top right). Google Maps

According to Rhein, half of the 42 for-sale homes will be offered at affordable rates for households earning at or below 60 and 80 percent of the area median income. The other 21 units will sell for market rate. None of the pricing has been specified yet.

Expect units ranging from one to three bedrooms, with between 640 and 1,360 square feet. All include two levels of living spaces. (See floorplans here.)

Perks of the community will include relatively low HOA dues that cover lawn care, nature trails and open greenspace, Nest thermostats, and Vivint home security systems, according to project officials.

Atlanta Land Trust; designs, Kronberg Urbanists + Architects

As with other ALT builds, the Oakland City homes are described as being “permanently affordable” through the use of the community land trust model.

In a nutshell, that arrangement means the trust will own and maintain the land it’s secured from the real estate market, and when it comes time to move, the homeowner agrees to resell the residence at restricted, affordable pricing to another lower-income buyer, with the price determined by an Atlanta-specific formula.

A few blocks away, ALT is behind another affordable housing project in the same neighborhood, the 36-unit Avenue at Oakland City that broke ground late last year.

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1024 Donnelly Avenue The Trust at Oakland City Atlanta Land Trust Invest Atlanta Kronberg Urbanists + Architects Keller Williams Atlanta Perimeter Cadence Bank Reinvestment Fund ANDP Amanda Rhein Affordable Housing Southwest Atlanta MARTA Oakland City Marta Westside Trail Atlanta BeltLine Beltline Cityscape Housing ANDP Homes Gentrification Displacement

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The project's 1024 Donnelly Ave. location in relation to the Westside Trail (green line), the Lee + White district, and West End MARTA (top right). Google Maps

Atlanta Land Trust; designs, Kronberg Urbanists + Architects

Atlanta Land Trust; designs, Kronberg Urbanists + Architects

Subtitle Range of 42 for-sale options enters Oakland City pipeline

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Best Atlanta Neighborhood 2023, 1st round: (2) Midtown vs. (15) Old Fourth Ward Josh Green Tue, 12/19/2023 - 14:31 As part of ongoingBest of Atlanta 2023 *coverage, Urbanize’s third-annual Best Atlanta Neighborhood tournament is kicking off with 16 places vying for the prestige of being called the city’s greatest. (Note: Seeding from 1 to 16 was determined by reader nominations*this month—so no pitchforks, please.)

For each Round 1 contest, voting will be open for just 24 hours. Please, let’s keep the tourney fun and positive, as one neighborhood rises above the rest in very public fashion. The eliminations begin now!

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(2) Midtown

The landing page for 1072 West Peachtree's website provides a glimpse of how the project would alter Midtown's skyline when viewed from the Connector. Rockefeller Group; Brock Hudgins Architects; TVS/1072 West Peachtree

Despite its status as Atlanta’s darling of high-profile development and cosmopolitan ambitions, Midtown has never taken the crown in the Best Atlanta Neighborhood tourney—and it hasn’t even sniffed the Final Four in the Urbanize version. Could that speak to Midtown’s status as more of a booming subdistrict than a truly tight-knit intown neighborhood? Perhaps. In any case, when it comes to sheer seismic change, no place in metro Atlanta holds a candle to this midway point between downtown history and Buckhead wealth, where construction cranes have been all but ubiquitous for a solid decade.

This year alone, Midtown has seen cranes start piecing together Atlanta’s tallest building in three decades and a two-tower project over Juniper Street, among many others. Elsewhere, developments such as JPX Works’ Emmi Midtown, Society Atlanta, 1141 Peachtree, and Momentum Atlanta climbed up and topped out in ’23, helping redefine Atlanta’s skyline like Midtown has been doing for decades. Lest we forget the street-level changes, too—most notably the Juniper Complete Street Project that finally started becoming real this year.

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(15) Old Fourth Ward

A scene over ever-changing Old Fourth Ward in summer 2022, contrasting Sunbelt Rentals' construction equipment rental property with projects catered toward Atlanta's population influx. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Old Fourth Ward barely garnered enough nominations to make the Best Atlanta Tournament cut this year, slipping in with an underwhelming No. 15 seed. But that could be a cover—a means of staging a sneak attack toward glory! In any case, this eclectic, colorful, historic place has a tough road facing Midtown so early, but O4W has pulled together and brought home the hardware before, winning the full tourney in 2012. The past two years, however, it’s been ousted in the first round.

As large-scale development goes, O4W is on a roll, with the Atlanta Civic Center redevelopment’s initial phase finally showing verifiable signs of life, and Portman delivering one of the most eye-catching BeltLine buildings to date with Junction Krog District in 2023. Ponce City Market sprouted two new towers this year, and the dreaded Chick-fil-Apocalypse on Boulevard didn’t really come to pass. But the feather in O4W’s cap this year—from an architecture and public space standpoint—is clearly New City’s Fourth Ward Project, where two plazas opened, a diamond-patterned high-rise hotel topped out, an apartment venture like no other intown delivered, and offices actually got leased.  

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Best of Atlanta 2023 Best Atlanta Neighborhoods Best Atlanta Neighborhood Where to Live Atlanta Atlanta Neighborhoods Urbanize Tournament Polls Urbanize Polls Midtown Old Fourth Ward

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A scene over ever-changing Old Fourth Ward in summer 2022, contrasting Sunbelt Rentals' construction equipment rental property with projects catered toward Atlanta's population influx. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Subtitle Who should advance to the Elite Eight? Cast your vote now!

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Best Atlanta Neighborhood 2023, 1st round: (1) Summerhill vs. (16) Virginia-Highland Josh Green Tue, 12/19/2023 - 16:33 As part of ongoingBest of Atlanta 2023 *coverage, Urbanize’s third-annual Best Atlanta Neighborhood tournament is kicking off with 16 places vying for the prestige of being called the city’s greatest. (Note: Seeding from 1 to 16 was determined by reader nominations*this month—so no pitchforks, please.)

For each Round 1 contest, voting will be open for just 24 hours. Please, let’s keep the tourney fun and positive, as one neighborhood rises above the rest in very public fashion. The eliminations begin now!

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(1) Summerhill

Recent aerial of Summerhill's residential buildout south of Georgia Avenue. Carter

Round 1 action concludes with the crème de la crème, the Big Kahuna, the head honcho—No. 1 seeded Summerhill—taking on a contender that had barely enough nominations to squeak in this year. Back in 2021, Summerhill came this close to Best Atlanta Neighborhood immortality by reaching the Finals, but ultimately falling to out-of-left-field powerhouse Mozley Park.

This year, Summerhill has hardly been idle, with construction on Atlanta’s first bus-rapid transit line finally ramping up and a fresh beer garden to brag about. The neighborhood’s long-awaited Publix debuted this past summer (before a temporary closure for a parking deck collapse) while another controversial parking deck took shape a few blocks away. Elsewhere, the maturation of adaptive-reuse favorite Georgia Avenue continued in 2023, with stylish townhomes claiming an empty corner, while—for better or worse—top-end housing prices crept ever closer to the $1-million mark.

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(16) Virginia-Highland

Va-Hi's tony housing stock near Piedmont Park. Google Maps

Believe it not, lovely, walkable, and vibrant old Virginia-Highland has never taken top honors in this criteria-free measure of neighborhood excellence, but it did rally behind a strong No. 4 seed last year to reach the hallowed Final Four. Not too shabby.

Clinging by its fingernails to the bracket with a No. 16 seed in 2023, Va-Hi has its work cut out for it, facing a sturdy foe like Summerhill so early. The neighborhood did make plenty of development-related headlines this year—most of them regarding prominent Atlanta firm Portman Holdings, which unveiled hugely ambitious plans for an overhauled Amsterdam Walk while curtailing the scope of Ponce development that had shocked many Atlantans in 2022. (On the bright side, The Local lives on!) Elsewhere in Va-Hi, the fabled BeltLine-Ponce connection is becoming reality, while rare for-sale condos have delivered right next to the Eastside Trail.

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Best of Atlanta 2023 Best Atlanta Neighborhoods Best Atlanta Neighborhood Where to Live Atlanta Atlanta Neighborhoods Urbanize Tournament Polls Urbanize Polls Virginia-Highland Summerhill

Subtitle Who should advance to the Elite Eight? Cast your vote now!

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Tech investors step in to rescue South Downtown development plans Josh Green Tue, 12/19/2023 - 17:01 The founders behind one of America’s largest tech hubs have plans to step in and keep years of redevelopment hopes for South Downtown’s disinvested blocks alive, with widespread changes potentially coming before Atlanta’s World Cup matches in 2026.

That’s according to a bombshell announcement today by David Cummings and Jon Birdsong, heads of Atlanta Ventures, the Buckhead-based company behind Atlanta Tech Village, which houses more than 300 business startups.

German real estate firm Newport RE announced in July it was letting go of a huge South Downtown portfolio—more than 50 buildings and 6 acres of parking lots across some 10 blocks—it had spent the better part of a decade accumulating, indefinitely pausing renovations to Hotel Row and another commercial building across the street. Newport officials pointed to COVID-related delays, prolonged war in Europe, and interest rate spikes as reasons their investors had grown impatient and cut bait. A sale to Atlanta-based developers Braden Fellman Group didn’t materialize as some properties entered foreclosure proceedings.

Since the foreclosure news, Cummings and Birdsong wrote in today’s announcement they’ve been “working tirelessly to ensure South Downtown maintains and accelerates the momentum gained in the past decade” by putting 53 parcels and 6 acres of parking lots under their ownership.

They’ve also brought aboard April Stammel, a former Newport executive, to help bring a new vision to fruition.  

“As the dust settles amid any financial transaction, particularly one of this magnitude, we’re reluctant to announce grandiose plans or visions yet,” reads the Atlanta Ventures announcement. “Our first priority is listening and ensuring the mechanisms are in place to keep South Downtown in a state of progress,” which will include a mix of new construction and historic preservation, with “a greater emphasis on creative doers and entrepreneurs from every corner of our city.”

Atlanta Ventures

Cummings, Birdsong, and company plan to spend the next year listening to input and designing a far-reaching plan that keeps time constraints in mind “as the world awaits to enter our doorstep for the World Cup in the summer of 2026,” per the announcement.

They point to Hotel Row’s Thai food destination, Tyde Tate Kitchen, as evidence that Newport’s vision has some momentum left in place. The rest of the neighborhood’s next chapter, they assert, will be written by local Atlantans.‍

“An opportunity to create a safe, walkable, and livable neighborhood in the once forgotten ‘heart of the city’ is right in front of us,” Cummings and Birdsong write. “Every great city in the world has a vibrant downtown, it’s Atlanta’s turn.”

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222 Mitchell Street SW Newport RE Newport South Downtown Hotel Row Adaptive-Reuse Development Braden Fellman Group Atlanta Development Atlanta Construction David Cummings Jon Birdsong Atlanta Tech Village Atlanta Ventures

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Subtitle "Every great city in the world has a vibrant downtown, it’s Atlanta’s turn"

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Tech investors step in to rescue South Downtown development plans Josh Green Tue, 12/19/2023 - 17:01 The founders behind one of America’s largest tech hubs have plans to step in and keep years of redevelopment hopes for South Downtown’s disinvested blocks alive, with widespread changes potentially coming before Atlanta’s World Cup matches in 2026.

That’s according to a bombshell announcement today by David Cummings and Jon Birdsong, heads of Atlanta Ventures, the Buckhead-based company behind Atlanta Tech Village, which houses more than 300 business startups.

German real estate firm Newport RE announced in July it was letting go of a huge South Downtown portfolio—more than 50 buildings and 6 acres of parking lots across some 10 blocks—it had spent the better part of a decade accumulating, indefinitely pausing renovations to Hotel Row and another commercial building across the street. Newport officials pointed to COVID-related delays, prolonged war in Europe, and interest rate spikes as reasons their investors had grown impatient and cut bait. A sale to Atlanta-based developers Braden Fellman Group didn’t materialize as some properties entered foreclosure proceedings.

Since the foreclosure news, Cummings and Birdsong wrote in today’s announcement they’ve been “working tirelessly to ensure South Downtown maintains and accelerates the momentum gained in the past decade” by putting 53 parcels and 6 acres of parking lots under their ownership.

They’ve also brought aboard April Stammel, a former Newport executive, to help bring a new vision to fruition.  

“As the dust settles amid any financial transaction, particularly one of this magnitude, we’re reluctant to announce grandiose plans or visions yet,” reads the Atlanta Ventures announcement. “Our first priority is listening and ensuring the mechanisms are in place to keep South Downtown in a state of progress,” which will include a mix of new construction and historic preservation, with “a greater emphasis on creative doers and entrepreneurs from every corner of our city.”

Atlanta Ventures

Cummings, Birdsong, and company plan to spend the next year listening to input and designing a far-reaching plan that keeps time constraints in mind “as the world awaits to enter our doorstep for the World Cup in the summer of 2026,” per the announcement.

They point to Hotel Row’s Thai food destination, Tyde Tate Kitchen, as evidence that Newport’s vision has some momentum left in place. The rest of the neighborhood’s next chapter, they assert, will be written by local Atlantans.‍

“An opportunity to create a safe, walkable, and livable neighborhood in the once forgotten ‘heart of the city’ is right in front of us,” Cummings and Birdsong write. “Every great city in the world has a vibrant downtown, it’s Atlanta’s turn.”

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222 Mitchell Street SW Newport RE Newport South Downtown Hotel Row Adaptive-Reuse Development Braden Fellman Group Atlanta Development Atlanta Construction David Cummings Jon Birdsong Atlanta Tech Village Atlanta Ventures

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Subtitle "Every great city in the world has a vibrant downtown, it’s Atlanta’s turn"

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Tech investors step in to rescue South Downtown development plans Josh Green Tue, 12/19/2023 - 17:01 The founders behind one of America’s largest tech hubs have plans to step in and keep years of redevelopment hopes for South Downtown’s disinvested blocks alive, with widespread changes potentially coming before Atlanta’s World Cup matches in 2026.

That’s according to a bombshell announcement today by David Cummings and Jon Birdsong, heads of Atlanta Ventures, the Buckhead-based company behind Atlanta Tech Village, which houses more than 300 business startups.

German real estate firm Newport RE announced in July it was letting go of a huge South Downtown portfolio—more than 50 buildings and 6 acres of parking lots across some 10 blocks—it had spent the better part of a decade accumulating, indefinitely pausing renovations to Hotel Row and another commercial building across the street. Newport officials pointed to COVID-related delays, prolonged war in Europe, and interest rate spikes as reasons their investors had grown impatient and cut bait. A sale to Atlanta-based developers Braden Fellman Group didn’t materialize as some properties entered foreclosure proceedings.

Since the foreclosure news, Cummings and Birdsong wrote in today’s announcement they’ve been “working tirelessly to ensure South Downtown maintains and accelerates the momentum gained in the past decade” by putting 53 parcels and 6 acres of parking lots under their ownership.

They’ve also brought aboard April Stammel, a former Newport executive, to help bring a new vision to fruition.  

“As the dust settles amid any financial transaction, particularly one of this magnitude, we’re reluctant to announce grandiose plans or visions yet,” reads the Atlanta Ventures announcement. “Our first priority is listening and ensuring the mechanisms are in place to keep South Downtown in a state of progress,” which will include a mix of new construction and historic preservation, with “a greater emphasis on creative doers and entrepreneurs from every corner of our city.”

Atlanta Ventures

Cummings, Birdsong, and company plan to spend the next year listening to input and designing a far-reaching plan that keeps time constraints in mind “as the world awaits to enter our doorstep for the World Cup in the summer of 2026,” per the announcement.

They point to Hotel Row’s Thai food destination, Tyde Tate Kitchen, as evidence that Newport’s vision has some momentum left in place. The rest of the neighborhood’s next chapter, they assert, will be written by local Atlantans.‍

“An opportunity to create a safe, walkable, and livable neighborhood in the once forgotten ‘heart of the city’ is right in front of us,” Cummings and Birdsong write. “Every great city in the world has a vibrant downtown, it’s Atlanta’s turn.”

...

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Subtitle "Every great city in the world has a vibrant downtown, it’s Atlanta’s turn"

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Atlanta airport embarks on one of ‘most ambitious projects to date’ Josh Green Fri, 12/15/2023 - 17:01 One of the tightest squeezes at the world’s busiest airport has embarked on a complex project that aims to make travel more pleasant and efficient for thousands of passengers per day.

Alongside Mayor Andre Dickens, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport officials on Thursday celebrated what’s being called a milestone “in one of the airport’s most ambitious projects to date”—the widening of Concourse D.

The project is using a unique building technique with prefabricated modules to modernize and widen the concourse while not disrupting operations with passengers. Airport general manager Balram Bheodari led a ceremony Thursday to raise a 900-pound steel beam marking the first module addition.

Courtesy of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport/Mammoet

Bheodari said the project will result in what’s effectively a new concourse that allows the airport to meet future capacity demands. Today, Concourse D is the airport’s narrowest and is “dramatically undersized,” with a circulation corridor of just 18 feet, according to airport officials.

Concourse D was opened in 1980 at ATL’s Domestic Terminal as one of five original concourses.

Airport officials say the concourse overhaul, once completed, will increase seating by 1,000 seats (up to 6,400) with hold rooms at twice their original size, expanding the concourse width by 29 feet and ceiling height by 18 feet. It will also allow for more larger-capacity jets and boost restrooms to twice their original size.   

Courtesy of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport/Mammoet

Courtesy of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport/Mammoet

Expanding the concourse while keeping it open presented a problem. The solution? To build 19 modules at a six-acre modular construction lot adjacent to the airport, and then install them individually overnight, attaching each one to Concourse D’s existing structure.     

According to airport officials, the first set of prefabricated modules is set to be moved into place in spring next year. The project won’t be completed, however, until summer 2029.

Courtesy of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport/Mammoet

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Atlanta Airport Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Concourse D Hapeville Southside Clayton County Airport Atlanta Construction Mayor Andre Dickens Balram Bheodari

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Courtesy of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport/Mammoet

Courtesy of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport/Mammoet

Courtesy of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport/Mammoet

Courtesy of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport/Mammoet

Courtesy of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport/Mammoet

Subtitle Complex widening of Concourse D aims for more pleasant travel experience

Neighborhood Citywide

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Best Atlanta Neighborhood 2023, 1st round: (3) West Midtown* vs. (14) Hapeville Josh Green Fri, 12/15/2023 - 15:55 As part of ongoingBest of Atlanta 2023 *coverage, Urbanize’s third-annual Best Atlanta Neighborhood tournament is kicking off with 16 places vying for the prestige of being called the city’s greatest. (Note: Seeding from 1 to 16 was determined by reader nominations*this month—so no pitchforks, please.)

For this Round 1 contest, which is publishing on a Friday, voting will be open until noon on Monday. Please, let’s keep the tourney fun and positive, as one neighborhood rises above the rest in very public fashion. The eliminations begin now!

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(3) West Midtown*

Plans for the Stella project's west (left) and south facades. Courtesy of Allen Morris Company; designs, Oppenheim Architecture; architect of record, Dwell Design Studio

* Before you unleash that super-clever hate mail about “West Midtown” being a fictional place, well… of course it is. But it’s an established fictional place! And it’s the contestant name that nominators wanted this year. “I’ll second West Midtown,” wrote reader Will Trimble during the nominations phase. “Not sure there’s a better name for the cohesive neighborhood that’s formed from the Marietta Street Artery and the west half of Home Park. And forcing it to be split in two doesn’t feel right.” Okay, fair enough—y’all asked for it.

So here’s West Midtown, where big-time ventures like Interlock’s second phase and eye-catching Stella at Star Metals are making a mark—and Howell Mill Road’s status as a car-packed small intestine finally shows promise of improving. Way back in 2011, during the very first year-end neighborhood tournament, “West Midtown” actually made it to the championship, losing in a route to Inman Park. Could 2023 be the year “West Midtown” finally avenges that loss? We’ll see.  

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(14) Hapeville

Artisan Built Communities/Serenity

Throughout the pandemic and post-pandemic era,historic and artsyHapeville has emerged as the darling of south ITP growth, owing in no small part to its next-door proximity to the world’s busiest airport and the gravitas of Porsche’s North American Headquarters, among other factors. And for a city of less than 7,000 people, it’s also a fiercely proud, neighborly place. (Yes, ITP cities are allowed in the tournament, as always).

This year saw Hapeville add a nifty public greenspace and splash pad fed by natural springs. Just a few blocks from the city’s charming downtown, Porsche’s second phase debuted in 2023 with a new 1.3-mile handling circuit that’s nothing short of exhilarating. Elsewhere, the thoughtful remake of a 1950s gas station came alive, while Hapeville’s residential explosion continued with projects such as Signal and Serenity. Surprisingly, this year marks Hapeville's tournament debut. Could it be a dark horse, revved up and hungry for glory?

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Best of Atlanta 2023 Best Atlanta Neighborhoods Best Atlanta Neighborhood Where to Live Atlanta Atlanta Neighborhoods Urbanize Atlanta Urbanize Tournament Polls Urbanize Polls Hapeville West Midtown

Subtitle Who should advance to the Elite Eight? Cast your vote now!

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